Chester Borrows: Court system changes essential

The memory of some days sticks with you forever. I was at home last Thursday rebuilding a fence - a job that has needed doing for some time - when the cell phone rang. The Prime Minister offered me a place in his executive as Minister of Courts and Associate Ministers of Welfare and Justice.

I grabbed the opportunity with both hands and said "yes" and "thanks" several times to a boss who has shown his stature and wisdom as a leader over the past six years in opposition and in government.

Now my challenge is to prove the wisdom of placing this responsibility into my hands and the prospect is challenging and daunting but will bring with it satisfaction and reward.

As Minister of Courts, there are some on-going projects and issues regarding earthquake strengthening and some temporary court closures while the rebuilds go on. There is a review of the Family Court and other examinations happening in our courts processes. The implementation of the courts' modernisation legislation transacted last year will be a big job, as those within the sector get used to doing things differently. And change is never popular. But the biggest challenge is to enable those at the centre of our justice system - offenders and victims - to answer for themselves the question most commonly asked in our courts: "What the hell just happened?"

It is an indictment of our legal system to think that people can be in the middle of a process which invariably alters and affects their lives for the foreseeable future or frequently forever and yet need the outcome explained to them, usually more than once. The court involves its own jargon, its own language, and conventions which are not replicated in any other part of society and bear no resemblance to the day-to-day lives of those the system most affects.

It is no easy thing to change the language, the configuration of the courts themselves, or the manner in which the business of justice is done. But the responsibility of making it understood rests on all the players in the system and ultimately with the minister.

The role of Associate Minister of Social Development will involve wearing a number of hats but will include youth justice as a responsibility, and this is something close to my heart. It also fits neatly into the role of Associate Minister of Justice. This is because the connection between those who fail in our justice system and are supported through our welfare system is usually close. Energy and resources spent through the welfare budget pays dividends in savings both financial and human in our justice/corrections/law-and-order endeavours.

None of this is rocket science, but frequently the most simple of objectives can become difficult to realise, given the machinations and mysteries of bureaucracy. I think the biggest challenge on a personal level as a Minister of the Crown is to "keep it real" and the electorate work I am involved with on a day-to-day basis does just that. It is where the ethereal nature of making policy hits the reality of daily grind.

In the meantime, I am just grateful for the opportunity to work in this way.