"Wagga Wagga Courthouse A Disgrace," says McGirr

NSW leading independent candidate, Dr Joe McGirr, today promised, if elected, he would put pressure on whichever party took office to immediately instigate a report into the functionality and future viability of the Wagga Court House.
Dr McGirr said that he had received numerous complaints not only from the legal profession but members of the public who were concerned that the current member Daryl Maguire had not raised concerns sufficiently enough about the state of the building and its inability to provide the proper accommodation for the hearing of court matters.
“Whilst there are plans for a new facility – nothing has happened” said Dr McGirr
“Legal Practitioners were concerned that the hearing of all matters from the simple to the more complex District Court hearings taking several days were now becoming arduous exercises to the extreme.”
Dr McGirr is aware of at least 15 issues, documented by the South West Slopes Law Society in correspondence to him, that range from the buildings structural incapability to adequately defining areas of security for Judges, legal representatives and victims.
Dr McGirr said “On any given court day numbers of people requiring the services of the courthouse are forced to wait outside before being attended to.” “There are no proper client – legal practitioner interview rooms. Climatic changes are severe and because of the cramped space perpetrators and victims of crime often confront each other”
“The current building built in 1902 is simply not adequate” said Dr McGirr.
“Since then our regional population has dramatically increased and these facilities are simply outdated”
Dr McGirr has made no bones about the need for new facilities and says that if elected he will fight to the bitter end to correct the indifference that has been shown by the current sitting member. “This is not a time to be sitting on the fence with this issue” said Dr McGirr.