Good afternoon.
We're here to discuss with you the provision that increases the number of judges at the Federal Court by three.
These additional judges are required to deal with the expected surge in cases due to the proposed changes to the asylum system. The capacity of the system is increasing from the current 26,000 asylum claims a year to 50,000 asylum claims a year. As the increases of the capacity of the asylum system are applied, the volume of cases to the Federal Court will of course increase.
The analysis of the forecast depends on the caseload assumptions that have been provided by client departments, and many efforts are made to make sure that those are accurate and as solid as possible. It's important to avoid developing backlogs at the Federal Court, which would only slow down the asylum matters and could affect the overall jurisdiction of the Federal Court.
It is always harder to catch up on backlogs when they develop. That's why it's important for them not to develop. If the Federal Court becomes the choke point in the system, the objectives of the asylum system won't be met, and that would be unfortunate, given all of the work and the important effect that this initiative is going to have.
That's my short summary. We are happy to address any questions you may have.