The opening of the new Wyndham Law Courts will be delayed after operational funding was deferred in the recent state budget, according to correspondence seen by the Star Weekly.
The $271 million court complex in East Werribee was due to open in March 2025, but in a recent email viewed by Star Weekly, Court Services Victoria (CSV) executive director, major projects, Tony Michele, informed Wyndham council chief executive, Stephen Wall, that this start date was no longer possible.
Having tried to reach Mr Wall by phone, Mr Michele wrote in the email that the CSV business case seeking operational funding for the new Wyndham Law Courts, had been deferred in the state budget on May 7.
“As a result the new court will not be opening as planned in March 2025,” he wrote.
“CSV will be working with the government over the coming months to determine when the new Wyndham Law Courts will open.”
Currently under construction behind the Wyndham Police Station on the Princes Highway, the new law courts are considered part of the East Werribee development and straddle the border of treasurer Tim Pallas’ Werribee electorate and that of Point Cook MP Mathew Hilakari.
Court Services Victoria is part of the Department of Justice and Community Safety, overseen by Attorney General Jaclyn Symes.
None were available to comment individually, but a spokesperson for the government said that construction of the court complex was expected to be completed by November.
However, they were non-committal about when it would be operational.
“We are in discussions with Court Services Victoria on plans for the operations of the courts once construction is completed,” the spokesperson said.
Wyndham council were contacted for comment.
Wyndham councillor Mia Shaw, whose Iramoo ward takes in the new law courts, slammed the delay, saying it cast doubt on the whole East Werribee project.
“If the government has run out of money to staff their law courts, how can we possibly believe they’ve got money for East Werribee and won’t sell the land for housing,” Cr Shaw said.
“This just shows the state government was never serious about jobs for East Werribee.”
In response, a government spokesperson said the Wyndham Law Courts were “an enormous investment for the west,” but didn’t address Cr Shaw’s concerns about the broader East Werribee project.
The Wyndham Law Courts were first funded in the 2020-21 state budget to replace the existing Werribee Magistrates Court.
Once complete the court complex will be the largest in Victoria outside the Melbourne CBD, with 13 courtrooms and 26 holding cells.
