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In South Australia, the Courts Administration Authority (CAA) oversees a vast judicial network serving more than 1.8 million people across seven different court types. For decades, the CAA operated on multiple legacy case management systems, some dating as far back as 1991. These systems tracked the physical location of court files but provided limited digital functionality, and by the 2010s, this posed a serious risk.
“We were supported by developers nearing retirement age,” said David Connoley, Chief Information Officer. “We simply couldn’t find younger developers familiar with our systems anymore. When our current staff left, there’d be no one to support the platforms.”
This was a serious concern, of course, but an entirely different issue brought things to a head. “We ended up in the media for all the wrong reasons,” Connoley recalled. What happened? A system capacity issue led to license disqualification data failing to reach the proper government agency, leaving thousands of drivers incorrectly licensed. “That moved our legacy systems from a known risk to our single biggest organizational risk.”
As a result, starting in 2015 South Australia launched a seven-year journey to modernize their case management system. They were searching for a platform that could support a sweeping reform agenda and ensure long-term sustainability.
“We didn’t want to buy a system that would shape our processes,” Connoley said. “We wanted a system that could adapt to and evolve with us – highly configurable, flexible, and proven in a comparable jurisdiction.”
According to Connoley, flexibility and self-sufficiency were both non-negotiable because the CAA needed the ability to evolve the system independently post-implementation, so they could respond to future reforms and legislation without requiring vendor-led development. “We wanted to control our own destiny,” he explained. “The vendor would still provide product upgrades, but we’d do our own configuration. And that’s exactly what we’ve done.”
Since completing their eCourt rollout in 2022, the courts have continued to implement new functionality in-house, including a recent launch of full online lodgment for the Environment and Resource Development Court and a redevelopment of probate workflows in response to legislative changes.
The transformation has been most visible for probate. “We went from 100% paper to almost 100% online,” Connoley said. “Our system is available 24/7 and makes it easy for people to file on their own. We’ve seen a 400% increase in self-filed probate applications.”
Integration has also been key. South Australia’s courts participate in a hub-and-spoke data model that connects police, corrections, child protection, and more. It was critical for the CAA to have real-time data interchange, which ensures no wrongful arrests are made due to delayed or incomplete data.
Still, Connoley emphasized that the most important part of the transition wasn’t technical. “I think it was Peter Drucker who said, ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast.’ We ran into far more change management issues than technical issues, and they lasted long after the technical issues were resolved.” Some courts initially kept duplicate paper files as a safety net, while others delayed moving to online filings.
Now, though, the impact of eCourt is clear enough to get users on board. “When new staff join, they’re pleasantly surprised by the system,” said Connoley. “When they see old manuals, they’re in disbelief. We’ve gone from feeling archaic to giving people tools they expect in the modern world.”
And Connoley’s advice to others? “Choose a system that won’t hold you back. And don’t underestimate the human side of change: getting the technology right is important, but getting the people right is essential.”