Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre, based in Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia's Kimberley region, has welcomed the announcement regional court sittings will resume almost a month earlier than initially announced.
Fitzroy Crossing was one of more than 20 regional and remote courts shut after WA's top judges, led by Chief Justice Peter Quinlan, announced the closures.
Court sittings, suspended from June 1 and originally set to resume on August 28, will now restart on August 3. The change follows WA Police's advice that it could not continue providing officers for court security and custodial duties at some regional sites, disrupting the original schedule.
A new agreement between the Department of Justice and WA Police has fast-tracked the return of court sittings.
Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre chief executive Emily Carter said the return of local court services would provide relief for families across the Fitzroy Valley.
"We welcome the restoration of local court services and acknowledge the efforts that have been made to resolve these arrangements," Ms Carter said.
"Access to local courts is critically important for women, children, families and communities across the Fitzroy Valley."
The organisation said the closures forced Aboriginal families to travel further, disrupted caring roles, and put up new barriers for victims and witnesses, making justice even harder to reach in remote communities.
Ms Carter said the disruption showed how fragile access to justice could become in remote communities.
"The experiences of recent months have shown how quickly access to justice can become fragile in remote communities and how deeply these disruptions affect families and communities," she said.
Marninwarntikura executive officer David Couri welcomed the reopening but said concerns remain over interpreters, travel, cultural safety and access to legal services.
"The return of court sittings is very welcome, but the conversations that have emerged around equity, participation, interpreters, travel, cultural safety and access to legal services must continue," he said.
Mr Couri said it is still unclear whether family violence cases have been withdrawn or stalled because victims and witnesses could not safely or practically appear, raising fears of unresolved cases.
"Remote communities should not receive a lesser standard of justice because of where they live," he said.
"Access to justice is not a privilege — it is a fundamental right."
Marninwarntikura has backed calls from the Regional Alliance of Justice Associations for long-term investment in regional justice infrastructure and more consultation with Aboriginal organisations and communities to strengthen justice outcomes.
