November 20, 2017
The first cases were heard in the Kingaroy Magistrates Court on Monday, marking the end of the $5.31 million refurbishment of the old building.
Staff have been busily carting files and office equipment back across Kingaroy Street from the temporary courthouse in a former bottleshop which has been serving Kingaroy since April.
The new courthouse features a lift which will assist both defendants and witnesses with disabilities to reach the main courtroom on the second floor.
A covered walkway allows people bring held in custody in the watchhouse to be brought directly into the court house safely and securely.
There are security cameras mounted around the outside of the building as well as in key areas inside.
The downstairs courtroom – which is used by the Kingaroy Magistrate when District Court is sitting upstairs, and also by various tribunals – has been enlarged and now features its own videolink system.
Glass panels have been installed in both courtrooms to separate visitors from the defendant and the bar table.
A special area has been created to allow child witnesses to give video evidence in a safe and secure environment well away from the actual courtrooms.
New soundproof interview rooms have also been created for solicitors to speak to their clients in privacy.
The date for an official opening of the building is yet to be set.
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Agreed, not the prettiest nor does it show the Tower of Power. It’s plain and ugly
What happened to the fancy new facade that was supposed to be part of the upgrade ?
It’s there, Roger … the builders stripped the whole building down to bare bones. For a long while you could see through it!
Was the architect North Korean?
The refurbished Kingaroy Courthouse has been most obviously (re)designed, inside and out, by a city slicker. The finished product wouldn’t look out of place in a concrete jungle such as Brisvegas but in a country/regional town like Kingaroy it stands out like the proverbial you know what. The two-tone grey exterior colour scheme is very dull and leaves much to be desired in the eyes of the beholder.
It appears the original artist’s rendering was thrown out completely
Is the new building fitted with solar? Surely all new or refurbished government buildings should include solar to help with their renewables target.