Context
The Regional Administrative Court of Styria (Landesverwaltungsgericht Steiermark, subsequently LVwG Styria) used an application from 1992 to support the resolution of appeal procedures. The application was based on technology more than 20 years old. Since this technology is in the process of being replaced in Styria and the scope of application no longer meets today’s conditions, the application had to be redesigned. The main task of the old application was to capture the metadata of the business case and assign it to the appropriate judges. Complaints were submitted by mail, email or fax and filed in paper files. Only the metadata of the business case was recorded electronically. On the basis of this data, the business cases were assigned using the algorithm prescribed for the distribution of business to the judicial authorities.
Objectives
The general plan of the Regional Administrative Court of Styria is to implement a universal digital solution for file access across the entire state administration through the state’s Bürgerportal (citizen portal), and to implement a universal interface software for the entire state administration.
In addition, it also has different objectives in other areas:
- Appeal procedure: introduce a comprehensive electronic administrative procedure in the complaints area.
- Cost centre: introduce an electronic interface between the IT system and the nationwide accounting system to automate the recording of any costs incurred in the appeal process.
- Evidence office: digitally manage decisions and legal sentences, text passages and comments for the creation of decisions.
- Praesidium: digitally handle general meetings and committees, and collect key figures for the statistics of the activity report.
Implementation
The project’s communication strategy includes the following elements: engagements with chambers and advocacy groups, interactions with the Städtbund and the Municipal Confederation, and dialogues with the district headquarters. There are also lectures planned for the contributing authorities. Information about the project is disseminated through the homepage and the national intranet, and it is presented at specialist conferences. A media campaign throughout Styria is also in the pipeline.
As for the project’s financial aspects, the annual maintenance costs amount to €70 000, while the development costs are projected to be €1 200 000.