One-stop shop database for law

By BEVERLY PETER
THE Papua New Guinea judiciary is looking to create a better database system and a one-stop shop for the country’s legal research and other purposes, says PNG sentencing database (PNGSD) manager Sarah Pawa.
Pawa said most PNGSD users misperceived the data system thinking that it only contained criminal laws and records but it also contained civil laws and records.
She said this during a database training in Port Moresby on Friday.
The training was to educate end-users which were law and justice agencies (police, private lawyers, public solicitor’s office, public prosecutor’s office, judiciary staff, and the judges).
“Due to the confusion with the name, the database will now be named as the PNG Legal Information Network (PNGLIN) after its launch in July,” Pawa said.
“We are happy that all parties are participating as they are the end users and their feedback will now help us create something available to their use.”
She said there were some additional features made which would make the website easier to use. “PNGLIN will be the one-stop shop for all legal reference material in the country.
“Every judicial officer to lawyers, law and justice agencies, law schools and Ombudsman Commission who deals with PNG law and justice will be using this database as their main research tool,” Pawa said.
She said the database was updated on a regular basis and would show all judgements once recieved.
She said all laws and acts were uploaded onto the site as soon as they were passed by Parliament.
Pawa added that Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika had approved PNGLIN and they were making final preparations before launching.
PacLii is a database site owned and operated in Australia that publishes PNG legal information for research proposes.
PacLii and PNGLAW are the two websites that currently provide PNG law information.