CONTRACTS to construct South Australia’s new $500 million courthouse will be signed by December and the building completed by 2017, the State Government says.

The Advertiser can today exclusively reveal the timeline for the development of the new facility, which Attorney-General John Rau calls an “absolutely essential piece of infrastructure”.

Three development consortia — Activate 40, CBUS and Investec — have been short-listed for the project and will submit their proposals over the next few weeks.

Mr Rau said the government wanted to see construction begin in the first quarter of 2015 and the new Supreme and District Courts open for business by 2017.

“We are absolutely happy with the way things are progressing on this absolutely essential piece of infrastructure for the courts,” he said.

“This new facility will provide the courts with what they need for the next 50 years, if not more.”

For more than a decade, judges and lawyers have called for a complete overhaul of the archaic, crumbling Supreme Court building on the corner of King William and Gouger Sts.

The structure is so outdated that, when former Chief Justice John Doyle suffered an injury in 2011 and required a wheelchair, he could no longer access his own office.

The District Court building, on Victoria Square, has long struggled with courtroom availability, outdated IT facilities and cell elevators that regularly break down.

In May 2012, Mr Rau announced a $300,000 “scoping study” looking at redeveloping the courts precinct.

Twelve months later, Chief Justice Chris Kourakis warned the courts’ IT systems were 25 years old and at “high risk” of failure.

In September, the State Government announced a “massive reform” of the justice system centred on a purpose-built, $500 million courts precinct.

It said the new building would unify the Supreme, District, Youth and Coroners Courts in a single location.

In January, top barrister David Edwardson, QC, told The Advertiser that SA’s courts were the worst in the country due to government under-resourcing.

Later that month the Opposition announced that, if elected, it would integrate a justice system-wide IT upgrade with the already-proposed redevelopment.

The next day, the State Government revealed an upgrade of the archaic IT system would cost in excess of $50 million.

Yesterday, Mr Rau said the consortia would present their proposals in May for evaluation by a government panel, which would give its recommendations by August.

He said he was confident the successful consortia would be chosen by September, allowing for contracts to be signed in December.

Work would then begin in the first three months of 2015.

“We’ve been banging away at this for the best part of several years,” Mr Rau said.

“It’s been procurement in the ordinary fashion, according to regulations, and these are necessary steps.

“But this thing has been a long time coming and, as far as I’m concerned, it now has real momentum.”

He said the development would continue to progress through the election campaign despite the government being in caretaker mode.

“This is the result of decisions we made months ago, and it’s just ticking away on its own internal momentum,” he said.

“The next government, be it this government returned or a new government, will be making the final decision.”

The consortiums that could build the new courthouse.

Activate 40, comprised of:

— Capella Capital (Commercial Developer and Financier)

— Lend Lease Building Contractors (Contractor)

— Mott MacDonald Australia (Stakeholder, Design and Project Management)

— Aurecon (Civil, Structural, Security and Services Engineering)

CBUS, comprised of:

— CBUS Property (Commercial Developer and Financier)

— Probuild Constructions (Contractor)

— Architectus + GHD (Architect)

— Architectus + GHD + Oxigen (Urban Designer)

Investec, comprised of:

— Investec Bank (Commercial Developer and Financier)

— Built Environs (Contractor )

— Cox Architecture (Architect)

— Hames Sharley (Architect and Interior Designer)

— Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners (Architect)

A COURT ORDER

The timeline:

March 2014: Proposals formally requested from the three consortia.

May 2014: Consortia present their proposals to the Attorney-General’s Department.

June — July 2014: State Government panel evaluates the proposals.

August 2014: Government panel makes its recomm-endations about the proposals.

August — September 2014: Cabinet considers the recommendations and chooses a consortia.

December 2014: Contracts signed.

January — March 2015: Stage one of construction begins.

2017: Construction completed, courtsd open.