Hundreds of us willing to continue this work and do so around the clock
When a private company is entrusted with the quiet but essential work of preserving the spoken word of justice, its failure is never merely commercial. VIQ Solutions, Australia's dominant court transcription provider, is being wound down this week following a data breach in which sensitive court files were sent offshore to India in violation of its government contract — a betrayal of trust that administrators could not repair. Hundreds of transcribers across the country now face redundancy, while courts scramble to ensure that the record of justice itself does not fall silent.
- VIQ Solutions, which handled transcription for federal, family, and state courts across five Australian jurisdictions, will cease accepting orders immediately and shut down entirely by June 12th.
- The collapse follows a breach exposed by the ABC in which sensitive court files were sent to India for processing — directly violating the company's multi-million-dollar promise that all work would remain on Australian soil.
- Hundreds of transcribers learned of their redundancy at a routine weekly briefing, with no contract renewals, no reassurances from the courts, and no clear path to continued work — a shock one worker called 'incredibly heartbreaking.'
- Courts are scrambling to build contingency arrangements using on-shore providers and in-house transcriptionists, but the transition is untested and timelines remain uncertain, alarming legal professionals who warn delays could devastate active cases.
- Greens Senator David Shoebridge is demanding accountability at Senate Estimates and calling for the remaining budget to fund a permanent public transcription service, arguing essential justice infrastructure should never have been privatised.
Australia's court system is losing the company that handled nearly all of its transcription work. VIQ Solutions — which served federal and family courts as well as tribunals across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia — is being wound down, with all transcribers made redundant and the ordering portal closing this week. Staff will finish work on June 12th.
The collapse follows the ABC's revelation, four months ago, that VIQ had been sending sensitive court files to India for transcription — a direct breach of its government contract, which required all work to remain on Australian soil. Administrators McGrathNicol were brought in on March 16th, but attempts to sell the business or attract new investment failed. The Canadian parent company confirmed the wind-down this week.
For the transcribers themselves, the announcement arrived without warning at a routine briefing. One worker, speaking anonymously, described the shock of learning that orders would stop immediately, with no contract renewals and no reassurance from the courts. They called the shutdown 'incredibly heartbreaking' and said hundreds of colleagues stood ready to work around the clock if given the opportunity.
The Federal Court says it is preparing contingency arrangements — a panel of on-shore providers and in-house transcriptionists, with audio files stored to allow alternative services to step in. But the transition is untested, and legal professionals are alarmed. Lawyer Hayder Shkara warned that transcript delays could be devastating to cases, and said the Attorney-General needed to ensure an immediate, clear plan was in place.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge was blunter, calling the situation a shambles and arguing that essential public services should never have been privatised. He called for the remaining VIQ budget to be redirected toward a permanent public transcription service, and demanded that those who signed and oversaw the contract appear before Senate Estimates to account for how a company came to offshore private court material, collapse financially, and damage the reputation of Australia's federal courts. Meanwhile, the full scale of the data breach remains unclear — nearly 150 court matters are known to be affected, but the Canadian parent company has not fully cooperated with investigators.
Australia's court system is about to lose the company that has handled nearly all of its transcription work. VIQ Solutions, which managed court records for the federal and family courts, as well as tribunals across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia, is being wound down. All of its transcribers—hundreds of them—will be made redundant. The portal for ordering new transcripts will close today, and staff will finish work on Friday, June 12th.
The collapse comes four months after the ABC revealed that VIQ Solutions had been sending sensitive court files to India for transcription, a direct breach of its multi-million-dollar government contract. The company had promised that all work would remain on Australian soil. When administrators McGrathNicol were brought in on March 16 to assess whether the company could survive, the damage was already public. Attempts to sell the business or find new investment have failed. The parent company, based in Canada, announced this week that the wind-down would proceed.
One VIQ transcriber, speaking anonymously, described the shock of the announcement. Staff learned at a weekly briefing that orders would stop immediately, with no renewal of contracts and no reassurance from the courts that work would continue. "We have had no renewed contracts or reassurances from the courts that work will continue," the transcriber said. "Nothing has been extended." They expressed hope that cases needing transcripts would be redirected urgently, and said hundreds of staff were willing to work around the clock if given the chance. The transcriber called the shutdown "incredibly heartbreaking" and felt it "never had to happen."
The Federal Court has said it is preparing contingency arrangements. These include a panel of on-shore transcript service providers and transcriptionists managed in-house by the court itself. Audio files from recent and upcoming hearings will be stored to allow alternative providers to create transcripts as needed. The court promised more details would be published on its websites and shared with the legal profession soon. But the timeline remains unclear, and the transition is untested.
Legal professionals are alarmed. Hayder Shkara, director of Justice Family Lawyers, warned that delays in transcripts could be "devastating" to cases. He said the Attorney-General should be closely monitoring the situation and that lawyers need to know immediately how transcripts will be ordered, who will prepare them, what turnaround times will apply, and what safeguards will protect confidential court material. "The courts were aware of the problems that were plaguing VIQ Solutions," Shkara said, "so I would think that a plan would've been put in place to ensure that there is a backup system ready to go."
Greens Senator David Shoebridge, who sits on the legal and constitutional affairs committee, was sharper in his criticism. He called the situation a shambles and said the federal courts' reputation had been damaged. "This kind of essential public service should never have been privatised in the first place," he said. Shoebridge pointed out that transcripts are not optional—they are essential, often required in real time for high-stakes proceedings. He called for the millions still budgeted for VIQ to be repurposed toward a permanent public transcription service rather than handed to the next private operator. He also demanded that whoever signed and oversaw the VIQ contract appear before Senate Estimates to explain what due diligence was done on a company that had now offshored private information, gone broke, and damaged the reputation of the Federal Courts.
The data breach itself remains incompletely understood. Senate estimates heard last week that almost 150 court matters were caught up in the breach involving files transcribed in India. But court representatives said it was impossible to verify the exact number of potentially compromised cases because the Canadian parent company had not cooperated fully. Rob Smith from McGrathNicol, the administrators, confirmed the wind-down and said they were working with stakeholders on the timeline, aiming to minimize disruption to courts and provide certainty to staff. For now, the courts are in a holding pattern, and hundreds of transcribers are facing redundancy with no clear path forward.
Notable Quotes
We have had no renewed contracts or reassurances from the courts that work will continue. Nothing has been extended.— Anonymous VIQ transcriber
This kind of essential public service should never have been privatised in the first place, and now that the monopoly corporate provider is exiting it leaves the court system in a shambles.— Greens Senator David Shoebridge
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did this company collapse so suddenly? It had a government contract.
The contract was worth millions, but it required all work to stay in Australia. When the ABC found out they were sending files to India, the breach became public and trust evaporated. Administrators came in to see if the company could survive, but no one wanted to buy it or invest in it after that.
What happens to court cases right now? Do they just stop?
Not entirely. The courts are scrambling to set up alternatives—panels of local transcribers and some in-house capacity. But there's no guarantee the transition will be smooth. Cases that need transcripts urgently could face delays.
What about the people who worked there?
Hundreds of transcribers are losing their jobs with minimal notice. They were told orders would stop today and they'd finish on Friday. No one from the courts has promised them continued work. One transcriber said they felt abandoned—they wanted to keep working, even around the clock, but no one asked them to.
Is there anger about how this was handled?
Yes. Lawyers are frustrated because they don't know how to order transcripts going forward. A senator said the service should never have been privatized in the first place. The whole thing feels reactive rather than planned.
Could this have been prevented?
Possibly. The courts knew VIQ was in trouble. If they'd built a backup system earlier, the transition wouldn't be so chaotic. Instead, they're improvising now, and no one knows if it will work.