Victoria urged to fund training for 5,000 JP volunteers — ABC News Australia

In the Australian state of Victoria, the Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices has called on the government to be formed after the November 28 election to fund training for 5,000 new JP volunteers. The association is also asking for training for another 500 candidates to be funded annually going forward, ABC News reports.

There are 3,699 registered JP volunteers in Victoria, but the association's president, Rodney Lavin, believes that about 2,000 are actively working. He estimates that around 1,500 registered people can no longer perform these duties because of age, health conditions or death. Queensland has 80,000 JPs, New South Wales has 65,000, and South Australia has about 7,000.

Services at Bunnings

JP volunteers can certify legal documents, including declarations, affidavits and copies of documents. They usually work at police stations, libraries or local council offices. Some shopping centres also provide space for such services.

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Loretta Cormack, who has been a JP for 51 years, now works at the Bunnings hardware store in Altona, in western Melbourne. This is the first Bunnings where Victoria residents can contact a JP while shopping. According to Cormack, this format makes it possible to reach people who do not want to visit police stations, and demand for the services has increased significantly since the work was moved to the store.

Need for new volunteers

Lavin said that the state has not allocated government funding for JP training since the 2021–2022 budget. Representatives of Liberal Party leader Jess Wilson's office said the party had not committed to funding such training. The Labor Party did not respond to ABC News' request.

Victoria's Department of Justice and Community Safety said it appointed 800 new JPs during a multi-year recruitment campaign in 2022–2025. In the Sunraysia area in the state's northwest, additional recruitment about three years ago increased the number of volunteers by 15. At the same time, Mildura volunteer Sue Mason warned that some experienced JPs will eventually stop working, so their number could decline quickly.