Justices of the Peace

MultiLink has been providing Justice of the Peace services to the community since 2010. Currently there are three registered members of staff with Justice of the Peace qualifications. During the period from June 2014 to July 2015, MultiLink’s Justices of the Peace provided over 350 individual services to community members for the signing of Statutory Declarations, Affidavits and the Certification of various documents.

A justice of the peace in Australia is defined as a member of the community with good stature who is authorised to witness and sign statutory declarations and affidavits and to certify copies of original documents.

In Australia, the office of justice of the peace is a State institution: there are no national justices of the peace. Each State and Territory has its own legislation regulating their appointment and powers. The function and powers of justices of the peace vary from State to State. For example, in Queensland, it is still possible for a justice of the peace to exercise certain judicial functions, whereas in Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory a justice of the peace is generally able to carry out only administrative tasks.

In all jurisdictions, including Queensland, the role is a voluntary and unpaid one.