3.1 Your appointment as a JP
The Attorney-General recommends JP appointments to the Governor in Council.2
3.2 Honorary Justice Services Support (HJSS)
The HJSS team is situated within the Department of Justice and Community Safety (the department).
HJSS is responsible for appointing and managing honorary justice volunteers, a collective group consisting of JPs and Bail Justices. To do this, we:
- maintain transparent, fair, and effective policies for the recruitment, training, and deployment of JPs,
- support you in your role, and
- respond to complaints.
We support both volunteer JPs and Bail Justices (BJs) and provide information to the public of Victoria.
We do not have a role in managing, overseeing, or supporting authorised witnesses other than JPs or BJs, although we make our resources publicly available.
3.3 Wellbeing and support service
We offer an independent Employee Wellbeing and Support Service. Your Employee Wellbeing and Support Service is a free, confidential service available to Honorary Justices including JP volunteers. The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
To make an appointment to speak with a Converge International counsellor:
- Call 1300 687 326
- Visit the Converge International website
- Download the free EAP Connect app (search for ‘EAP Connect’ in your app store)
Converge International portal log-in details:
Username: djcs Password: ews
Appointments can be face to face, over the phone, through Live Chat on the Converge International website or through audio-visual or online videoconferencing, such as Zoom.
3.4 Victorian honorary justice associations
There are several honorary justice associations and groups around Victoria, who provide support and services to Justices of the Peace, including regular meetings, information sessions and peer support. It is not compulsory to join a group.
The department is independent of all honorary justice groups and associations, therefore honorary justices must always update their details with the department directly via email or post.
The Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices (RVAHJ) is a paid membership organisation that operates state-wide and has regional branches. You can find out more at www.rvahj.org.au or by phoning 9525 7099.
There are also local Honorary Justices groups, including:
- Geelong Group Association of Honorary Justices
- Gippsland East Honorary Justices Inc.
- Outer Easter Honorary Justices Inc.
Please contact the Honorary Justice Services Support area for further details on these groups.
Footnotes
[2] Section 7, Honorary Justices Act 2014
Updated