QJA Centennial Year Conference

Centennial year celebrations got underway on Friday evening, 2 November, as delegates and guests enjoyed the 360-degree panoramic views of Brisbane as they circled around in their gondolas on the Wheel of Brisbane. Clearly visible from the top of the Wheel, which is 60 metres above the ground, riders could see the Story and Victoria Bridges. After the ride it was all feet back on the ground and across the river to the Public Quarter restaurant to socialise with colleagues and guests while enjoying a selection of canapes.

Centennial Year Conference 3 November 2018

Up early to set up, the Conference Volunteers swung in to action welcoming delegates to the 2018 State Conference, the Queensland Justices Association centennial year, at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Members mixed and mingled throughout the day while soaking up the collective wisdom of our guest speakers. As delegates were seated the auditorium was filled with the sounds of Cold Play’s ‘Clocks’ while the QJA centennial video rolled across the three huge video screens.

The program was packed with three plenary sessions, nine concurrent sessions, and opened with a Welcome to Country presented by Maroochy Barambah, Songwoman and Law-woman of the Turrbal People, the traditional land

owners of the conference site. Maroochy gave us a short history of her life in Cherbourg and then sang Advance Australia Fair in the language of the Turrbal people.

Official Opening

Somgwoman Maroochy Barambah

The conference was officially opened by the Honourable Yvette D’Ath MP, Attorney General and Minister for Justice, who took to the stage, reflecting that the QJA has now joined an elite circle of Queensland businesses celebrating 100 years. The Attorney-General reflected on a little history of JPs in Queensland noting that 2018 also marks the 100 th anniversary of the first woman appointed as JP in Queensland. This honour goes to Matilda Hennessey who was quite a pioneer of her time.

Ms D’Ath commended JPs and C.Decs for their volunteer service, their support to the legal system, and, how many make themselves available at all hours to assist the Queensland Police Service. She noted that 123,000 services are provided through the JPs in the Community program annually.

Keynote Address 1:

The JP Role – Through the Years

Chief Justice, the Honourable Catherine Holmes (also QJA Patron) was our first keynote speaker and she breathed new life into the history of JPs in Queensland. Her Honour spoke about the arrival of the first JPs in Australia with the first fleet and how Governor Phillip set them to work immediately establishing a court of Petty Sessions with two JPs presiding. Queensland saw its first JPs in 1825 which were authorised under the British Parliament to hear cases.

It wasn’t until 1886, 27 years after the Colony of Queensland was established, and the Justice Act was introduced that JPs were appointed under Queensland Law. Moving along to modern times Her Honour spoke about the paucity of JP training during the 20 th century and noting that between 1981 and 1989 only 17% of JPs had completed any training.

All that was to change with the recommendations of a Green paper, in 1989, setting out the abolition of the one category JP system and introducing the system we have today with Commissioners for Declarations, and Justice of the Peace Qualified.

With the introduction of the Justices of the Peace and Commissioners for Declarations Act 1991 training became mandatory. A video of the Chief Justice’s full speech is available at link Chief Justice

6Serving Queensland’s Honorary Justices since 1918