Justice of the Peace Provisions Tightened as Suleyman's Status Revoked
Source: Victoria. Attorney General. Media Release
"The Office of the Justice of the Peace will be reviewed following an independent panel’s report on the status of Hakki Suleyman as a Justice of the Peace. Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls announced a number of new initiatives around the offices of Justice of the Peace (JP) following an independent review by an advisory panel made up of former State Services Authority chairman Peter Harmsworth and former Victorian Government Solicitor Ron Beazley. Mr Hulls said a number of the panel’s recommendations would be immediately implemented. These included:• Informing the Secretary of the Department of Justice in cases where the Justice Assessment Panel had exercised discretion in appointing a Justice of the Peace with a previous criminal record;• Requiring Victoria Police to release all prior criminal convictions in formal police record checks in the interest of the administration of justice;• Requiring all prospective JPs to sign a statutory declaration as part of the application process;• Modifying the application form to capture details of an applicant’s current and former names to enable a comprehensive police record check;• Asking the Honorary Justice Office to prepare separate codes of conduct for Justices of the Peace and Bail Justices and for these to be made available on a regular basis to office holders; and• Requiring all prospective candidates to apply to the Honorary Justice Office for an application form, which would be forwarded with important background information about the role, responsibilities and code of conduct for Justices of the Peace. Mr Hulls said he had also asked the Department of Justice to prepare a report on the future need and role of Justices of the Peace."