Have Your Say On The Community Magistrates Legislation Amendment Bill

The Chairperson of the Justice Committee has called for
public submissions on the Community Magistrates Legislation
Amendment Bill. The bill seeks to expand the jurisdiction of
Community Magistrates to free up judicial resource and
improve the timeliness of District Court cases. Community
Magistrates were established in the late 1990s to provide
additional judicial resource in the District Court and free
up judges to hear more complex matters. The criminal
jurisdiction of the District Court is experiencing delays,
of which insufficient judicial resource is a contributing
factor. Community Magistrates are currently underused, and
limits in their jurisdiction result in a substantial number
of adjournments.

The bill would amend the Bail Act
2000, the Criminal Procedure Act 2011, and the Land
Transport Act 1998 to expand the jurisdiction of Community
Magistrates so they could undertake additional tasks. It
would also amend the District Court Act 2016 to require a
District Court Judge to be appointed as Principal Community
Magistrate. They would provide judicial oversight of
Community Magistrates and support them in managing their
expanded jurisdiction.

Tell the Justice Committee
what you think

Make
a submission on the bill by 11.59pm on Friday 14 August
2026.

For more details about the bill:

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