Judicial education

Introduction
Continuing judicial education
Selected upcoming education events
Our programs
Current projects

Our judicial education program promotes high standards of judicial performance and keeps judicial officers up to date with legal developments and community values.

Judicial education

Continuing judicial education

The NSW public expects judicial officers to be impartial, independent and perform to the highest professional standard. Judicial officers come to their role as highly-skilled professionals so our program is designed to assist in their transition to the role as an impartial adjudicator. From there, we aim to continuously renew judicial skills and values and provide information about changes to the law, court procedure and community values.

Selected upcoming education events

September 2024

Local Court of NSW Magistrates’ Orientation Program

This five-day residential program assists new magistrates with their transition to judicial office, with a focus on fundamental judicial skills and knowledge about court craft, decision-making, sentencing, judicial administration and judicial conduct. The program provides participants with an opport...

November 2024

Ngara Yura Program Seminar: Frances Forbes Society Joint Program — history and personalities of the District Court’s Walama List

The 2024 Forbes Society/Ngara Yura presentation will be a panel discussion exploring the history and personalities of the District Court’s Walama List.

February 2025

Local Court of NSW Metropolitan Seminar Series I

This series of seminars for metropolitan-based magistrates facilitates the development of judicial knowledge and skills. The interactive nature of these sessions provides a great opportunity for networking encouraged peer-based learning through discussion and problem-solving.

Our programs

Ngara Yura Program

The Commission’s Ngara Yura Program was initially established in 1992 in response to the final recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody that judicial officers should receive instruction and education on matters relating to Aboriginal customs, culture, traditions and society.

Cultural diversity online training program

The Commission has developed an online training module on cultural diversity for judicial officers, in partnership with other Australian judicial education providers.

Current projects

Coercive control reforms

On 1 July 2024, the offence of abusive behaviour towards current and former intimate partners (coercive control) came into force following the final commencement of the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Coercive Control) Act 2022. The Act followed recommendations of a NSW Parliamentary Joint Select Committee, established in October 2020, that coercive control be criminalised on the basis that current laws do not provide adequate protection for victims.

The Commission is providing educational resources for judicial officers regarding these reforms.

The Judicial Commission will conduct education sessions for judicial officers and update relevant publications regarding current and upcoming reforms during 2024.

Learn more

Current projects

Child Sexual Offence Evidence Program (CSOEP)

The Criminal Procedure Amendment (Child Sexual Offence Evidence) Act 2023 amends the Criminal Procedure Act 1986 to require child witnesses to give pre-recorded evidence in “prescribed sexual offence proceedings”, in the District Court wherever sitting. The new provisions commenced on 29 January 2024. The Program aims to reduce the stress, distress and trauma of the trial process for child sexual offence complainants and child witnesses giving evidence. The Program includes the use of witness intermediaries to facilitate the best evidence and court processes which enable the prerecording of evidence at the earliest opportunity.

The Commission is providing educational resources for judicial officers regarding CSOEP.