Judicial Commission of NSW Annual Report 2017-18

Judicial Commission of NSW — Annual Report 2017–18 6 Overview of the Commission Our history 1985 — Controversies involving judicial officers in Australia are widely reported in the media. 1986 — The NSW Government announced plans to establish a Judicial Commission responding to a perceived crisis in public confidence in the judiciary. The Judicial Officers Act 1986 commenced in December. The Commission uniquely combined a complaints function with educational and sentencing functions. 1987 — The Judicial Officers (Amendment) Act 1987 made the Commission a statutory corporation, allowing it to be independent of the executive Government. Operations commenced in October. Of the 220 judicial officers in NSW: 95% are men; 5% are women. 1988 — Conference, seminar and publications programs commenced to provide professional continuing judicial education. Development of Sentencing Information System database commenced to help judicial officers improve consistency in their approach to sentencing. 1990 — Chief Justice Gleeson, the Commission’s President, launched the Sentencing Information System. 1996 — The Sentencing Information System, re-engineered and expanded to include information relevant for all courts, was renamed the Judicial Information Research System (JIRS). 1998 — In a first, a judge addressed Parliament after a Conduct Division reported that Parliament consider his removal from office, Parliament voted not to remove the judge. The Judicial Officers Amendment Act 1998 increased lay membership of the Commission from 2 to 4. The Commission provided professional development programs to 251 judicial officers: 85% are men; 15% are women. 2007 — A special reception was held in October at Government House to commemorate 20 years of operations. A brief history “From Controversy to Credibility” of the Commission was published. The Judicial Officers Amendment Act 2007 allowed for lay representation on a Conduct Division with a community representative. The Commission provided professional development to 278 judicial officers: 73% are men; 27% are women. 2011 — Two separate Conduct Divisions reported to the Governor that Parliamentary consideration be given to removing 2 magistrates from office. Each magistrate separately addressed Parliament. Parliament voted against removal. 2012 — The Judicial Officers Amendment Act 2012 required the Commission to provide information about a complaint against a judicial officer to the Attorney General if requested. The Commission ran the first Community Awareness of the Judiciary Program as a public education strategy. The Commission provided professional development programs to 350* judicial officers: 74% are men; 26% are women. * We changed our method of counting to include acting judicial officers. 2016 — To promote interactive learning, a resource app was launched. The Commission moved to new premises at 60 Carrington Street, Sydney (our new location below).