About JPs
In the ACT, our Justices of the Peace deal mostly with administrative issuesWhat does a Justice of Peace in the ACT do?
In the ACT, our Justices of the Peace deal mostly with administrative issues, such as:
- administering oaths or affirmations, witnessing statutory declarations and taking affidavits;
- witnessing signatures; and
- attesting and certifying documents.
A JP can help you if you need a document certified as a true copy, or wish to make a statutory declaration. A JP can witness most official documents such as an affidavit, Power of Attorney, Enduring Power of Attorney, will, declarations that the client is still alive, divorce papers, authorisation for visitations and so on.
Read more in our brief on What does a JP do?
What does a Justice of Peace in the ACT not do?
A Justice of the Peace DOES NOT preside in the courts in a judicial role in, unlike in some other Australian jurisdictions.
A Justice of the Peace DOES NOT have authority to act as a marriage celebrant, unless specifically licensed as such.
A Justice of the Peace DOES NOT provide legal advice.
A Justice of the Peace DOES NOT charge for his or her services, and cannot accept payment, reward or any form of compensation or gift for acting in the capacity of Justice of the Peace.
Want to know more?
If you would like to know more about the role of Justices of the Peace in the ACT, contact the Secretary of the ACT JPs Association (Mr Geoff Wood JP) on secretary@actjpa.org.au.
You can read a little more of the story of Justices of the Peace here – A short history of Justices of the Peace