Complaints
Complaints Handling Policy[1]
Our Commitment
The ACT Justices of the Peace Association Inc welcomes all forms of feedback, including complaints, regarding the service offered by Justices of the Peace within the ACT and about our services, activities, and operations.
We are committed to a culture of continuous improvement, and value comments from the public.
Purpose
This policy provides for the fair and prompt handling of complaints by members of the public or members of the ACT Justices of the Peace Association about Justices of the Peace within the ACT, or any aspect of the ACT JPA, its Executive or its operations.
Context
All Justices of the Peace in the ACT are appointed by the ACT Government (through Access Canberra) which also administers the Justice of the Peace public register. Justices of the Peace can be contacted directly by any member of the public seeking Justice of the Peace services.
Many Justices of the Peace are also members of the Association. Several members provide services to the public at designated ACT JPA Signing Centres located throughout the ACT[2].
Justices of the Peace provide services in a voluntary capacity only and must not receive any remuneration or other inducements for their services.
Justices of the Peace who volunteer at Signing Centres are generally members of the ACT JPA.
Scope
This policy applies to all members of the ACT JPA. The ACT JPA has no authority to manage complaints that arise about Justices of the Peace who are not ACT JPA members or who are not providing services at a designated ACT JPA Signing Centre.
Where we receive a complaint that falls outside the scope of this policy or that we cannot resolve, it will be referred to the Government body responsible for Justices of the Peace in the ACT (currently Access Canberra).
Examples of possible complaints include:
- rudeness, disrespect or other forms of failing to listen or to acknowledge a complaint;
- dishonesty;
- seeking (or appearing to seek) payment or other inducement for services;
- real or perceived conflicts of interest or bias;
- real or perceived perceptions that Justices of the Peace are giving legal advice; and
- real or perceived perceptions that Justices of the Peace are breaching privacy standards.
Our Promise
We will handle complaints in a manner that is transparent, simple, fair and timely. We will:
- make sure that people know how to contact us to tell us what they think;
- listen to what they have to say;
- do our best to understand the stated concerns or issues;
- respond to those concerns in a fair and impartial manner;
- do our best to resolve the issue or fix the problem, although this may not always be possible;
- acknowledge any mistakes or errors we may have made;
- provide clear explanation for our decisions, unless limited by law; and
- establish and maintain procedures to record feedback and complaints.
We reserve the right to:
- refer matters to Access Canberra for further action[3]; and
- rescind membership of the ACT JPA in accordance with its Constitution.
Contact Officers
| President: Ms Beverly Alley JP
0438 948 497 |
Secretary: Mr Geoff Wood JP
0419 491 834 |
Contact us through the ACT Justices of the Peace website
ACT JPA web site https://actjpa.org.au/contact-us/
Postal Address:
ACT Justices of the Peace Association Inc
PO Box 766
Dickson ACT 2602
[1] Date of ratification: September 2021
Date of review: September 2023 or earlier if required.
[2] Information about where to find a Signing Centre is published and updated regularly on the ACT JPA website (www.actjpa.org.au); Access Canberra website (or http://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au and search for “How can I find a Justice of the Peace?”); and on Facebook (Facebook.com/ACTJPA).
[3] Note: the Association must refer matters which appear to be related to Clause 3B of the Justice of the Peace Act 1989 to the relevant authority (currently Access Canberra).