Lawyers, judicial officers, police officers and Members of Parliament will be able to serve on juries sooner after leaving their office or practice under reforms to Victoria’s jury system, Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls announced today.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Lawyers, judicial officers, police officers and Members of Parliament will be able to serve on juries sooner after leaving their office or practice under reforms to Victoria’s jury system, Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls announced today.
The reforms, to be introduced into Parliament today, will also relax restrictions on non-practising lawyers and other people working in the legal profession from serving as jurors.
“Jurors play a fundamental role in the administration of justice, and they should be as representative as possible of the general population,” Mr Hulls said.
“These reforms will increase community representation on juries by potentially up to 28,000 additional Victorian adults.”
Mr Hulls said the legislation would reduce the period of ineligibility from serving on juries from 10 years to five years after leaving office or practice for occupational groups including judicial officers, lawyers, MPs, police and legal staff of Government statutory authorities such as the Ombudsman, the Office of Public Prosecutions, and the Office of Police Integrity.
People in these occupational groups will continue to be ineligible for jury service while serving in these roles.
Mr Hulls said reforms to the Juries Act in 2000 had already allowed dentists, doctors, teachers and local government officials to serve as jurors.
He said these further changes followed the release of a discussion paper last November on jury eligibility and came after extensive consultation with the Law Institute of Victoria, Victorian Bar, Victoria Police, Director of Public Prosecutions and the Juries Commissioner.
“Jury service is an important civic duty that ensures community participation in the justice system,” Mr Hulls said.
“While juries are selected randomly, they should be able to be drawn from the widest pool of prospective jurors as possible with the aim of representing a cross section of the community.”
Mr Hulls said the reforms would mean people working in the legal profession without a close connection to legal practice, including for example administrative staff, would be eligible for jury service.
But he said practising lawyers remained ineligible for jury service, including all lawyers who hold a current practising certificate under the Legal Profession Act and all government lawyers.
People involved in the conduct of litigation or provision of legal advice will remain ineligible for jury service. Trainee lawyers, such as articled clerks, also remain ineligible for jury service.
“Trial by jury is a cornerstone of our judicial system and serving on a duty is one of the most valuable community services that a Victorian can perform,” Mr Hulls said. “These reforms will ensure as many people as possible can participate in this important civic duty.”
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