Magistrates Amendment Bill 2015

Overview

This bill fixes a technical problem with the oaths taken by some Queensland magistrates and judicial registrars between April 2013 and April 2015. It confirms that their appointments and all their past decisions are legally valid, even though they took an outdated form of oath.

Who it affects

The affected magistrates and judicial registrars keep their positions, and anyone who had a court matter decided by them can be confident the decision still stands.

Key changes

• Confirms that the old 2003-form oath taken by some magistrates and judicial registrars counts as if they had taken the correct 2013 oath
• Validates all past decisions and orders made by affected magistrates and judicial registrars
• Stops affected judicial officers from automatically losing their office because of the oath error
• Gives magistrates who never took any oath three months to take the correct one or cease to hold office