In the Australian Chinese community, the title of "(The Justices of the Peace," often appears on some people's business cards or in media reports. Who are the Australian Justices of the Peace?
Justices of the Peace are neither an official nor a symbol of social status in Australia and have no prerogative but to perform their duties in an obligatory manner. To put it simply, Justices of the Peace are merely persons authorized by the relevant goverment authorities to witness or certify copies of legal documents.
Justices of the Peace (Justices of the Peace) are composed of a group of people who are enthusiastic about the cause of public welfare, whose main duty is to prove that copies of documents which are legally valid for those in need are in conformity with their originals. In Australia, when dealing with immigration, home purchase, litigation, tax and other problems in their daily life, they all need a lot of supporting documents and photocopies, and it is a complicated and cumbersome matter to prove that these copies are correct and correct. Relying on only a small number of lawyers, or even fewer fair lawyers, is not enough, not to mention the fact that lawyers, notaries, are usually charged for doing these things, and it is this need that makes the Justices of the Peace exist. For China, the duties are somewhat like the notary office in China. The difference is that the notary office is a state agency and charges; and a Justices of the Peace is an individual, free of charge.
Justices of the Peace do not require much skill in their work. They are responsible for witnessing the authenticity and falsehood of the documents, and they do not care about the correctness or error of the contents of the documents. Justices of the Peace in the authentication document to ensure that the copy and the original match; the document should not be filled in the location should not be left blank, so as not to be filled in after the other content; Writing paper shall be standardized to prevent post-disclosure, not to be written in pencil in case of post-modification, and so on. If Justices of the Peace inadvertently or deliberately testify for false documents, they will be punished and even investigated for criminal responsibility.
Justices of the Peace are free of charge, and Justices of the Peace in some areas open public service days at fixed hours.
For all these reasons, applying for a Justices of the Peace is, of course, not a particularly difficult matter. The main laws governing Justices of the Peace in Australia are [The Justices of the Peace Act 2002], according to which the states have established the conditions for applying for Justices of the Peace within the State. To put it simply, any Australian citizen who reaches the age of 18 without having to be a high school graduate and who has not been sentenced to a certain period of time can become a justice of the peace if he is in need.
In New South Wales, for example, anyone who meets the following conditions is eligible to apply for Justices of the Peace (Justices of the Peace):
A Justices of the Peace term of office for a term of five years may apply for re-election before the expiration of the term. The title of Justices of the Peace will be cancelled if they do not wish to continue to hold office or if one of the following circumstances occurs: