JP signing station proves a hit

BUSINESS is good for the Geelong Association of Honorary Justices, with a new model for a document signing station proving very popular with the public.

The station, run by Justice of the Peace (JP) volunteers, has recently been adapted and implemented inside the Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre, with the assistance of centre management.

Set up in the public space area outside Target on weekdays, people can visit the station without an appointment with statutory declarations, affidavits, powers of attorney or wills to be witnessed and signed by a Justice of the Peace, or to have a certified true copy of an original document signed.

The association says the new style of facility takes the signing of documents away from limited access sites and into the open and public arena, and it appears the community and JPs alike love the new innovative and approachable style of the station.

“The JPs serving the centre have never been busier and are more than happy to assist the general needs of the community,” Geelong Association of Honorary Justices president John Mitchell said.

He said signings had eaily doubled from 9,000 documents per year to more than 20,000 documents from 5,500 individuals over the past 12 months, with signings to increase again to about 27,000 over the next year.

Mr Mitchell said there were about a dozen JPs from the Geelong Association’s 30 members on the register to perform a shift at the document signing station.

The new format is potentially going to extend to other centres across Victoria, starting with Bendigo, and then Ballarat.

The document signing station is open on weekdays from 10am until 2pm, depending on availability.

If you are a practising JP and have the time to join the roster and the team of volunteers, visit the document signing station and the association can discuss a time frame to suit you.