Local JPs continue community service

JUSTICES of the Peace (JP) in Geelong, the Bellarine and the Surf Coast are reminding the community to continue considering using their free services heading into the New Year.

JPs can be accountants, doctors or any other professionals as long as they are authorised witnesses, and with professionals facing increasing labour shortages and pressures of doing business, more are turning to the free services of volunteer JPs.

Local JP Jason Ngam was appointed an authorised witness in 2022, following the completion of character checks, training and appointment by the Governor of Victoria.

“I believe in service to the communities in which we live, work and play,’ Jason said. ‘I am inspired by my emigrant parents, and other relatives, who served as volunteers in their communities- including a couple as JPs,” Mr Ngam said.

“I was fortunate in that I was first rostered for a few weeks at the Federal and Family court in Melbourne.

“It was a great place to get some training. I was a bit anxious about it, because I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do the job, like I didn’t know who would come in, and being at a courthouse as well. I had a terrific mentor. There are great mentors within the JP community.”

JPs are able to assist as witnesses when it comes to Statutory Declarations, Affidavits, Power of Attorneys, Police Checks, Proof of Life/Age and certified copies.

JPs are also seeing new and emerging requests through prescribed forms for documents which can be downloaded from the Department of Justice website.

Some interstate documents cannot be witnessed by a Victorian JP.

Retired school principal Toni Sharkey has been a JP for more than 20 years balancing a busy professional life and volunteering for the community.

“I came from a family who’d always been heavily involved in the community,” Ms Sharkey said.

“And so, it was kind of natural. Also, my dad was a JP, he sat on the bench. I loved law, and it was one of the first majors in my studies.”

“I’m there as a JP to support the public, as much as I possibly can, through the process.

“Many people don’t know the process and legal terminology is so far out of touch for the ordinary person. It raises anxiety levels and stress. JPs are able to bring it back to a very logical, simple way.”

With 3,500 Victorian JPs located around the state, more than two and a half million documents are signed each year.

Dedicated document signing centres in Greater Geelong are located at: