Tuesday, 16 May 2023

 Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (13:00): I am sure everyone knows that it is National Volunteer Week. Volunteer Week is a chance for us to celebrate and recognise the substantial contribution that volunteering Victorians make across our community and an opportunity to say thank you for this incredible contribution. I would like to particularly take the opportunity to pay tribute to some of those in the legal sector.

Our honorary justices provide more than 600,000 volunteer hours per year and help thousands upon thousands of people with document witnessing. In doing so they embody the theme of this year’s Volunteer Week, ‘the Change Makers’, by ensuring that Victorians can deal with their legal matters effectively and with dedicated support from local justices of the peace. We are in the process of recruiting more than 800 new JPs, and we have reached 500 already. Further recruitment across multiple local government areas is going to take place this year.

Our bail justices perform such a critical service in contributing their time outside of business hours and on weekends to ensure that crucial bail hearings can be dealt with as soon as possible. As Attorney-General, I would personally like to thank them for their key contribution in creating a safe and fairer community for Victorians.

I also want to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of volunteers within the community legal sector. We know the important work that community legal centres provide to vulnerable Victorians in need of support, and I want to again extend my sincerest thanks to those who continue to ensure our justice system is accessible to everyone in the community.

It is also the Victoria Law Foundation’s Victorian Law Week – a very full calendar this week in Victoria. This is an annual festival of events to help Victorians understand their rights, find answers to legal questions, know what help is available and learn how the legal system works. There are more than 200 events across metro and regional Victoria. Whether it is a tour of the Neighbourhood Justice Centre in Collingwood, webinars, in-person sessions to help prepare wills or a discussion on workplace discrimination, there is certainly an event for everyone and I encourage people to check it out.