Friday, 19 April 2024
Old Government House, Parramatta
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC

“Bujari Naami Darug Nurawa.”^[1]

Thank you, Aunty Grace Mumbler, for your moving Welcome to Country. I pay my respects to the Traditional Owners of this land, the Burramattagal Darug people and all Elders, past, present and emerging. I extend my respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including those present here today.

• Sheriff of NSW, Tracey Hall PSM,
• Your Honour Judge Peter Johnstone, Chief Magistrate of the Local Court,
• Dr Hugh McDermott MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General,
• Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
• Most importantly, Officers attesting and graduating at today’s ceremony,

It is an honour for me to join you and to offer my congratulations and best wishes to each of you as graduating Sheriff officers, on your future journey of public service to the people of New South Wales in one of the oldest continuing institutions of English law.

Today’s graduation ceremony is taking place at Old Government House, a place itself rich in history – and the oldest surviving public building in Australia, convict-built between 1799 and 1818 and the ‘country’ home of the first ten governors of New South Wales.

History is, likewise, central to the office of Sheriff.   This year is the 200^th anniversary of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, the highest of the Courts to whom our Sheriff officers render their service.  

The Court was established in 1824 by the Third Charter of Justice, issued the previous year. The Charter also reposed in the Governor the power to appoint a Sheriff to undertake what was necessary for the administration of justice in the courts and for the execution of its judgments, orders and processes. Those functions have remained the core functions of the Office of Sheriff.

You are, thus, part of a long tradition of service to the State, and to the law, which today is underpinned by your professional training.  You are invested with great responsibility and you have the support of the community as you carry out your duties in accordance with your oath. 

The role of Sheriff is an important non-partisan, non-political institution. To his detriment, the first Sheriff of New South Wales, John Mackaness, was inclined to forget this.   He was said to have suffered from an inflated sense of his own importance,[2] and became actively engaged with a number of political factions in the colony in opposition to the Governor.

In 1827, he seriously overstepped the mark at a formal dinner at the Turf Club at which Governor Darling was a guest and with whom the Sheriff was often at loggerheads.  During the toast to the Governor, the “band struck up a raucous rendition of  Over the Hills and Far Away,” in which Sheriff Mackaness’ heartily engaged.  Unsurprisingly, the Sheriff’s days in the Colony were numbered![3]

I have mentioned the core role of the Sheriff in the administration of justice and the execution of the orders and processes of the Court.

Today, your responsibilities have expanded to include:

• Providing safe order and security to Court and Tribunal premises;
• Protecting the Judiciary; and
• Administering and facilitating the Jury system that supports our justice system.

Today, you step up and into your roles as Sheriff Officers in this historical year of the 200^th anniversary of the Supreme Court and playing your part in the administration of justice, and so, as former Judge of that Court, it is an honour to be a part of celebrating your achievements, specifically those of:

• The 17 graduates from Charlie Class 2023, who completed the initial 6-week training at the Sheriff and Justice Academy in November 2023, and who have since been deployed to locations statewide.
• The 20 graduates from Alpha Class 2024, who have just finished their initial 6 weeks of training at the Sheriff and Justice Academy, and who will embark on their new journey within the Sheriff’s Office at locations across our state.
• The 11 Sheriff’s Officers who completed the newly introduced Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Promotion Program in February this year, and who have now gained the skills and confidence to be strong and successful leaders.
• And to the 9 Sheriff’s Office managers and 9 Corrective Services NSW employees who have successfully completed their nationally recognised Certificate IV in Leadership and Management. These managers have worked tirelessly to gain the essential skills required to excel in their roles within their respective organisations.

You join over 400 of your colleagues, servicing over 180 Courts and Tribunal locations.

While your initial training at the Sheriff and Justice Academy is complete, you will continue to learn much in your roles from experience and from your colleagues who are ‘already on the job’. 

Your individual backgrounds and experience in other environments will also assist you carry out your duties.  Among you is an Aboriginal Land Services Ranger, others who have worked in Accounts, Disability Services, Employment, Sales, and Youth Justice, those who have served in the Army and Firefighting services and one whose last job was with Red Rooster. You represent the great diversity of the community of NSW.

Many of your duties will involve engaging with people to whom you represent the authority of the law. This will include interacting with:

• those compelled to appear in Court,
• those whose property is being seized, or
• those who are being evicted from their homes,

… any of whom could be in acute financial distress or whose liberty could be in jeopardy.  Such occasions can be difficult, and you will be required to draw on your training and life experience, to ensure that you treat others with humanity, respect, and care in the discharge of your duties.

I also emphasise the importance of looking after yourself and your colleagues. As a community, we have a far better appreciation of the importance of mental health and wellbeing than we did in the past. Remember, that you have colleagues on whose experience, support and collegiality, you can draw.

Congratulations on completing your training. The State of New South Wales is fortunate to have such dedicated public servants. I hope you all enjoy your special occasion today with your colleagues, friends and loved ones, and I wish you all every success in your careers.              

[1] “Good to see you on Darug Country”.

[2] JM Bennett: The Office of Sheriff: Historical Notes on its Evolution in NSW:

[3] Bicentenary of the Legislative Council, Seminar 1: People, Places and Politics, New South Wales in 1823