Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Government House
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC

Bujari Gamarruwa

Diyn Babana, Gamarada Gadigal Ngura

In greeting you in the language of the Gadigal, Traditional Owners of these lands and waterways, I pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I extend that respect to the Elders of all parts of our country from which you have travelled today.

Secretary^[1], Sheriff^[2], and, most importantly, commissioned officers,

Last year, we marked the anniversaries of several important moments in the history of our State, all stemming from the passing of an act through the British parliament in 1823, which, to use part of its long title, would

provide […] for the better administration of Justice in New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land, and for the more effectual Government thereof.^[3]

They were:

• the bicentenary of the establishment of the Supreme Court of NSW,
• the bicentenary of the first sitting of the Council from which would spring our parliament,
• and the bicentenary of the appointment of NSW’s first Sheriff, John Mackaness, and, thereby, the foundational roots of the organisation we know today as the Office of the Sheriff of NSW^[4].

Last year also saw, in February, the passing of the Sheriff and Court Security Amendment Act 2024^[5], which amended the Sheriff’s Act 2005 to include the following provision:

The Governor may, on the recommendation of the Sheriff, issue a document (a commission) recognising the appointment of a sheriff’s officer to the position of a commissioned officer.^[6]

The first cohort of NSW Sheriff’s officers to receive this honour were then approved by the Lieutenant Governor at an Executive Council meeting in May.^[7]

Today, we celebrate not only the long history of the Office of the Sheriff of NSW and the essential role it has played in the evolution of our judicial system, but also you, our first commissioned Sheriff’s officers, who continue that vital legacy.

Much has changed over the last 200 years since that first Sheriff was appointed (thankfully, for instance, no longer are sheriffs responsible for the oversight of hangings), but the raison d’être of the Sheriff’s Office remains – of supporting the safe and effective running of our courts.

Every day, across our State, whether ensuring the safety and security of court rooms, effectively managing and administering our jury system, or serving and enforcing court orders, your responsibilities are important components of maintaining, protecting, and enforcing justice in NSW.

Much of that language I have lifted directly from the functions outlined in the Sheriff Act 2005^[8], following the amendments of the Sheriff and Court Security Amendment Act of last year. In short, it is a conception of the centrality of your role in the administration of justice in our State.

What I would add, and this comes from a long career in the courts, is the human touch you and your colleagues so consistently provide in the performance of your duties. In many of your daily duties you are the front line between those with possible malevolent intent as you discover concealed knives, screwdrivers, and hammers and those whom you are tasked with protecting. This takes a great deal of personal intuition and nous, as those with whom you are interacting are often worried and confused – to say nothing of the lawyers running late for court.

Even for the initiated, the legal system, its processes, and its outcomes can be intimidating. As a lawyer and a judge – and intimately familiar with the courts’ sometimes Dickensian-like convolutions – I have always felt a sense of security knowing that people like you on hand ensuring both that our courts are safe and its orders complied with, but also that everyone involved is treated respectfully, equitably, and fairly.

To all of you here today, and to your colleagues in every part of the Sheriff’s Office: I offer the warmest of congratulations and the most heartfelt of thanks for your service.

To the Sheriff’s Office!

[1] Mr Michael Tidball, Secretary, NSW Department of Communities and Justice

[2] Sheriff Tracey Hall PSM, Sheriff of NSW, Office of the Sheriff of NSW, NSW Department of Communities and Justice

[3] New South Wales Act 1823 (UK), available here and here; see also: ‘1822 to 1842 – The First Legislature’, Parliament of NSW website, available here

[4] ‘John Mackaness (1770-1838), Australian Dictionary of Biography online, available here

[5] Sheriff and Court Security Amendment Act 2024 No 8, available here. The Act was assented to on 19 February 2024.

[6] Sheriff Act 2005 No 6, sect 14 (1), available here

[7] 15 May 2024; the Lieutenant Governor presided, as the Governor was acting as Administrator of the Commonwealth at the time.

[8] Sheriff’s Act 2005 no 6, Section 4: “(1) The Sheriff has the following functions—(a) to provide for the safety and security of courts and tribunals, including by exercising the functions given to the Sheriff by or under the Court Security Act 2005, (b) to provide for the effective management and administration of the jury system in accordance with the Jury Act 1977, (c) civil law enforcement functions given to the Sheriff by or under this Act and other Acts, (d) to provide protective security services to judicial officers, (e) any other function given to the Sheriff by or under this Act or another Act or law.” The section was inserted by the Sheriff Act and Court Security Amendment Act 2024 no 8, available here.