STATUTES AMENDMENT (COURTS EFFICIENCY REFORMS) BILL

Final Stages

The House of Assembly agreed to amendments Nos 1 to 4 and 6 to 13 made by the Legislative Council without any amendment; disagreed to amendment No 5 and made an alternative amendment in lieu thereof as indicated in the following schedule:

New Part, page 7, after line 28—After Part 6 insert:

Part 6A—Amendment of Magistrates Act 1983

19A—Amendment of section 6—Appointment to administrative offices in magistracy

(1) Section 6—after subsection (2) insert:

(2a) A person is not eligible for appointment as the Chief Magistrate unless he or she is a legal practitioner of at least 7 years standing.

(2b) For the purpose of determining whether a legal practitioner has the standing necessary for appointment as the Chief Magistrate, periods of legal practice and (where relevant) judicial service within and outside the State will be taken into account.

(2) Section 6(3)—delete 'the Chief Magistrate or'

(3) Section 6(4)—delete 'shall' and substitute:

(other than an appointment as the Chief Magistrate) will

19B—Insertion of section 6A

After section 6 insert:

6A—Chief Magistrate to be magistrate and District Court Judge

(1) The Chief Magistrate will be taken to have been appointed as a magistrate and as a Judge of the District Court of South Australia (if he or she is not already a magistrate or a Judge of the District Court of South Australia).

(2) Section 6 of the Judicial Administration (Auxiliary Appointments and Powers) Act 1988 applies to the Chief Magistrate and, for that purpose, the office of Judge of the District Court of South Australia will be taken to be the primary judicial office of the Chief Magistrate and service as Chief Magistrate will be regarded as if it were service as a Judge of the District Court of South Australia.

(3) However—

(a) the Chief Magistrate may not perform the duties, or exercise the powers, of a Judge of the District Court of South Australia while the Chief Magistrate holds an appointment as Chief Magistrate; and

(b) the Chief Magistrate may resign from the office of Judge of the District Court of South Australia and from the office of the Chief Magistrate without simultaneously resigning from office as a magistrate and such a resignation will not give rise to any right to pension, retirement leave or other similar benefit.

(4) The Governor may, by regulation, make provisions relating to existing entitlements, and recognition of prior service, of the person holding the office of the Chief Magistrate on the commencement of this section or a person appointed to the office after that commencement, including by making modifications to the application of an Act that deals with superannuation or pensions.