Acknowledgements

Special Acknowledgment

This Bench Book was inspired by, and is largely based on, the New South Wales Judicial Commission’s Equality before the Law Bench Book. Judicial Commission of New South Wales, Equality before the Law Bench Book (2006; as revised July 2016) (accessed 20 July 2017). The Steering Committee which oversaw the development of this Bench Book would like to thank the NSW Judicial Commission for kindly giving permission to use its Bench Book as a reference for our own.

Steering Committee

This Bench Book was produced and revised at the request of Chief Justice Wayne Martin and with the assistance of the Department of Justice.

Under the guidance of a Steering Committee the first edition of the Bench Book was drawn from the New South Wales Judicial Commission’s Equality before the Law Bench Book, local legislation and statistics, and the submissions and contributions of a wide range of community-based non- government organisations, individuals and government agencies.

The original Steering Committee consisted of the following judicial members:

• Chief Justice Wayne Martin, Supreme Court (Chair)
  
  
• Chief Judge Stephen Thackeray, Family Court of Western Australia
  
  
• President Michael Barker, State Administrative Tribunal (October 2006 to February 2009)
  
  
• President Denis Reynolds, Children’s Court
  
  
• Judge Robert Mazza, District Court
  
  
• Judge Judy Eckert, State Administrative Tribunal (from October 2008)
  
  
• Mr Steven Heath, Chief Magistrate
  
  
• Ms Libby Woods, Deputy Chief Magistrate
  
  
• Mr Alastair Hope, Coroner
  
  
• Magistrate Susan Duncanson, Family Court of Western Australia.

Other members of the Steering Committee were:

• Ms Yvonne Henderson, Commissioner for Equal Opportunity
  
  
• Mr Gavan Jones, Director, Higher Courts, Court & Tribunal Services
  
  
• Dr Jeannine Purdy, Senior Legal Research Officer, Chief Justice’s Chambers (from January 2008)
  
  
• Dr Philip Jamieson, Research Assistant, Chief Justice’s Chambers (July 2006 to September 2007)
  
  
• Mr Neville Jones Principal Project Manager, Court & Tribunal Services (from August 2009)
  
  
• Ms Andrea Walsh, Principal Project Manager, Court & Tribunal Services (from December 2008 to August 2009)
  
  
• Ms Kathy Lazaridis, Principal Project Manager, Court & Tribunal Services (May 2008 to December 2008)
  
  
• Ms Helen Thomas, Manager, Policy and Review, Court & Tribunal Services (July 2006 to January 2008).

A Steering Committee was convened in 2015 to guide the second edition of the Bench Book and it was also assisted by extensive community input into the revised chapters.

• Chief Justice Wayne Martin, Supreme Court (Chair)
  
  
• President Jeremy Curthoys, State Administrative Tribunal
  
  
• Justice Susan Duncanson, Family Court of Western Australia
  
  
• Chief Judge Kevin Sleight, District Court
  
  
• Ms Libby Woods, Deputy Chief Magistrate
  
  
• Mr Stephen Vose, Magistrate, Children’s Court
  
  
• Ms Ros Fogliani, State Coroner.

Other members of the Steering Committee were:

• Mr Allan Macdonald, Senior Legal Officer , Equal Opportunity Commission
  
  
• Dr Jeannine Purdy, Senior Legal Research Officer, Chief Justice’s Chambers
  
  
• Mr Terry McAdam, A/Principal Project Manager, Strategic Business Development
  
  
• Mr Travis Lang, Project Officer, Projects Team, Strategic Business Development Services (from September 2015 to March 2016)
  
  
• Ms Michelle Kirwan, Project Officer, Projects Team, Strategic Business Development Services (from July 2016 to August 2017)
  
  
• Ms Lorrie Griffin, Online Services Administrator, Department of the Attorney General (from February 2017).

While the final content of the Bench Book was determined by the Steering Committee members, we wish to thank each of the following for their valuable contributions.

Community input - first edition

The following agencies, groups and individuals provided insightful guidance on the development of the original Bench Book.

Advocate for Children in Care - 9 March 2009

Aged and Community Services WA - 2 July 2009

Albany Migrant Resource Centre - 14 June 2007

Anonymous (“David”) - 5 September 2007

Archbishop of Perth, The Anglican Church of Australia Diocese of Perth - 11 November 2008

Archdiocese of Perth - 12 September 2008

Armadale Domestic Violence Intervention Project Inc - 17 April 2007

Association for the Blind of WA (Inc) - 24 February 2009

Australian Federation of Aids Organisations Inc - 25 March 2009

Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery - 5 September 2008

Buddhist Council of WA - 30 September 2008

Catholic Social Justice Council Archdiocese of Perth - 18 September 2008

Centre for Muslim States and Societies, UWA - 1 December 2008

Commissioner for Children and Young People - 5 March 2009

Council on the Ageing (WA) - 12 April 2007

Dar al Shifah Islamic Inc - 9 September 2008

Deaf Society of Western Australia - May 2008

Department for Communities - 8 September 2008, 11 November 2008 and 14 November 2008

Department for Child Protection - 26 March 2009, 14 July 2009

Department of the Attorney General - 12 November 2008

Department of the Attorney General, Child Witness Service - 28 November 2008

Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (Cth) - 16 March 2007            

Department of Health, Mental Health Division - 7 October 2008

Department of Indigenous Affairs - 8 May 2007

Disability Services Commission - 19 April 2007 and 9 October 2008

Ethnic Disability Advocacy Centre - 20 April 2007

Freedom Centre - 24 March 2009

Fremantle Migrant Centre Inc - Mental Health Access Services - 26 April 2007

Gay and Lesbian Community Services - 19 April 2007 and 31 March 2009

GRAI (GLBTI Retirement Association Incorporated) - 18 April 2007

Jewish Community Council of Western Australia (Inc) - 14 August 2007

Jewish Society of WA (Chief Rabbi - Western Australia) - 24 September 2008

Judge Kevin Sleight, District Court of WA - 22 May 2009

Justice Ralph Simmonds, Supreme Court of WA - 22 October 2008

Law Reform Commission (WA) - 24 April 2007

Law Society of Western Australia - 17 May 2007 and 1 October 2008

Legal Aid Western Australia - 2 April 2007, 1 May 2007, 27 October 2008, 26 February 2009, 3 June 2009, 17 July 2009 and 23 July 2009

Legal Aid WA and Youth Legal Service - 18 December 2007

Magistrate Greg Benn, Magistrates Court of WA - 16 July 2009

Magistrate Catherine Crawford, Magistrates Court of WA - 9 June 2009, 10 June 2009 and 15 June 2009

Magistrate Brian Gluestein, Magistrates Court of WA - 2 June 2009

Magistrate Pamela Hogan, Magistrates Court of WA - 8 May 2009

Mental Health Law Centre WA Inc - 28 May 2007

Ms Hannah McGlade - 28 March 2007

Multicultural Women’s Advocacy Service - 4 May 2007

Dr Raewyn Mutch, Dr Amanda Wilkins, Dr Anita Banks and Professor Carol Bower - 6 August 2009

National Disability Services (WA) - 27 April 2007 and 16 October 2008

Office for Women’s Policy - 17 July 2007

Office for Women’s Policy & Family & Domestic Violence Unit - 16 January 2009

Office of Multicultural Interests - 20 April 2009

People with Disabilities (WA) (Inc) - 3 May 2007 and 10 October 2008

Public Advocate - 29 March 2007 and 8 October 2008

Ruah Community Services - 29 August 2007

Same Sex Domestic Violence Group - 23 April 2007

The Honourable Hal Jackson - 31 March 2009

Uniting Church in Australia - Social Justice (WA) - 11 May 2007

WA Bar Association - 20 March 2007 and 10 October 2008

WA Gender Project - 25 April 2007

WACOSS (Western Australian Council of Social Services) - 20 April 2007

Women Lawyers of Western Australia (Inc) - 15 June 2007 and 19 January 2009

Women’s Council for Domestic & Family Services (WA) - 21 January 2009

Community input - second edition

The following agencies, groups and individuals provided insightful guidance on revisions for the second edition of the Bench Book.

Professor Carol Bower, Head of Alcohol and Pregnancy and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Research, Telethon KIDS Institute - 8 December 2017

Office of Multicultural Interests - September 2016

Magistrate Deen Potter - 22 November 2016

Ruah Community Services - 13 December 2016

Street Law Centre Inc - December 2016

The Humanitarian Group - 28 September 2016 and 13 February 2017

Women’s Health & Family Services - 29 September 2016

Department of Justice

Under the guidance of the Steering Committee, the Department of Justice Strategic and Business Development division developed and prepared the draft content and consulted with community members and stakeholders for the first and second editions of the Bench Book. In addition to the work undertaken by Strategic and Business Development, a number of other officers within the Department of Justice provided valuable contributions and advice.

The Steering Committee acknowledges and thanks the Department of Justice and its staff for their contribution and commitment to the development of this Bench Book.

Last updated: 1-Sep-2017

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