National Magistrates and Local Courts Orientation Program, August 2025

  • Days : 17–22 Aug 2025
  • Cost : $3700
  • Participants : Magistrates
When

17–22 Aug 2025

Cost

$3700

Participants

Magistrates

National Magistrates Orientation Program, Sept 2023

The program is full

  • Days : 17- 22 August 2025
  • Where :
  • Cost : $3,700.00
  • Participants : Magistrates

Leading judicial education for an Australian judiciary

The national orientation program provides a wealth of knowledge, understanding, judge-craft skills and social context training for newly appointed magistrates from across Australia.

Designed with a balance of theory sessions (participants hear from subject matter experts as well as experienced judicial officers) and practical sessions involving facilitator-led practice in managing the court room and delivering oral decisions. Participants have an opportunity to reflect on the judicial role and function and meet with magistrates from other jurisdictions for important cross-jurisdictional discourse and peer judicial support.

Why you should attend this program?

Formerly known as the National Magistrates Orientation Program NMLCOP provides newly appointed magistrates with the opportunity to benefit from the knowledge and experience of senior magistrates who attend the program as both presenters and facilitators. Intensive and interactive, each day of the program promotes the opportunity for knowledge and skills building, as well as the exchange of ideas and experiences among participants.

What will you learn at this program?

The judicial learning outcomes of this program are ambitious. The series and sequencing of sessions is specifically designed to provide participants with the judicial skills necessary to facilitate and enhance their transition to a long and successful role on the bench. 

This NJCA flagship orientation program familiarises magistrates with many of the court-craft skills and social context issues that affect the judicial decision making process. Sessions also cover ethical considerations that may impact decision making, sentencing, skills for addressing interpreters in the courtroom as well as court-craft skills to address the procedural fairness awareness issues when dealing with self-represented litigants.

Two afternoons of the program are carefully scaffolded and dedicated to small group, experiential learning sessions in the courtroom with experienced magistrates. Other sessions focus on the longevity strategies for judicial life and well-being, oral decisions and an introduction to the 5C’s of judgment writing.

How will these skills help your court?

This sharing of experience and practice, led by senior, experienced magistrates and facilitators, will enable newly appointment magistrates to return to their respective courts with practical, readily useable information and instantly applicable judicial skills. Cross jurisdictional discussion, discourse and debate is a treasured judicial learning outcome.

Program inclusions

All catering during program hours, a welcome reception Sunday evening, program dinners on Tuesday and Thursday.

Accommodation and Travel are NOT included.

Meet your Program Planning Committee

Chief Magistrate Catherine Geason

Magistrates Court of Tasmania

National Magistrates and Local Courts Orientation Program
Deputy Chief Magistrate Anthony Gett

Magistrates Court of Queensland

National Magistrates and Local Courts Orientation Program
Magistrate Fiona Hayes

Magistrates Court of Victoria

National Magistrates and Local Courts Orientation Program
Magistrate Michelle Hodgson

Magistrates Court of Victoria

National Magistrates and Local Courts Orientation Program
Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris

Northern Territory Local Court

National Magistrates and Local Courts Orientation Program
Magistrate Glenn Theakston

Magistrates Court of the Australian Capital Territory

National Magistrates and Local Courts Orientation Program
Magistrate John Wells

Magistrates Court of South Australia

National Magistrates and Local Courts Orientation Program

Testimonials