The Judicial Council of Tasmania (the Council) is a statutory body that receives and examines complaints about judicial officers who are currently serving in Tasmania.
What the Council can investigate
The Council can receive and examine complaints about the behaviour, or mental or physical capacity of judicial officers in Tasmania.
What Judicial Officers the Council can investigate
The Council can only examine complaints made about judicial officers who are judges, magistrates (including coronial magistrates) and presidential members of the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT). Judicial officers must be currently serving in the Tasmanian jurisdiction for any complaint to be examined.
What the Council cannot investigate
The Council cannot accept and examine complaints about judicial officers who belong to the Commonwealth jurisdiction such as the Federal Family Court, the Federal Circuit Court and Federal Court Judges. Nor can the Council accept and examine complaints in relation to judicial officers in other States and Territories.
In addition, the Council does not examine complaints that only relate to an adverse outcome for a party to a Court/Tribunal proceeding. For example, if your complaint is solely about a Court outcome to which you were a party (also known as judicial proceedings), and the outcome/decision by the judicial officer was not favourable to you and this is the only aspect of your complaint, the Council will not be able to receive and examine your complaint. This may also be the case where other means of appeal or review exist for you to deal with the outcome of your matter in the legal system.
Please note – the Judicial Council cannot and does not provide legal advice. Nor can it change the outcome of any judicial proceedings.