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MAGISTRATES COURT ACT 1991 - SECT 7A

MAGISTRATES COURT ACT 1991 - SECT 7A

7A—Constitution of Court

        (1)         Subject to this section, the Court, when sitting to adjudicate on any matter, must be constituted of a Magistrate.

        (1a)         Subject to the regulations, Judicial Registrars may exercise such jurisdiction of the Court as assigned by the Chief Magistrate or the rules.

        (2)         The Court may be constituted of a special justice—

            (a)         in its Petty Sessions Division; or

            (b)         to hear and determine uncontested applications of a class prescribed by the regulations; or

            (ba)         to hear and determine appeals under section 23 of the Fines Enforcement and Debt Recovery Act 2017 ; or

            (c)         in any other case—if there is no Magistrate or Judicial Registrar available.

        (2aa)         If the Court is constituted of a Judicial Registrar or special justice in criminal proceedings, the Court

            (a)         may not impose a sentence of imprisonment; and

            (b)         if of the opinion that the limitation on its powers imposed under this subsection prevents it from imposing an appropriate sentence—may adjourn the question of sentence for hearing and determination by a Magistrate.

        (2a)         If there is no Magistrate, Judicial Registrar or special justice available to constitute the Court as a bail authority, the Court may be constituted of 2 justices for the purposes of an application under the Bail Act 1985 .

        (3)         The Court may, at any one time, be separately constituted in accordance with this section for the hearing and determination of any number of separate matters.