Save Community Justice Centres - keep mediation and dispute resolution free and available for all NSW residents without having to take court action first
Petitioner:
Ms Jan Campbell
| Member:
Ward, Gareth
| No. of Signatories:
744
| Date closed:
10/04/2025
To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly,
This petition of NSW citizens calls on the NSW Government to overturn the decision to close Community Justice Centres (CJCs). The decision was made without consultation with CJC Director or stakeholders. Action is needed to preserve this highly valued service.
• CJCs provide a free, confidential, and voluntary mediation service in the parties’ local area to resolve disputes without court action. CJCs assist around 10,000 residents annually.
• The NSW Attorney General is closing CJCs and repealing the CJC legislation on 30 June. A new in-house court mediation service will replace CJCs.
• NSW residents will be forced into expensive private mediation or court action. Lawyers cost $1000s.
• Unlike adversarial court processes, CJC mediations build goodwill. Court is not a good fit for neighbour disputes.
• Closing CJCs increases inequality. Wealthy people can afford costly private mediation or court to resolve their neighbour disputes about fences, dogs, trees, and water issues. Struggling families, singles, and households in a cost-of-living crisis simply can't, disputes fester. Councils don’t help with dispute resolution.
• Multi-million$ of taxpayer’s money spent on a new customised software, ‘CJC Resolve’, will be wasted.
• Unresolved disputes often escalate, leading to police callouts, APVOs, increased mental and physical stress, and pressure on courts and health services, all costing taxpayers.
• The AG asserts there are alternatives to CJC. There are not. Law Access does not provide dispute resolution.
We ask the Legislative Assembly to call on the government to reverse this harmful decision to close CJCs.
