The Judicial College’s Annual Report 2023/2024 has been tabled in Parliament.
On the cover of this year’s annual report, Artemisia Gentileschi’s Lucretia emerges from the darkness and captures our attention, challenging us to confront what is uncomfortable in order to learn.
The image also speaks to the College’s approach – to address the age-old challenges inherent in the judicial role, while breaking new ground with innovative and impactful events like the screening of Prima Facie, sparking essential discussions on trauma-informed practices and systemic reforms. This year’s Back to Country event connected judicial officers with First Nations communities; and the Courts as workplaces series and the Judicial management forum tackled critical issues of sexual harassment, bullying and staff management.
As always, we have remained committed to delivering peer-led judicial education. We continue to address high-value core subject matter in a practical way that enhances collegiality, from courtcraft training to a refreshed Mastering the art of judgment writing with a new judicial teaching faculty.
In the age of misinformation and information overload, our trusted resources such as the Criminal Charge Book and the Victorian Sentencing Manual remain indispensable tools for every judicial officer, while the College’s ‘judicial precedent builders’ have become a game changer embraced across the jurisdictions.
As societal norms and the law continue to change and evolve, the College has again supported judicial officers to navigate the complexity of their roles with greater depth and insight.