On 11 March 2021, The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Shannon Fentiman announced the elevation of Magistrate Anthony Gett as the state’s newest Deputy Chief Magistrates. Magistrate Gett was first appointed a magistrate of the Magistrates Court of Queensland in 2013.
Magistrate Gett’s appointment follows the retirement of former Deputy Chief Magistrate O’Shea after almost 20 years as Magistrate. Magistrate O’Shea was appointed Deputy Chief in July 2014.
Magistrates Court Jurisdiction
The Magistrates Court is a particularly busy jurisdiction. Of all the courts in Queensland it is the Magistrates Courts that most people will have contact with; over 90 per cent of all matters that go before a court in Queensland do so before a Magistrates Court. Approximately 95 per cent of all criminal matters in Queensland are dealt with by the Magistrates Courts
In terms of numbers, the Magistrates Courts of Queensland Annual Report 2018 – 2019 indicates that there were 207,194 defendants who appeared in the criminal jurisdiction, an increase of 2,969 defendants from the reporting period 2017-18.
There are currently 97 Magistrates presiding throughout Queensland’s Magistrates Court, with 41 appointed Acting Magistrates who relieve when Magistrates are on leave. The pool of 41 Acting Magistrates includes 19 retired Magistrates.
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