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NSW Court of Appeal sits in Wagga Wagga for the 1st time
The Honourable Andrew Bell, Chief Justice of NSW, addressed the Wagga Wagga Court House, remarking on the continual efforts being made by the Court of Appeal to sit in regional areas.
Jess Feyder
“The question of the appropriate venue for the hearing of matters is often the subject of contention,” stated Bell J.
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“It was certainly my intention, when president of the Court of Appeal, that it would sit more often in regional centres in appropriate cases, that is to say, where the subject matter of the case had a strong local element or connection.
“That aspiration was interrupted by COVID, but I know that the current president of the Court of Appeal, the Honourable Justice Julie Ward, shares my sentiment that the Court of Appeal should, from time to time, sit in regional areas. Hence, our presence here today.”
The Court of Appeal has sat regionally in recent years in several different venues, including Orange and Newcastle.
“From my previous experience sitting in Wagga, I am aware of the strength, professionalism, and courtesy of lawyers in this city and the region,” Bell J stated.
“It is a matter of pure coincidence, but historically significant nevertheless, that this year marks the 175th anniversary since the first sittings of the court of petty sessions in Wagga Wagga. It is also the 175th anniversary of the construction of Wagga’s first courthouse in 1847,” he commented.
Bell J was joined on the bench by Justices Anna Mitchelmore and Tony Meagher, both members of the NSW Court of Appeal.
“The court is acutely conscious that many in this region are currently bearing the brunt of flooding, and our thoughts are with them,” Bell J acknowledged.
“We look forward to future sittings in Wagga.”
