Jury Exemption

No. 13 of 1965

An Act to Exempt certain Persons from Liability to serve as Jurors.

[Assented to 18 May, 1965]

BE it enacted by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—

Short title.

1. This Act may be cited as the Jury Exemption Act 1965.

Commencement.

2. This Act shall come into operation on a date to be fixed by Proclamation.

Repeal.

3. The Jury Exemption Act 1905, the Jury Exemption Act 1922 and the Jury Exemption Act 1932 are repealed.

Certain persons not liable to serve as jurors.

4.—(1.) A person, or a person included within a class of persons, referred to in the Schedule to this Act is not liable, and shall not be summoned, to serve as a juror in a Federal court, a court of a State or a court of a Territory of the Commonwealth.

(2.) The Governor-General may make regulations for or in relation to—

(a) exempting a Commonwealth employee, or a person included within a class of Commonwealth employees, specified in the regulations from liability to serve as a juror—

(i) in Federal courts;

(ii) in Federal courts exercising jurisdiction in a specified State or Territory of the Commonwealth; or

(iii) in the courts of a specified Territory of the Commonwealth; and

(b) exempting a Commonwealth employee, or a person included within a class of Commonwealth employees, specified in the regulations from liability to serve as a juror in the courts of the States or in the courts of a specified State.

(3.) A Commonwealth employee shall not be summoned to serve as a juror in a court in which, by reason of the regulations, he is exempt from serving as a juror.

(4.) In this section, “Commonwealth employee” means—

(a) a person employed under an Act; and

(b) a member, officer or employee of a body established by or under an Act.

Proceedings not invalidated where exempt person serves as a juror.

5. Nothing in this Act operates so as to affect the validity of any verdict or judgment taken or given, or anything done, in proceedings in which a person who, by reason of this Act or the regulations, is not liable to serve as a juror serves as a juror.

THE SCHEDULE Section 4 (1.).

The Governor-General

Members of the Federal Executive Council

Justices of the High Court and of the courts created by the Parliament

Senators

Members of the House of Representatives

Members of the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission

Members of the Tariff Board

Commonwealth Police Officers and special Commonwealth Police Officers

Members of the Defence Force other than members of the Regular Army Reserve and members of the Citizen Forces

Members of the Regular Army Reserve or of the Citizen Forces who are rendering continuous service