The New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice, a

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

, is responsible for the delivery of services to some of the most disadvantaged individuals, families and communities; and the administration and development of a just and equitable legal system of courts, tribunals, laws and other mechanisms that further the principles of justice in the state of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It also provides services to children and young people, families, people who are homeless, people with a disability, their families and carers, women, and older people. The department is the lead agency of the Stronger Communities

cluster may refer to: Science and technology Astronomy * Cluster (spacecraft), constellation of four European Space Agency spacecraft * Asteroid cluster, a small asteroid family * Cluster II (spacecraft), a European Space Agency mission to study t ...

of the New South Wales government. The department was formed on 1 July 2019 following the 2019 state election that saw the formation of the

second Berejiklian ministry The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds each ...

. The department assumed most of functions from the former Department of Family and Community Services, and the former

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

. The new department was originally meant to be named Department of Family, Community Services and Justice when announced on the gazette in April 2019, but was changed to its current name in June 2019.

Governing legislation

Adult correctional operations are governed by the ''Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Act 1999''. Other relevant laws include the , , , , , , and . Juvenile justice operates under the terms of the , the , the , and the .

Structure

DCJ is made up of seven divisions, including: * Courts, Tribunals and Service Delivery, which supports the work of the State's

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

and subordinate courts and tribunals * Corrections, which manages

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

s and supervises offenders in the community, such as

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

es and those sentenced to

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...

* Child Protection and Permanency, District and Youth Justice Services, which manages

child protection Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to e ...

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family mem ...

adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

and

juvenile detention In criminal justice systems, a youth detention center, known as a juvenile detention center (JDC),Stahl, Dean, Karen Kerchelich, and Ralph De Sola. ''Abbreviations Dictionary''. CRC Press, 20011202. Retrieved 23 August 2010. , . juvenile det ...

centres * Housing, Disability and District Services and Emergency Management, which provides services to people experiencing

homelessness Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, dev ...

, and communities facing

natural disaster A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econ ...

s * Law Reform and Legal Services, which includes the State's Director of Public Prosecutions These are supported by a Strategy, Policy and Commissioning and a Corporate Services division. Each division is led by a deputy secretary (the deputy secretary for Corrections is known as the Commissioner of Corrective Services). The deputy secretaries report to

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

, currently vacant, yet filed on an ''acting'' basis by Catherine D’Elia.

Ministers

The following ministers are responsible for the administration of the department and its agencies: *

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

, presently

The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

Mark Speakman Mark Raymond Speakman (born 6 November 1959) is an Australian politician. He has served as the New South Wales Attorney General since January 2017 in the second Berejiklian ministry since April 2019, and in the first arrangement of the Perrot ...

* Minister for Police, presently the Hon.

Paul Toole Paul Lawrence Toole (born 2 August 1970), an Australian politician, is the Deputy Premier and leader of the New South Wales Nationals since October 2021. Toole is the Minister for Regional New South Wales in the second Berejiklian and Perrot ...

Minister for Veterans The minister of state for veterans' affairs is a ministerial position in the Cabinet Office in the British government, currently held by Johnny Mercer who took the office on 25 October 2022. Earlier, it was jointly with the Ministry of Defence. Th ...

, presently the Hon. David Elliott *

Minister for Women's Safety and the Prevention of Domestic and Sexual Violence The Minister for Women is a Minister of the Crown, minister in the New South Wales Government with responsibility for women's issues in New South Wales, Australia. There had been a Women’s Co-ordination Unit and a Women’s Advisory Council s ...

, presently the Hon. Natalie Ward * Minister for Corrections, presently the Hon. Dr Geoff Lee *

Minister for Families and Communities The New South Wales Minister for Families and Communities is a minister of the Government of New South Wales with responsibility for social policy and welfare, including matters relating to ageing, disability, multiculturalism, and veterans' a ...

and the

Minister for Disability Services Minister for Disability Services is a position in the government of Western Australia, currently held by Stephen Dawson of the Labor Party. The position was first created in 1991, for the government of Carmen Lawrence, and has existed in every g ...

, presently the Hon.

Natasha Maclaren-Jones Natasha Marianne Maclaren-Jones (born 11 March 1976) is an Australian politician, and is a Liberal Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since March 2011. Maclaren-Jones has served as the Minister for Families and Communities ...

* Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience, presently the Hon. Steph Cooke * Minister for Multiculturalism and the Minister for Seniors, presently The Hon.

Mark Coure Mark Joseph Coure is an Australian politician. He is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Oatley for the Liberal Party since 2011 and served in the second Perrottet ministry. Early years and background Coure was ed ...

All ministers were appointed with effect from 21 December 2021; with the exception of Mark Speakman who has served as Attorney General since 30 January 2017. Ultimately the ministers are responsible to the

Parliament of New South Wales The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Eac ...

Agencies administered

The following agencies are administered by the department: * Crown Solicitor's Office * Disability Council of New South Wales *

Fire and Rescue NSW Fire and Rescue New South Wales (previously known as New South Wales Fire Brigades), an agency of the Government of New South Wales, Australia, is responsible for firefighting, rescue and HazMat services in the major cities, metropolitan areas ...

* Home and Community Care Program Advisory Committee * Home Care Service of NSW *

NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal The New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) is a civil law and administrative law tribunal in New South Wales established by statute on 1 January 2014. It replaced and aggregated the matters of a number of disparate tribunals. ...

* Information and Privacy Commission * Inspector of Custodial Services * Legal Aid NSW * Multicultural NSW Staff Agency * NSW Businesslink Pty Ltd * NSW Government Telecommunications Authority *

New South Wales Police Force The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ...

New South Wales Crime Commission The New South Wales Crime Commission is a statutory corporation of the Government of New South Wales. It is constituted by the Crime Commission Act 2012, the object of which is to reduce the incidence of organised crime and other serious crime ...

* NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages *

New South Wales Rural Fire Service The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) is a volunteer-based firefighting agency and statutory body of the Government of New South Wales. The NSW RFS is responsible for fire protection to approximately 95% of the land area of New South ...

* NSW Trustee and Guardian *

Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the office or official charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. The title is used mainly in jurisdictions that are or have been members o ...

* Office of the NSW Sheriff *

New South Wales State Emergency Service The New South Wales State Emergency Service (NSW SES), an agency of the Government of New South Wales, is an emergency and rescue service dedicated to assisting the community in times of natural and man-made disasters. The NSW SES is made up ...

References

External links