New Juror Selection and Management Rules for Criminal and Civil Trials
Jury Amendment Bill 2024
1st House
2nd House
Law
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The court or coroner must discharge the jury if a reduced number of jurors risks a substantial miscarriage of justice
The Supreme Court or District Court can order up to 3 additional jurors for complex or long trials
People can now use temporary disabilities or mental conditions as 'good cause' to be exempt from jury service
Summoned people can request to be excused from jury service either verbally or in writing
Juries in criminal proceedings can separate at any time unless the court orders otherwise
The minimum deliberation time for a majority verdict in criminal trials drops from 8 hours to 4 hours
The Crown and prosecuted persons get one extra peremptory challenge if a replacement juror is selected and previous challenges are used up