Friday, 10 April 2026
Old Government House, Parramatta
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC

Bujari Naami Darug Nurawa.^[1] 

Thank you, Uncle Neil, for your Welcome to Country. I pay my respects to the Traditional Owners of this land, the Burramattagal Darug people and all Elders, past, present and emerging. I extend my respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including those present here today.

• Sheriff^[2]
• Deputy Chief Magistrate Antrum, representing Chief Judge of the Local Court of New South Wales,^[3]
• Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General,^[4]
• Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners,^[5]
• Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
• Most importantly, Officers attesting and graduating at today’s ceremony

It is an honour to be here, and I offer my congratulations to each of today’s graduating Sheriff’s Officers as you start your journey serving communities across the state. Members of Alpha Class 2026, you can be proud of your accomplishments in completing your 12 weeks training at the Sheriff and Justice Academy. You now join over 400 officers across the State servicing over 180 Courts and Tribunal locations.^[6]

And each of you brings your own unique backgrounds, skills and experience to the job. Among you today are those who have worked in mental health, community corrections, the military and police force, and even Sydney trains. You represent the great diversity of the community of NSW.

Today, you will each walk out of here as a newly minted Sheriff’s Officer. That is exciting and important both to each of you personally and for our State. In becoming a Sheriff’s Officer, you are joining one of the oldest surviving institutions of English law which stretches back centuries.^[7] It is an institution which even today, is not widely known or understood. 

Indeed, in the early days of television in Australia, at least for those addicted to Western movies as some of your grandparents undoubtedly were, starring such famous names as John Wayne, a Sheriff was a swashbuckling pistol-carrying ‘good guy’ who rode a big horse. That is a long way from the institution which you join today, with its original meaning deriving from the Anglo-Saxon words "shire" and "reeve", meaning the overseer of a shire.^[8]

The NSW Sheriff’s Office was established in Australia by the Third Charter of Justice, which was passed in 1823 and came into effect the following year,^[9] by which time the functions of the Sheriff had evolved. 

When Australia’s first Sheriff, John Mackaness, was appointed in 1824,^[10] it was not to ‘oversee shires’ according to the original meaning of the word. It was to help enforce the law and support the justice system in a young and restless colony.

Throughout the 1800s your predecessors were required to handle criminal and civil matters, such as managing prisoners and debt collection. In a system that would not be tolerated today, those early sheriffs were not always paid a salary, but were often incentivised through a percentage of the money or goods they collected while executing court orders.^[11]

Fortunately, your job description and pay conditions have altered drastically since those early days of the colony. And while law enforcement has continued to evolve, the mission of the Sheriff’s Office has remained constant; to protect the justice system.^[12]

Each of you will play a vital role in maintaining safe courts, supporting the jury system, and carrying out civil enforcement.   As you will have learned during your training , your role demands sharp judgement and practical wisdom, especially as you interact with people who may be hiding weapons or have harmful intentions towards you or others. In those situations, you may find yourself as the first line of defence.

You will also have learned, if you didn’t already know it, that the legal system can be intimidating. Courts can cause anxiety for those unfamiliar with the system, whether they are there as victims, or supporters, or even offenders. More often than not, you will be encountering people at their most vulnerable. This is where your role as a Sheriff’s Officer will call for a different skill altogether, with your natural human touch becoming your most valuable tool. 

Your training will have equipped you to deal with people who find themselves in that situation with compassion and empathy, whilst never losing your professionalism in protecting the justice system.  

I can say that as a former lawyer and a Judge, I always felt a sense of security knowing that the Sheriff’s Officers were on hand, ensuring that our courts were safe and everyone was treated respectfully, equitably, and fairly.

As each of you heads out to begin your service, I encourage you to keep the connections you’ve forged throughout your training, and to look after yourself and each other. Remember that you can rely on the knowledge, encouragement and camaraderie of your fellow colleagues. 

On this first day of your new career, as you join the rich and historic legacy of Australia’s oldest law enforcement agency, I can honestly say that the State of New South Wales is fortunate to have such dedicated officers. Enjoy this special occasion today with your colleagues, friends and loved ones, and I wish you all every success in your careers.