Aboriginal JP recognised for lifetime of service to community

Monday, 3 March 2025

The state’s longest serving Aboriginal Justice of the Peace (JP) is being recognised for 50 years of service to the community, after a year which has seen a huge boost in First Nations JPs across NSW.

83-year-old Uncle William (Bill) Phillips is a proud Wongaibon Elder from the small town of Trangie in western NSW but has called Dubbo home for the past 30 years.

Uncle Bill signed up to become a JP at the age of 33 while working in Sydney, where he lived for 30 years. The process wasn’t exactly straightforward, however.

After submitting his paperwork, he received a call from the police asking him to come down to the station. In a case of mistaken identity, a man known to local authorities had used Bill’s name and date of birth to mislead police. Thankfully, his time as a JP has been far less dramatic since then.

Uncle Bill has long been a passionate advocate for Aboriginal rights and his role as a JP led him to a lifetime of service in the community to improve justice outcomes for First Nations people.

For five years Uncle Bill was part of Dubbo’s Circle Sentencing program, which involves Aboriginal communities in the sentencing process to reduce recidivism. He was also an Official Visitor in NSW prisons for more than 10 years, providing support and advice to Aboriginal inmates at Wellington Correctional Centre and other locations in the state’s far west.

Uncle Bill was also the Chairperson of the Central Region Aboriginal Land Council and on numerous other committees, championing issues on behalf of his community.

His contributions have been recognised by agencies and leaders including the NSW Judicial Commission, Corrective Services NSW, prison governors and government ministers, mostly in a private capacity, through letters and other official correspondence.

These days, Uncle Bill spends most of his time with friends and family – including his 14 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren - and witnessing the odd document or two.

JPs are volunteers who certify documents for official or legal purposes. They provide an important service to the community and legal system, which is coordinated by the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ).

There are approximately 63,000 JPs across NSW and First Nations status started being recorded in February 2024.

DCJ has been running a campaign to recruit more Aboriginal JPs, with more than 600 sign-ups since the start of last year when approximately just 22 registered JPs identified as Indigenous.

To learn more about becoming a JP, visit the JP website.

Attorney General Michael Daley said:

“Justices of the Peace play a vital role in the community and Aboriginal JPs like Uncle Bill Phillips have long been a part of that.

“Mr Phillips has dedicated his life to advocating to improve outcomes for Indigenous Australians caught up in the justice system and his story is a great example of where JP service can lead.

“Having a familiar face people can trust is integral to being a JP, especially for First Nations communities. That’s why we are focused on recruiting more Aboriginal JPs to provide these important services for future generations.”

Justice of the Peace Uncle Bill Phillips said:

“I’ve been pretty active in the community my whole life.

“In my early thirties I was working as a union official in Sydney and when papers needed to be witnessed Aboriginal people didn’t really have anybody. So, I thought I’d sign up.

“As an Official Visitor I was able to assist inmates in a practical way by helping them get access to writing materials or other requests, and escalating issues. They’re little things but they make a big difference. I tried to build rapport with staff who’d been in the system a while, and then they’d follow up with the inmates.”