A reduction in the number of Justices of the Peace filling a roster for regular sessions at the Wangaratta Library has prompted the call for others willing to offer their time.

The library serves as the base for a document-signing service (DSS) with local JPs on Wednesday and Friday from 10am to 12noon, and on Thursday from 5pm to 6pm.

Duty JPs at the library are trained, experienced and accredited to act as independent and objective witnesses to complex documents including affidavits, statutory declarations, powers of attorney, wills, divorces, certified copies, and birth, death and marriage documents.

While the number of JPs actively involved in the DSS roster once sat at 15, that number has been reduced over recent years due to illness, relocations and retirements, to just six active JPs who are available to fill the library sessions.

Ron Webb, who has been a practising JP for more than 30 years, said it would be helpful to find more JPs to assist with the service, which is regularly called upon by locals seeking assistance.

"It is a pleasure and a privilege to be able to provide assistance and the essential document-signing service for the community, and to assist with their many documentation requirements," he said.

"It's an essential service, and there is no shortage of customers.

"We just need the next wave of people to lend their time.

"There may be people who are qualified JPs and have relocated to Wangaratta, and may be able to give even two hours and week or month.

"There are plenty of avenues for support for those interested in becoming involved."

Last year, the Wangaratta DSS met with 530 clients, signed off on 2300 documents, and contributed more than 230 hours of voluntary time to the community.

Already in 2026, the DSS has met with 300-plus clients, signed off on more than 1500 documents, and contributed more than 100 hours of voluntary time to the community.

The Department of Justice Victoria is currently not recruiting JPs in Victoria due to budget restraints, but has identified that there are many certified Justices residing in the Wangaratta who are not actively involved with document-signing in the broader community.

Mr Webb said interestingly, Victoria was the Australian state with the least number of JPs per 100,000 people in the population, with 3500, or 50 per 100k (NSW has 75,800, or 893 per 100k, Queensland has 80,000, or 1432 per 100k, and Tasmania has 1000, or 211 per 100k).

Wangaratta DSS coordinator Michael Guinane urged any Justices who may be interested in assisting on the DSS roster to contact him on 0418 370 689, or to contact Ron Webb on 0417 644 877, to discuss how they can assist the service.