A decision to base three magistrates at Dubbo to serve towns in western NSW has received the praise of Dubbo MP Troy Grant, and rightly so.
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Judge Graeme Henson, the state's chief magistrate, made the move, which will take effect from next year.
It will mean magistrates based at Dubbo will serve Bourke, Brewarrina, Lightning Ridge, Narromine and Walgett.
Dubbo Local Court will also benefit, effectively gaining four extra sitting days a month.
Obviously magistrates everywhere meet the requirements for the important position they hold.
Offenders should be sentenced after the facts are established by the court, and as individuals, as Mr Grant says.
But for justice to be truly served, there must be consideration of the effect any crime committed has on the community.
Local knowledge is regarded as valuable and it is no different in the judicial system.
Magistrates based in western NSW can better deliver outcomes for the people of western NSW.
Communities in metropolitan areas do not have to rely on fly-in, fly-out magistrate and nor does Dubbo.
The same should apply to other regional centres.
While Dubbo-based magistrates alone are not going to perfect the judicial system and stop all crime in western NSW, it is a welcome initiative.
Mr Grant also said that in making the decision, the chief magistrate had understood that "Dubbo now is the capital of western NSW".
More investment by the government in this area may help Dubbo cement its claim to that position.