On 4 April 1990, a handful of ACT JPs met in Queanbeyan to form a steering committee with the intention of forming a Justices of the Peace Association within the ACT.  An association would provide a focal point for JPs in the ACT, provide a collective and representative voice for JPs in dealings with the Government and the wider community, and promote and support best practice in performance of the JP role. 

A Committee was formed from this small driving force, and the first item of business was to contact similarly minded JPs and organise a meeting.  The inaugural General Meeting was held on 19 June 1990 with 13 JPs in attendance. The Association moved to incorporate under the ACT Associations Incorporation Act and the Committee developed a constitution modelled, in part, on the best practices of other jurisdictions in Australia.  The Association was formally incorporated in 1992.

The objects of the ACTJPA were established in the Association’s Constitution, and they remain unchanged today:

• to promote, support and protect the status and interests of Justices of the Peace generally; and

• to promote honourable practice, repress malpractice, settle disputes, and decide questions of usage or courtesy between Justices of the Peace within the Australian Capital Territory in a non-sectarian and non-political manner.

Today the Association is flourishing with over 225 members, and represents a significant proportion of the active JPs in the ACT.

Although a small body in comparison to equivalent organisations in other jurisdictions, the Association has become an active contributor to the Australian Council of Justices Association and successfully hosted the 2007 annual meeting of the Council.

Throughout the history of the ACTJPA, the Association has been served by many dedicated JPs who have worked with the Association as members and as members of the Executive. The ACTJPA Honour Board lists these Life Members and former members of the Executive.