Magistrates Court of Queensland

Magistrates Court of Queensland
The Brisbane Magistrates Court building, a location of the Magistrates Court
Jurisdiction	Queensland
Location	130 locations across Queensland
Composition method	Vice-regal appointment upon nomination by the Premier following the advice of the Attorney-General and Cabinet
Authorised by	Queensland Parliament via the: Magistrates Courts Act 1921 (QLD)
Appeals to	District Court of Queensland
Judge term length	Mandatory retirement by age 70
Website	www.courts.qld.gov.au
Chief Magistrate of Queensland
Currently	Judge Janelle Brassington [1]
Since	8 July 2022 (2022-07-08)
Deputy Chief Magistrate of Queensland
Currently	Anthony Gett & Stephen Courtney [2]

Queensland Court Hierarchy
Federal Law Courts
High Court of Australia
Queensland Law Courts
Supreme Court of Queensland Court of Appeal Trial Division Court of Disputed Returns District Court of Queensland Planning and Environment Court Children's Court of Queensland Coroners Court of Queensland Land Court Industrial Court of Queensland Magistrates Court of Queensland
Tribunals
Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal

The Magistrates Court of Queensland is the lowest court in the court hierarchy of Queensland, Australia.^[3] All criminal proceedings in Queensland begin in the Magistrates Court, with minor offences being dealt with summarily, and more serious ones being referred to a higher court on the strength of evidence.^[3] Most criminal cases are first heard in the Magistrates Court, as are most civil cases. The Magistrates Court hears approximately 95% of all court cases in Queensland.^[4]

Decisions made by the Magistrates Court may be heard on appeal to the District Court of Queensland. The Magistrates Court does not have an appellate jurisdiction.

The Chief Magistrate of Queensland, since 2022, is Judge Janelle Brassington.^[1]

The Magistrates Court has the jurisdiction to decide on civil matters for which the amount in dispute is less than or equal to A$150,000.^[5] Civil matters in which the amount in dispute is more than $150,000 are decided by either the District Court or the Supreme Court.^[5]

The Magistrates Court has the jurisdiction to decide on charges of summary offences, and indictable offence which may be heard summarily.^[5]

The Magistrates Court also conducts committal hearings in which the presiding magistrate decides, based on the strength of the evidence, whether to refer the matter to a higher court.^[5]

Those present at court typically include the magistrate, police prosecutor, defendant, plaintiff and witnesses for either party. It is a condition that those who enter the court bow to the Queensland Coat of Arms, situated behind the Bench, upon entry. Plaintiffs, defendants, their counsel and witnesses must rise when they wish to address the bench or when addressed by the magistrate.

Members of the media and general public are allowed into the courtroom, except where a party to the proceedings is under 18 in which case the court becomes a child court and the media and public will only have restricted access to the court.

• Di Fingleton
• Basil Gribbin

• Australian court hierarchy
• Judiciary of Australia
• List of Queensland courts and tribunals

• This Wikipedia article incorporates text from About Magistrates Courts published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 4 August 2016).

• Magistrates Courts Act 1921 (Qld)