District Court of Queensland

District Court of Queensland
Cairns Courthouse, a permanent location for the District Court
Established	1866–1921; 1958
Jurisdiction	Queensland
Location	Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law in Brisbane; Beenleigh; Cairns; Ipswich; Maroochydore; Rockhampton; Southport, Townsville
Composition method	Vice-regal appointment upon nomination by the Premier following the advice of the Attorney-General and Cabinet
Authorized by	Queensland Parliament via the: District Court Act 1967 (QLD)
Appeals to	Supreme Court of Queensland
Appeals from	Magistrates Court of Queensland
Judge term length	mandatory retirement by age of 70
Number of positions	39
Website	www.courts.qld.gov.au
Chief Judge
Currently	Brian Devereaux SC
Since	17 August 2020 (2020-08-17)

The District Court of Queensland is the second tier in the court hierarchy of Queensland, Australia.^[1] The Court deals with serious criminal offences such as rape, armed robbery and fraud. Juries are used to decide if defendants are guilty or not guilty.

The original court was established in 1866 to ease the workload of the Supreme Court of Queensland. However, in 1921 the Queensland Parliament decided District Courts were no longer necessary and the courts were abolished. They were re-established by Parliament in 1958, again to relieve the workload in the Supreme Court. The present court is constituted under the District Court of Queensland Act 1967 (Qld).^[2] That Act amalgamated the previous District Court in existence prior to 1967 into the new District Court.

The District Court sits in 32 locations across Queensland. Judges also travel throughout the state to hear matters in regional and remote areas.

Decisions made by the District Court may be heard on appeal to the Supreme Court; and the District Court may sit as an appellate court for decisions made in the Magistrates Court of Queensland.^[1] The unreported judgments of the District Courts is published on the Queensland Judgments website.

Jurisdiction[]

Queensland Court Hierarchy

Federal Law Courts High Court of Australia Federal 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

Civil[]

The District Court has jurisdiction to hear civil matters for which the amount in dispute is less than or equal to $750,000, and more than $150,000.^[1] Civil disputes in which the amount in dispute is more than $750,000 are heard by the Supreme Court, while those in which the amount is $150,000 or less are heard by either the Magistrates Court or the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.^[1] District Court civil decisions are published on the Queensland Judgments website.

Criminal[]

The District Court has the jurisdiction to hear criminal matters in which the defendant has been charged with a serious indictable offence (such as armed robbery, rape, and dangerous driving).^[1] These trials require a jury. District Court criminal decisions are published on the Queensland Judgments website.

Composition[]

Chief Judge of the District Court[]

Judges of the District Court[]

The District Court operates permanent courts in Brisbane, located in the Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law building on George Street, Brisbane CBD; and Cairns, Ipswich, Maroochydore, Rockhampton, Southport, Townsville, and sits in regional areas as required.^[1][4] In Brisbane, the District Court shares the location with the Supreme Court.

As of April 2021, the judges who sat at the District Court, together with their location, were:^[3]

See also[]

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

References[]