NSW Griffith District Court List Today

The Griffith District Court is the intermediate criminal and civil court serving the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and the wider Riverina region of New South Wales. It sits inside the historic Griffith Court House at 363 Banna Avenue and shares the building, registry and contact details with the Griffith Local Court. As part of the District Court of New South Wales, which is the largest trial court in Australia, this circuit court hears serious indictable matters, sentence hearings, appeals and higher-value civil disputes for a catchment that stretches across Griffith, Leeton, Hillston, Hay and the surrounding horticultural communities. The city of Griffith itself had a population of 20,569 at the 2021 Census and lies roughly 568 kilometres west-south-west of Sydney and 191 kilometres north-west of Wagga Wagga, which makes the local court house a practical judicial hub for people who would otherwise face long travel to a metropolitan registry.

Griffith District Court operates as a circuit location, meaning a District Court judge travels to hear matters during scheduled criminal and civil sittings rather than the court running every business day like the co-located Local Court. Between sittings the registry remains open for filing, subpoenas, fee payment and general enquiries. Court room 2 at Griffith is fitted with Audio Visual Link (AVL) facilities, so evidence from remote witnesses, vulnerable complainants and in-custody defendants can be given without every party needing to attend in person.

What the Griffith District Court Hears

The District Court of New South Wales sits in the middle of the state court hierarchy, above the Local Court and below the Supreme Court. Its workload at Griffith falls into three broad streams: criminal, civil and appellate. Understanding which stream a matter belongs to helps defendants, litigants, witnesses and legal representatives work out where and when a case will appear on the Griffith District Court list.

Criminal Jurisdiction

In its criminal jurisdiction the District Court can deal with all indictable offences except murder, treason and piracy, which remain with the Supreme Court. Most criminal matters begin in the Local Court and are committed up to the District Court once they proceed on indictment. Typical criminal matters listed at Griffith include:

• Assault occasioning actual or grievous bodily harm and other serious violence offences
• Sexual assault and child sexual offences
• Drug supply, cultivation and large commercial drug matters
• Armed robbery, break and enter, and aggravated property offences
• Fraud, dishonesty and financial crime
• Dangerous and negligent driving causing death or serious injury

The court manages these matters through arraignments, mentions, trials before a judge and jury, and sentence hearings. Across the whole District Court of New South Wales in 2024, judges heard 1,361 trials, 5,401 sentence hearings and 1,350 conviction appeals, with 1,273 criminal trials registered during the year. Those statewide figures show how heavily the court's work sits in the criminal stream, and regional circuit locations such as Griffith carry a meaningful share of that load.

Because Griffith runs on indictment for the most serious matters, defendants often start at the co-located Griffith Local Court before a matter is committed up. Nearby feeder registries on the same part of the circuit include the Leeton Local Court and the Hay Local Court list, so people watching a Riverina prosecution may need to check more than one court's listings before the case reaches Griffith for trial or sentence.

Civil Jurisdiction

The District Court hears civil claims from $100,001 up to a general limit of $1,250,000, and it can deal with amounts above that limit if the parties consent. This threshold was lifted from $750,000 to $1,250,000 by the District Court Amendment Act 2022, the first increase to the general civil limit since 18 July 1997, while the equity and injunction limit rose from $20,000 to $100,000. Motor accident claims can be heard irrespective of the amount claimed. Common civil matters at Griffith include:

• Motor accident and personal injury compensation
• Workplace and public liability injury claims
• Breach of contract and commercial disputes
• Debt recovery within the monetary limit
• Defamation proceedings

Claims valued at $100,000 or below are generally dealt with by the Local Court, while disputes above the District Court limit move to the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Statewide, the civil side of the District Court finalised 88 per cent of cases within 24 months in 2024, a strong result given the higher caseload that followed the jurisdictional increase.

Appeals and Residual Matters

The Griffith District Court also hears appeals from the Local Court and the Children's Court, including severity appeals against sentence and conviction appeals. Judges of the District Court additionally exercise a residual jurisdiction created when the Compensation Court Repeal Act 2002 abolished the former NSW Compensation Court and moved certain disputes across. Bail applications, Work Health and Safety Act prosecutions and a range of statutory appeals can also come before the court depending on the listing.

Griffith District Court List Today: How It Works

A court list, sometimes called a daily law list or court schedule, sets out which matters are listed for hearing, the court room and the time. For the Griffith District Court, the list is published ahead of scheduled sittings and typically covers arraignments, callovers, trials, sentence hearings and appeals. Members of the public, defendants, complainants, witnesses and legal practitioners use the list to confirm when and where a matter will be heard without needing to phone the registry.

The New South Wales online court list allows searching by name, case number, location, date, jurisdiction and type of listing. On this page, names are partially masked to protect privacy, and listing details can change at short notice as matters settle, adjourn or move between court rooms. Because circuit sittings run on set dates rather than daily, always confirm the sitting date and cross-check anything important with the Griffith registry before travelling. Key points to keep in mind when reading the Griffith District Court list:

• Listings usually cover a window of upcoming sitting days, not every calendar day
• Court room allocations may show as unassigned until the morning of the sitting
• A 9:00 am listing is a start time for the court room, not an individual appointment
• Matters can be stood down, adjourned or relisted during the day
• Final confirmation should always come from the court registry

Court Statistics and Caseload Trends

Court delay and finalisation figures give useful context for anyone with a matter listed at a regional District Court. According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, the District Court took a median of 834 days from arrest to finalisation for trials in 2024, rising slightly to 843 days in 2025. Across the 2025 reporting year, District Court finalisations statewide fell 7.5 per cent, from 3,374 to 3,120 matters, driven by an 11.9 per cent drop in sentence finalisations to 2,161, while trial finalisations rose 4.9 per cent to 688. Over the same period New South Wales criminal courts as a whole finalised 156,256 appearances, an increase of 8.3 per cent.

Demand on the criminal courts continues to be shaped by long-run offence trends. BOCSAR data show sexual assault reports across New South Wales rose 8.8 per cent over the two years to June 2025, extending a decade-long pattern of growth that averages close to 10 per cent a year, partly reflecting increased reporting. These matters make up a significant part of District Court trial work, including at regional circuits such as Griffith, which helps explain why trial listings can take many months to reach a hearing date.

Griffith Court House: Location, Contact and Access

The Griffith District Court and Griffith Local Court operate from the same building in the centre of the city, close to the Memorial Gardens and within easy reach of Banna Avenue's shops and services. Griffith Airport offers flights to Sydney and Melbourne, and NSW TrainLink runs a regional service, which makes the court house reachable for legal representatives and parties travelling from outside the region.

• Address: Griffith Court House, 363 Banna Avenue, Griffith NSW 2680
• Postal address: PO Box 379, Griffith NSW 2680
• Phone: 1300 679 272
• Fax: 6962 0800
• Registry hours: 9:00 am to 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday
• Telephone hours: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday
• Facilities: Audio Visual Link available in court room 2, disability access available

Following a 2023 upgrade, the court house gained additional Sheriff's Officers, refurbished judicial chambers, new external security fencing and improved staff access, all completed without interrupting sittings. Court users should arrive early to clear security screening and allow time to locate the correct court room.

History of the Griffith Court House

The Griffith Court House was officially opened on 17 August 1928 by the Honourable J. R. Lee, the then Minister of Justice, and was one of the earliest permanent public buildings in the young city. Designed in an interwar Georgian revival style with a neo-classical character, the building carries arcaded porticos on three elevations and a pediment bearing the British coat of arms, with a cupola and urns set behind the main portico. Griffith as a whole was laid out by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, the same designers associated with Canberra, and the court house remains a recognisable heritage landmark on Banna Avenue almost a century after it opened.

Practical Information for Court Users

Whether you are a defendant, a witness, a party to a civil claim or a member of the public, a little preparation makes attending Griffith District Court far smoother.

Not every matter finishes in Griffith. Parties whose matters are listed further along the line can follow the Wagga Wagga District Court instead, while serious challenges to a conviction or sentence run to the Court of Criminal Appeal in Sydney rather than staying on circuit. That appellate work is heard only once leave is granted, which is why a challenged Griffith result can take considerably longer to resolve than the original hearing.

Before You Attend

• Confirm your sitting date and listing details with the registry or your legal representative
• Check whether your matter is a mention, trial, sentence or appeal, as this affects how long you may wait
• Arrange legal advice early, as regional trial dates can be many months away
• Ask about AVL if a witness or party cannot attend the court house in person

On the Day

• Arrive well before the listed start time to pass security screening
• Dress neatly and turn mobile phones to silent inside the court room
• Report to court staff so your attendance is recorded
• Be prepared for your matter to be stood down until later in the day

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Griffith District Court located?

The Griffith District Court sits in the Griffith Court House at 363 Banna Avenue, Griffith NSW 2680, in the centre of the city near the Memorial Gardens. It shares the building with the Griffith Local Court.

What is the phone number for the Griffith District Court registry?

The registry can be reached on 1300 679 272, with telephone hours from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday. Registry counter hours are 9:00 am to 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

What types of cases does the Griffith District Court hear?

It hears serious indictable criminal matters such as assault, sexual assault, drug supply, robbery and fraud, along with civil claims between $100,001 and $1,250,000, all motor accident claims, and appeals from the Local Court and Children's Court.

What is the civil claim limit in the NSW District Court?

The general civil limit is $1,250,000, raised from $750,000 by the District Court Amendment Act 2022. The court can hear larger claims if the parties consent, and it can hear motor accident claims of any value.

How do I find a case on the Griffith District Court list?

Use the daily court list for the relevant sitting date and search by name, case number or listing type. Because Griffith runs as a circuit court, listings appear around scheduled sitting days, and details can change, so confirm anything important with the registry.

Is the Griffith District Court the same as the Local Court?

They are separate courts that share the same building. The Local Court handles less serious matters and civil disputes up to $100,000, while the District Court deals with serious indictable offences and higher-value civil claims. Both operate from the Griffith Court House on Banna Avenue.

Does the Griffith Court House have video link facilities?

Yes. Audio Visual Link facilities are available in court room 2, allowing remote witnesses, vulnerable complainants and in-custody defendants to participate without attending in person.