Alice Springs Local Court is the main court for Central Australia. It sits in the law courts precinct on Parsons Street in the centre of town, next to the newer Supreme Court tower, and it is the home base for the judges who run the southern circuit out to remote communities. On the published list the venue is written as Alice Springs LC. This page shows the Alice Springs court list for today and the next sitting day once it is released, with courtroom and start time for each name.
What is heard in Alice Springs
The Local Court of the Northern Territory hears the great majority of criminal cases in the Territory. A judge sits alone, without a jury. In Alice Springs the daily list typically includes:
- mentions, pleas and sentencing for summary and minor indictable offences;
- bail applications, often for people held overnight at the Alice Springs watch house;
- preliminary examinations, which decide whether a serious charge goes up to the alice springs supreme court list for a jury trial;
- domestic violence order applications and mentions;
- contested hearings, sentence indications and directions hearings;
- civil claims from $25,000 to $250,000, and Work Health Court matters.
Disputes under $25,000, residential tenancy disputes and guardianship applications are dealt with by NTCAT, whose Alice Springs registry is in the Westpoint Building at 1 Stott Terrace.
How to read the Alice Springs court list
The court uses four main courtrooms, shown as C1 to C4. C2 usually carries the general morning list of mentions and bail matters, and C3 and C4 are often used for hearings that run most of the day. Start times are mostly 9.30am and 10.00am, with some matters at 9.00am and an afternoon session at 2.00pm.
- Names are listed surname first. A person with several files will appear on several lines at the same time.
- "Part heard" means a hearing that started on an earlier day and is continuing.
- "Plea or mention" means the court expects either a guilty plea or a date to be set.
- Courtroom allocations can change after the list is released, so check the screens at the entrance.
Youth Justice Court matters are closed and are never shown here, and names that are subject to a suppression order are left off the list.
When the list comes out
The Local Court releases the list for the current day and for the next sitting day. The next day's list normally appears by late morning the day before. The southern circuit means some judges are away from town for days at a time, so the size of the Alice Springs list changes a lot from week to week. Lists after a long weekend tend to be heavy.
Address, hours and contact
The court is on Parsons Street, Alice Springs NT 0870 (the Local Court's circuit page gives 10 Parsons Street). Postal address: PO Box 1394, Alice Springs NT 0871.
- General enquiries and registry: (08) 8951 5710
- Listings and video conference enquiries: (08) 8951 5700
- Registry hours: Monday to Friday, 8.45am to 4pm
- Front counter: Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, closed 1pm to 2pm
Staff can confirm whether a matter is listed and in which room, but cannot give legal advice. Duty lawyers from the Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission and the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency attend most sitting days. Interpreters for Aboriginal languages can be arranged through the court, and it helps to ask the registry early.
Getting there and security
The courts are in the town centre on Parsons Street, a short walk from Todd Mall. Street parking is available nearby but is limited in the morning. Everyone entering is screened, weapons and anything that could be used as one are prohibited, phones must be off in courtrooms, and nothing may be recorded inside without the court's written permission.
A long history on Parsons Street
Court sittings in Central Australia go back to the early days of the town, when the court was known as the Local Court at Stuart. The Old Courthouse on Parsons Street opened in 1928 and was designed for the arid zone. Local Court staff worked there until 1980, when new law courts opened on Parsons Street at a cost of about $3 million. The Supreme Court added its own building next door in 2017, one of the tallest in town, so the two courts now sit side by side.
The southern circuit
Judges based in Alice Springs travel to Ali Curung, Ti Tree, Tennant Creek, Hermannsburg, Elliott, Yuendumu, Papunya, Kintore, Mutitjulu and Arlparra. Tennant Creek has its own courthouse; see the tennant creek court list. All Territory lists are gathered on the northern territory court list page.
Frequently asked questions
What does "Alice Springs LC" mean?
LC stands for Local Court. It is how the court's own list names the Parsons Street courthouse, to separate it from the Supreme Court sitting in the same precinct.
Is there an Alice Springs court list for tomorrow?
Yes, once the court releases it. Use the Tomorrow tab above. It can still change before the morning.
My name is not on the list. What should I do?
Call the registry on (08) 8951 5710 with your file number. The matter may have been moved to another day, another room or a bush court sitting.
Can I appear by video?
Sometimes. The court has a virtual appearance process with a notification form, and video enquiries go to (08) 8951 5700. Ask well before the hearing date.