The Northern Territory has a simpler court structure than the states. There is no District or County Court, so cases move from the Local Court straight up to the Supreme Court. Most people who go to court in the Territory will only ever deal with the Local Court, and most of those appearances happen in Darwin or Alice Springs.
Local Court lists
The Local Court of the Northern Territory hears summary criminal matters, bail, domestic violence orders, preliminary examinations and civil claims from $25,000 to $250,000. Its judges sit without a jury. The court publishes a list for the current day and for the next sitting day. The main lists are the darwin court list at Nichols Place, the alice springs court list on Parsons Street and the katherine court list on First Street.
The court also runs three circuits to remote communities. Tennant Creek has its own courthouse but only sits in circuit weeks; see the tennant creek court list. Bush courts include the wadeye court list and the nhulunbuy court list. When a circuit is not sitting, those pages will be empty.
Supreme Court lists
The Supreme Court hears jury trials for serious crimes, civil claims over $250,000, appeals from the Local Court and the work of the Court of Appeal and Court of Criminal Appeal. It publishes one list at a time, for the next sitting day, in the afternoon before. Darwin matters are on the darwin supreme court list and Central Australian matters on the alice springs supreme court list.
NTCAT
The Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal handles tenancy disputes, small claims under $25,000 and building and body corporate matters. It releases a weekly hearing list each Friday, shown day by day on the ntcat hearing list page.
Using the lists
Names are shown surname first with given names shortened to initials, next to the courtroom and start time. Territory courts start early, usually 9.00am to 10.00am, and circuit courts often list every matter for the same time and work through them in order. Lists change after release, so check again on the morning of the hearing and look at the screens or notice boards when you arrive. Each court page explains its own courtroom codes, registry hours and how to get there.
What is not shown
Youth Justice Court, care and protection and family matters are not published, and names covered by a suppression order are left off. If you cannot find a matter, call the registry for that court; each page gives the address and phone number.