QLD Cairns Magistrates Court List Today

The Cairns Magistrates Court sits at 5D Sheridan Street, Cairns City QLD 4870, and functions as the principal summary-jurisdiction courthouse for Far North Queensland. If you are trying to confirm a hearing time, follow a matter listed for sentencing, or simply check who is appearing today, the daily law list is the fastest way to do it. This page tracks the Cairns court list so defendants, solicitors, family members, duty lawyers and members of the public can find accurate listing information without a login, a subscription or a fee. The registry phone line is (07) 4039 8900 and counter hours run from 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Cairns is the administrative gateway to the Wet Tropics and the Great Barrier Reef, and its courthouse carries a workload that reflects the size of the region it serves. The Sheridan Street precinct houses the Magistrates Court alongside the Cairns District Court and the Cairns Supreme Court registry on Level 3, which means a single address handles summary matters, indictable committals and higher-court business for a catchment that stretches from the Atherton Tablelands to Cape York. Understanding where your matter fits in that structure is the first step to reading the list correctly.

What the Cairns Magistrates Court daily law list covers

The Magistrates Court is the entry point for almost every criminal charge laid in Queensland, and Cairns is no exception. On any given sitting day the list will include summary criminal offences, traffic and drink-driving matters, bail applications, committal hearings, domestic and family violence protection order applications, sentence hearings and minor civil disputes. Civil claims are heard in the Magistrates jurisdiction up to $150,000, with the Minor Civil Disputes stream capped at $25,000, so the same courthouse deals with both a neighbourhood fencing dispute and a serious assault committal.

The scale of this work is easy to underestimate. According to the Magistrates Courts of Queensland Annual Report 2024-25, the state's Magistrates Courts dealt with the overwhelming majority of criminal matters in the justice system, with adult criminal charges numbering in the hundreds of thousands across the reporting year. The same report recorded 25,871 domestic and family violence protection order applications statewide and 8,123 child protection applications, the latter a 22.59 per cent increase on the prior year. Cairns, as one of the busier regional registries, contributes a meaningful share of that volume.

Reading a mention, a committal and a sentence

Court terminology trips up a lot of first-time attendees. A mention is a short procedural appearance where the matter is reviewed and a future date is set; most cases are mentioned several times before they resolve. A committal is the process by which an indictable charge is examined in the Magistrates Court and, if appropriate, committed to the District or Supreme Court for trial or sentence. A sentence hearing is where a magistrate imposes a penalty after a plea or finding of guilt. If your name appears next to a courtroom number with a listing time, arrive early, dress neatly and check the electronic display boards on the day, because rooms are frequently reallocated.

Where Cairns fits in the Queensland court hierarchy

Queensland runs a three-tier court system. The Magistrates Court handles summary offences and preliminary stages of serious matters. The District Court deals with more serious indictable crime and larger civil claims, and it hears appeals from magistrates' decisions. The Supreme Court sits at the top for the most serious criminal trials and complex civil litigation. The District Court of Queensland is one of the busiest intermediate courts in the country, and in 2024-25 it received 6,373 criminal lodgements with a clearance rate of 99.5 per cent, according to that court's annual report. Cairns is a permanent sitting location for all three tiers, which is why the Sheridan Street list can look denser than a smaller regional courthouse.

If your matter has been committed upward, you will need to follow the higher-court schedule rather than the summary list. You can review listings for the Cairns Supreme and District Court separately, since indictable trials, higher-court sentences and appeals are published under that jurisdiction rather than on the Magistrates list.

Specialist lists and diversion

Beyond the general list, Cairns participates in Queensland's specialist court programs. Domestic and family violence practices have expanded across the state, with coordinated DFV approaches rolling out to additional Magistrates Courts in recent reporting years. The court also engages with the Queensland Courts Referral and drug and alcohol assessment pathways, which allow eligible defendants to address underlying issues alongside their charges. These lists are often called separately during the sitting day, so if your matter is on a specialist stream, confirm the courtroom with registry staff rather than assuming it will appear on the main criminal list.

How to check the Cairns court list today

The official daily law list for Cairns is published each court morning through the Queensland Courts system and is typically available from around 6.45am, with an updated version released later in the morning once overnight custody matters and last-minute additions are processed. Listings can change after publication, so the version you check the night before will not always match the version called in court. For that reason, parties are strongly encouraged to reconfirm their courtroom and time on the morning of the hearing.

Because Cairns sits within a wider Far North circuit, it is common for practitioners and self-represented litigants to be tracking more than one location at once. The court services surrounding communities including Mareeba, Innisfail, Atherton, Tully and the Cape, and matters are sometimes transferred between registries. If you regularly follow multiple regional courthouses, the consolidated Queensland court lists hub lets you move between locations quickly without navigating separate government portals for each one.

Who relies on the daily list

• Defendants and their families confirming a court date, courtroom and listing time before attending in person.
• Solicitors and barristers preparing for mentions, committals, bail applications and sentence hearings.
• Duty lawyers and Legal Aid Queensland staff managing high-volume rosters across the Cairns list.
• Journalists and researchers following criminal, civil and coronial matters in the public interest.
• Domestic violence support workers coordinating safety planning around protection order hearings.
• Members of the public exercising their right to observe proceedings in open court.

Practical details for attending in Cairns

The Sheridan Street complex is centrally located in the Cairns CBD and is within walking distance of public transport, parking and the main legal precinct. Registry counter hours are 8.30am to 4.30pm on standard sitting days, and the court offers facilities including Wi-Fi, videoconferencing and a remote witness room for vulnerable witnesses. If you are unsure whether your matter is criminal, civil or a protection order application, registry staff can point you to the correct list, though they cannot give legal advice. For self-represented litigants, arriving 30 minutes early gives you time to find your courtroom, speak with a duty lawyer if one is available, and settle before your matter is called.

It is worth noting that Cairns has a long judicial history. The heritage-listed former Cairns Court House at 38 Abbott Street, built between 1919 and 1921 and added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992, served the district for decades before the modern Sheridan Street facility took over the working caseload. Today the historic building operates as an art gallery, while the day-to-day business of justice runs from the current complex.

If your matter originates outside Queensland or you are comparing how listing systems work across states, you may find it useful to look at how other jurisdictions publish their schedules, such as the New South Wales court lists, which follow a similar daily-publication model. For the mechanics of the wider system and terminology that applies nationally, the Federal Court list offers a helpful point of comparison for Commonwealth matters that fall outside state jurisdiction.

Frequently asked questions

What time is the Cairns Magistrates Court list published?

The daily law list is generally available from around 6.45am on each court sitting day and is updated later in the morning, usually by about 8.45am, once overnight custody matters and additions are processed. Always check the updated version, as listings can change after first publication.

Where is the Cairns Magistrates Court located?

The court is at 5D Sheridan Street, Cairns City QLD 4870, in the central business district. The same complex houses the Cairns District Court and the Cairns Supreme Court registry on Level 3. The registry telephone number is (07) 4039 8900.

What kinds of matters are heard at the Cairns Magistrates Court?

The court hears summary criminal offences, traffic and drink-driving matters, bail applications, committal hearings, domestic and family violence protection order applications, sentence hearings and civil claims up to $150,000, including minor civil disputes up to $25,000.

How do I find out if my matter has been committed to a higher court?

If your charge is indictable and has been committed for trial or sentence, it will move to the District or Supreme Court and no longer appear on the Magistrates list. Check the Cairns Supreme and District Court listings instead, or confirm the transfer with the registry.

Can I attend the Cairns Magistrates Court as a member of the public?

Yes. Most proceedings are held in open court and members of the public are entitled to observe, subject to any suppression orders or closed-court directions. Some matters, such as certain child protection and family violence applications, may be closed to protect the people involved.

Do I need a lawyer to appear at the Cairns Magistrates Court?

You are not required to have a lawyer, but legal representation is strongly recommended for anything beyond a simple mention. A duty lawyer may be available at court for eligible defendants, and Legal Aid Queensland operates a roster at the Cairns registry. This page provides listing information only and does not constitute legal advice.