| Name | Court Room | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria Police – Majdanski, A (** v W** A** | TBA | 10:00 am |
Last updated: 24 Jun 2026, 8:47 pm. Names are partially masked for privacy. Details may change — always check with the Registry.
Checking a daily court list before a hearing is one of the simplest ways to avoid confusion on the day, and this page brings the Victorian Magistrates' Court schedule into one place so you can see who is listed, in which courtroom, and at what time. The Magistrates' Court is the entry point of the Victorian justice system and by far its busiest, handling roughly 90 per cent of all matters that come before the state's courts. Because the volume is so high and listings can shift at short notice, confirming the details the afternoon before or the morning of your appearance is a practical habit rather than an optional one.
The court operates under the Magistrates' Court Act 1989 (Vic) and sits at 51 venues across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. Each matter is heard and decided by a single magistrate or judicial registrar, and there is no jury at this level. That structure keeps proceedings moving quickly, which is exactly why an accurate, up to date listing matters so much for defendants, applicants, witnesses, legal practitioners and members of the public exercising their right to open justice.
What the daily court list shows you
A daily list is the court's own published schedule of the cases due to be heard on a given sitting day. It is a plan of proceedings, not a record of outcomes, so it will not tell you how a case was decided or what sentence was imposed. What it does set out, for each listed matter, is the party name, the scheduled time, the courtroom or list, and the type of proceeding, such as a mention, a contest mention, a summary hearing, a bail application or a committal step.
Reading the list correctly saves time and stress. If your matter appears in a numbered courtroom, that is where you report after passing through security. If it appears in a named list rather than a physical room, a coordinator or registrar will usually direct parties to the correct location once the sitting begins. When you cannot find your name at all, it may have been adjourned, moved to another venue, or dealt with administratively, and the registry is the right place to confirm what has happened.
Why listings change during the day
Court business is fluid. Matters settle, guilty pleas are entered, contested hearings run shorter or longer than expected, and urgent applications are added. Any of these can push cases between courtrooms or shift start times. This is the single most common reason people arrive at the wrong room, and it is why the schedule you rely on should be the live one rather than a printout from the previous week. Treating the list as a living document, checked again on the morning of the hearing, is the safest approach.
The Magistrates' Court in numbers
The scale of the court explains why efficient listings are so important. In 2022-23 the court finalised 160,959 criminal cases, an increase of 21 per cent on the previous year, alongside a 53 per cent reduction in cases running longer than 12 months. On the sentencing side, the court sentenced 85,462 cases in 2023-24, down 8.9 per cent from 93,778 the year before, against a two decade average of 83,587 cases sentenced each year between July 2004 and June 2024. The busiest single year on record was 2015-16, when 99,723 cases were sentenced.
These figures give a sense of daily throughput. With well over eighty thousand sentenced matters a year, plus civil claims, family violence intervention order applications, bail applications and committal steps, a typical sitting day at a larger venue can involve hundreds of separate listings. The court has also invested heavily in reducing delay, and reported that more than 93 per cent of matters are finalised at the Magistrates' Court level rather than progressing to the County Court or Supreme Court.
Backlog, clearance and on-time processing
Timeliness is measured through clearance rate and on-time case processing. The court aims to finalise 85 per cent of criminal cases within six months. That benchmark proved difficult through the pandemic period, dropping to 40.7 per cent in 2021-22 before recovering to around 55 per cent by the end of the following financial year as online hearings and case management reforms took effect. For civil matters, the court works to finalise 80 per cent of cases within six months or less and reports against that target as part of state budget requirements. Understanding these benchmarks helps explain why some matters are prioritised and why lists can be dense.
What the court can and cannot hear
Jurisdiction sets the boundaries of what appears on any Magistrates' Court list. In criminal matters, the court hears summary offences such as traffic offences, minor assaults, property damage and offensive behaviour, and it can also deal with some indictable offences heard summarily, including certain burglary and theft charges, where the accused agrees. More serious indictable matters such as armed robbery, dangerous driving and sexual offences are committed to higher courts.
In civil matters, the court can decide most disputes about money or property up to a value of $100,000, covering debts, damages, contract disputes and claims arising from motor vehicle accidents. Above that threshold, matters move to the County Court. The court also runs specialist streams, including the Family Violence Court, the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court and the Koori Court, each of which brings a tailored approach to particular kinds of cases.
Where appeals go
A decision of the Magistrates' Court is usually appealed to the County Court of Victoria, where a judge can agree with the magistrate or reach a different conclusion. The Supreme Court hears a limited number of appeals on questions of law. Knowing this pathway is useful context when you are reading a list and trying to understand where a matter sits in the wider hierarchy.
How to prepare before you attend
A little preparation removes most of the uncertainty around a court appearance. The steps below reflect how the court actually operates on a sitting day.
- Confirm the correct venue. Victoria has 51 Magistrates' Court locations, and matters are sometimes transferred, so check the venue name against your paperwork.
- Check the list the night before and again on the morning of the hearing, because last minute changes are common.
- Arrive early. Larger venues such as the Melbourne Magistrates' Court have airport style security screening, and queues plus lift waits can add time.
- Note your courtroom or list name and report to the relevant counter or coordinator if you are unsure where to go.
- Dress neatly, silence your phone, and address the magistrate respectfully as Your Honour.
Understanding courtroom and list codes
Listings are organised by courtroom and by specialist list rather than by a single running order for the whole building. At a large venue, criminal mentions, custody matters, civil hearings and intervention order applications each sit in their own courtrooms or lists, often on different floors. If your listing points to a number, that generally identifies the courtroom; if it points to a named stream, a registrar will direct you once the sitting opens. When in doubt, the general enquiries counter is the fastest way to confirm the exact room.
Regional and metropolitan sittings
Because the court sits at 51 locations, the experience varies between a major metropolitan complex and a smaller regional courthouse. Metropolitan venues run high volume lists across many courtrooms every sitting day, while regional venues may sit on scheduled days with a magistrate travelling on circuit. This is why a matter may be listed at a particular town on a particular day rather than every weekday. If you are following a regional matter, always match the venue to the sitting day shown on the list.
For statewide context and links to every Victorian venue, the Victorian Magistrates' Court hub is a useful starting point, and the broader Victoria court listings section gathers Magistrates', County and Supreme Court information in one place. From there you can move between venues without needing to search each one separately.
Open justice and public access
Publishing daily lists reflects the open justice principle, which holds that courts should operate transparently so the community can see how justice is administered. Most hearings are open to the public, and anyone may generally sit in the public gallery to observe. There are important exceptions. Matters involving children, certain family violence proceedings and some suppressed cases are restricted or not published, for legal and safeguarding reasons. Reading a list therefore gives you the schedule of what is due to be heard in open court, not a complete picture of every matter before the court.
Media, practitioners and the public
Different people use these lists for different reasons. Defendants and their families confirm when and where to attend. Solicitors, barristers and clerks manage caseloads and track hearings across multiple venues. Journalists follow matters of public interest. Victims, witnesses and interested members of the public exercise their right to observe proceedings. A single, reliable list serves all of these needs at once, which is the purpose of gathering venue schedules together in one accessible format.
Frequently asked questions
Does the daily list tell me the outcome of a case?
No. A daily list is a schedule of matters due to be heard, including the party name, time, courtroom and hearing type. It does not record verdicts or sentences. To find an outcome you would generally need to attend the hearing or contact the registry.
How often are listings updated?
Listings change frequently because matters settle, adjourn or move between courtrooms during the day. Check the list the afternoon before and again on the morning of your hearing so you are working from the current version rather than an older copy.
What if I cannot find my name on the list?
Your matter may have been adjourned, transferred to another venue or dealt with administratively. Contact the court registry for the venue to confirm the position, and do not assume you are excused from attending until the court has told you so.
What types of matters are heard at the Magistrates' Court?
The court hears summary criminal offences and some indictable offences heard summarily, civil claims up to $100,000, bail applications, committal steps, and family violence intervention order applications, along with specialist streams such as the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court and the Koori Court.
Where do I go once I arrive at court?
Pass through security, then report to the courtroom or list shown against your name. If you are unsure, ask at the general enquiries counter. Arriving early is strongly advised, particularly at busy metropolitan venues where screening and lift waits can add time.
Can members of the public watch a hearing?
Most hearings are open to the public and you may observe from the gallery. Some matters, including those involving children and certain protected proceedings, are closed or not published for legal and safeguarding reasons.