The Ballarat Assessment and Referral Court list (ARC) is a specialist therapeutic court operating within the Ballarat Magistrates' Court at 100 Grenville Street South, Ballarat VIC 3350. Unlike the mainstream criminal list, the ARC is a pre-sentence, solution-focused list designed for accused people living with mental illness, cognitive impairment or other neurological conditions that contribute to their offending. If you are tracking a matter listed before the Ballarat ARC, this page brings together the daily court schedule, hearing details and practical information you need to prepare, whether you are a participant, a family member, a legal practitioner or a support worker.
The Ballarat branch of the Assessment and Referral Court commenced on 22 February 2024, making it the third regional ARC site in Victoria after Bendigo and the Latrobe Valley. Its establishment followed a direct recommendation from the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System, which called for the model to be expanded to every headquarter Magistrates' Court across the state. The ARC first began in 2010 at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court and remains the first mental health court in Australia to be established by legislation, operating under the Magistrates' Court Act 1989 (Vic).
What the Ballarat ARC list covers
The Ballarat ARC list sits alongside the general criminal and civil jurisdictions of the wider court. Where a standard summary hearing focuses on the charge and sentence, the ARC list focuses on the underlying drivers of offending. Hearings are deliberately less formal and non-adversarial. Rather than the accused standing in a dock, the magistrate sits at a round table with the participant, their lawyer, a police prosecutor and a case manager, working together to review progress and adjust the treatment plan.
This collaborative structure is a defining feature of therapeutic jurisprudence. As of 2026 the Assessment and Referral Court operates at 11 Magistrates' Court locations across Victoria: Ballarat, Bendigo, Dandenong, Frankston, Heidelberg, Latrobe, Melbourne, Moorabbin, Ringwood, Shepparton and Sunshine. The Ballarat list forms part of the Court Support and Diversion Services stream and works closely with the Court Integrated Services Program (CISP), which provides bail-based support for eligible accused people.
Who is eligible for the Ballarat Assessment and Referral Court
Eligibility for the ARC is set out in three tiers under Victorian legislation, and an accused person must satisfy all three before the magistrate can accept the matter into the list.
Diagnostic criteria
The accused person must be diagnosed with one or more qualifying conditions, which include mental illness, an intellectual disability, an acquired brain injury, autism spectrum disorder or another neurological impairment such as dementia. Diagnostic evidence must be provided to support the referral.
Functional criteria
The diagnosis must cause a substantially reduced capacity in at least one area of day-to-day functioning, such as self-care, self-management, social interaction or communication. The magistrate presiding over the Ballarat ARC has emphasised that the list is designed for people with the most complex circumstances, where a genuine reduction in functional capacity places them at risk of continued contact with the criminal justice system.
Needs and benefit criteria
The accused person must be likely to benefit from receiving coordinated services under an individual support plan. In practice this means the ARC targets people who are cycling repeatedly through the courts for lower-level offending and who lack the support to break that cycle on their own.
Two further practical conditions apply. First, the offence must have been committed within the ARC catchment area, known as the proper venue, of the Ballarat court, though a magistrate retains discretion on residency. Second, the accused person must usually be on bail, although a referral can be made from custody if release into the community is likely. Participation is entirely voluntary, and the accused must agree to their matter being heard in the list. Contested bail hearings continue to be heard in the mainstream court.
How a referral into the Ballarat ARC works
A referral is the gateway to the ARC, and a matter cannot be heard in the list until one is made. Encouragingly, a referral can come from almost anyone connected to the case.
- The accused person can refer themselves.
- Family members and carers can initiate a referral.
- Lawyers, including Victoria Legal Aid, can refer a client.
- Magistrates, Victoria Police and community service organisations can all make referrals.
- The Court Integrated Services Program can refer eligible clients.
A referral should be made at the earliest opportunity, ideally at a bail hearing or a mention hearing. The referral form is submitted to the Ballarat ARC registry before the participant's first scheduled ARC hearing. An ARC case manager then assesses the person for eligibility and submits a report to the ARC magistrate, who decides whether the matter is suitable. If accepted, the participant enters a formal plea, and an individual support plan setting out the goals for the ARC episode is approved.
What participation involves
Acceptance into the Ballarat ARC is the beginning of an intensive, structured commitment rather than a one-off appearance. Participants attend weekly meetings with a case manager, who helps design a tailored treatment plan and links them with services such as mental health treatment, disability support, housing assistance and, for many, National Disability Insurance Scheme access.
Progress is reviewed at monthly sessions in the courtroom, where the magistrate recaps how the participant is tracking against their plan. This regular judicial oversight is central to the model. If a participant does not comply with their individual support plan, the magistrate can transfer the matter back to the mainstream court for sentencing. The list is delivered by a multidisciplinary team that includes the magistrate, a specialist ARC lawyer, a police prosecutor, advanced case managers and an ARC registrar.
Does the ARC model work?
The evidence base for the Assessment and Referral Court is one of the strongest reasons for its statewide expansion. A two-year recidivism study of the ARC list published in the International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice examined 95 participants and found that successful completion of the program was the single most significant predictor of not reoffending, or of taking longer to reoffend. The same body of research found that completing the list reduced recidivism for around half of participants diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and lowered the severity of any subsequent offending.
Comparative Australian data reinforces the point. A separate study of 2,476 people identified as eligible for mental health court diversion in New South Wales found that individuals who were not diverted had a 43 per cent higher reoffending rate than those who were granted diversion. Practitioners on the ground report similar patterns. At Bendigo, the ARC celebrated its first graduations within just over 12 months of opening, with around 25 participants progressing through the program at that time, and Victoria Legal Aid has noted that the data shows significant benefits in reducing re-offending and improving health and wellbeing outcomes.
Visiting the Ballarat Law Courts
The Ballarat ARC list is heard at the Ballarat Law Courts on Grenville Street South. The court is open Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 4:30pm and is closed on weekends and public holidays. On-site parking is limited, with three designated disabled parking bays, metered parking available along Grenville Street, and all-day parking in the nearby Anderson Street car park. If you are attending for any hearing, bring photo identification such as a current driver licence or passport, and double-check your court documents in advance. For those with matters in the broader criminal list, the daily Ballarat Magistrates' Court list sets out the full schedule of summary, traffic, family violence and civil proceedings for the day.
Parties registered with the Electronic Filing and Appearance System at mcv.vic.gov.au can receive free automatic email or SMS notifications when a matter is listed or when a hearing date changes. This is a practical way to stay informed without repeatedly checking the court schedule, and it applies to criminal and civil matters across the Magistrates' Court of Victoria.
How the Ballarat ARC fits the wider Victorian court network
The Ballarat list is one node in a fast-growing statewide network of therapeutic courts. The model traces back to the original Melbourne ARC list, which has run since 2010 and shaped the design now being rolled out to regional Victoria. The Bendigo ARC list opened as the first stage of the regional expansion and provided an early template for how a headquarter court can integrate mental health support into everyday proceedings. To see the full range of specialist and mainstream lists across the state, the Victorian court list hub brings together every Magistrates', County and Supreme Court venue in one place.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Ballarat ARC list held?
The Ballarat Assessment and Referral Court list is heard at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court, 100 Grenville Street South, Ballarat VIC 3350. Postal correspondence goes to PO Box 604, Ballarat VIC 3350.
When did the Ballarat ARC open?
The Ballarat branch of the Assessment and Referral Court commenced on 22 February 2024, becoming the third regional ARC site in Victoria following Bendigo and the Latrobe Valley.
Is the ARC list a criminal court?
The ARC is a pre-sentence list within the criminal jurisdiction, but it operates therapeutically rather than adversarially. It works with people who have pleaded to or are charged with a criminal offence and whose mental illness or cognitive impairment contributes to that offending.
How long does the ARC program last?
The length varies according to each participant's individual support plan. Participants attend weekly case-manager meetings and monthly court reviews, and the episode continues until the magistrate is satisfied the plan's goals have been met or, if compliance is not maintained, the matter is returned to the mainstream court.
How can I check the Ballarat ARC list today?
The daily law list for the Ballarat court is published each sitting day. Because names are partially masked for privacy and details can change, always confirm your specific hearing time and location with the court registry before attending.
Who can make a referral to the ARC?
Referrals can be made by the accused person, their family, their lawyer, a magistrate, Victoria Police, community service organisations or the Court Integrated Services Program. A referral should be lodged with the Ballarat ARC registry at the earliest opportunity.