The Dandenong ARC Magistrates' Court refers to the Assessment and Referral Court list that sits within the Dandenong Magistrates' Court at 35 Pultney Street, Dandenong, Victoria 3175. This specialist therapeutic list is one of the busiest of its kind in metropolitan Melbourne, serving the rapidly growing south-eastern suburbs where the City of Greater Dandenong alone is home to more than 165,000 residents drawn from over 150 birthplaces. If you are trying to confirm whether a matter has been listed, when it is being heard, or which courtroom it has been allocated to, the daily hearing information published here is updated for each sitting day so parties, family members, legal representatives and support workers can plan their attendance with confidence.
The Assessment and Referral Court, commonly shortened to the ARC List, is not a separate building. It is a distinct list that operates inside the mainstream Dandenong Magistrates' Court complex, running on scheduled sitting days rather than every business day. Because the ARC hearing schedule differs from the general criminal and civil lists, checking the current daily listing is the most reliable way to know exactly when an accused person is expected to appear before the ARC magistrate. The Dandenong registry keeps standard hours of 9:00am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday and is closed on weekends and public holidays.
What the Assessment and Referral Court (ARC) at Dandenong Actually Does
The ARC List is a pre-sentence, problem-solving court designed for accused persons whose offending is linked to a mental illness, a cognitive impairment, or both. It was created under the Magistrates' Court Act 1989 (Vic) following the Magistrates' Court Amendment (Assessment and Referral Court List) Bill 2009, and the first list commenced in 2010. Rather than pushing eligible people straight through the conventional criminal stream, the ARC connects them with coordinated health, disability, housing, and support services while their matter progresses. The aim is to address the underlying drivers of offending, improve the person's health and wellbeing, and reduce the likelihood of reoffending.
Participation is entirely voluntary, and the accused person must agree to have their matter heard in the list. A magistrate assigned to the ARC supervises each participant in a less formal setting than an ordinary courtroom, reviewing progress at regular hearings against an individual support plan. That plan sets out the goals a participant works towards during their "episode" in the list. If a participant does not comply with the plan, the magistrate retains the power to transfer the matter back to the mainstream court for sentencing. At the conclusion of an ARC episode, the court's sentencing options are generally the same as those available in a standard Magistrates' Court matter, including imprisonment where warranted.
Who Is Eligible for the Dandenong ARC List
Eligibility is governed by Section 4T of the Magistrates' Court Act 1989 and is assessed against three connected tests. Understanding these criteria helps applicants, families and practitioners judge whether a referral is realistic before lodging one.
- Diagnostic criteria: The accused person must have a diagnosed mental illness and/or a cognitive impairment. Recognised conditions include intellectual disability, acquired brain injury, autism spectrum disorder, and complex mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression and anxiety.
- Functional criteria: The diagnosed condition must cause a substantially reduced capacity in at least one area of day-to-day functioning, such as self-care, social interaction or communication.
- Needs and benefit criteria: The person must be likely to benefit from receiving coordinated services delivered through an individual support plan.
There are practical requirements as well. The offence generally must have been committed within the ARC catchment area, known as the proper venue, and the accused person usually needs to be on bail, though a referral can be made from custody where release into the community is likely. Whether a person lives within the catchment can be treated flexibly, as this is at the magistrate's discretion.
How a Referral Into the ARC Is Made
One of the strengths of the ARC model is how broadly a referral can be initiated. A referral can be made by almost anyone connected to the matter, including the accused person themselves, their family, a lawyer, a magistrate, Victoria Police, community service organisations, or the Court Integrated Services Program (CISP). A referral should be lodged at the earliest opportunity, which can occur at a bail hearing or a mention hearing.
The process typically follows a clear sequence. First, the referrer confirms the offence falls within an ARC catchment and checks the eligibility criteria. A referral form is then completed and submitted to the relevant Magistrates' Court before the first scheduled ARC hearing. The court arranges an assessment with an ARC case manager or clinician, who prepares a report for the ARC magistrate. The magistrate decides whether the person is suitable. If accepted, a formal plea must be entered before an individual support plan is approved, and the participant then attends review hearings on a regular basis.
Dandenong Magistrates' Court: Location, Access and Practical Information
The court is located at 35 Pultney Street, Dandenong, Victoria 3175, with correspondence directed to PO Box 392, Dandenong Victoria 3175. Dandenong sits roughly 30 kilometres south-east of the Melbourne central business district and is well connected by rail and road, making it a central hearing hub for Melbourne's south-east. For visitors driving to court, parking is available across several nearby areas: the Langhorne Street entrance offers 25 public spaces, the Pultney Street entrance offers 9 public spaces plus 2 accessible spaces, and the corner of Pultney and Wilson Streets provides approximately 140 public spaces.
Because parking demand is high on busy sitting mornings, arriving early is sensible, particularly if a matter is listed for a 9:30am or 10:00am start. Court security screening applies at the entrance, so allowing extra time before a hearing is prudent. Support services frequently available at Dandenong include Court Network volunteers, the Court Integrated Services Program, and youth justice court advice, alongside services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander court users.
What Cases the Dandenong Magistrates' Court Hears
The wider Dandenong Magistrates' Court is a court of summary jurisdiction with a substantial workload spanning criminal and civil matters. In its criminal jurisdiction, the court hears and determines all summary offences, deals with some indictable offences that can be heard summarily, and conducts committal hearings for more serious charges destined for a higher court. In its civil jurisdiction, the Magistrates' Court can hear disputes up to the value of $100,000, covering debts, claims for damages and other monetary or equitable disputes.
The court also deals with intervention order applications, including both family violence intervention orders and personal safety intervention orders, which make up a significant share of the daily workload across Victorian Magistrates' Courts. Specialist lists at or connected to Dandenong include the ARC List for accused persons with mental illness or cognitive impairment, the Drug Court, and Koori Court sittings that provide a culturally responsive process for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have pleaded guilty. For matters listed at other Victorian venues, the state-wide Victorian daily court lists provide a single point to check hearings across every sitting location.
Why Therapeutic Courts Like the ARC Matter
Therapeutic jurisprudence has become a defining feature of the Victorian court system, and the evidence base behind it continues to grow. The ARC List had received more than 1,100 referrals in the years following its 2010 commencement, and independent research has examined whether the model achieves its central goal of reducing reoffending. One Australian recidivism study tracked 95 ARC participants and found that successful program completion was the single strongest predictor of not reoffending, or of a substantially longer time before any further offence was recorded.
The same body of research highlights why completion matters so much. Where reoffending did occur among that cohort, around 82 per cent of it happened within the first year, which underlines the value of sustained engagement and case management during and immediately after an episode in the list. Case managers coordinate psychological assessment and referrals to welfare, health, mental health, disability, housing, and drug and alcohol treatment services, and for participants with an intellectual disability the court may attach a justice plan as a condition of sentence. These findings help explain why Victoria has progressively expanded the ARC to additional metropolitan and regional courts, including Dandenong, Melbourne, Moorabbin, Frankston, Heidelberg, Ballarat, Bendigo and the Latrobe Valley.
The ARC and the Broader Push for Accessible Justice
The Magistrates' Court of Victoria operates across more than 50 venues state-wide, from major metropolitan courts to small regional locations where a magistrate may sit only one or two days each week. This deliberate geographic spread reflects a principle that justice should be accessible regardless of where a person lives. Specialist lists such as the ARC extend that principle to people whose circumstances make the mainstream process particularly difficult to navigate, ensuring that mental illness and cognitive impairment are addressed rather than overlooked. For those following criminal matters more broadly, the Melbourne Magistrates' Court daily list offers a useful reference point for how these lists operate at the state's busiest venue.
How to Read and Use the Daily Dandenong ARC Court List
A daily court list is essentially a schedule of the matters set down for hearing on a given sitting day. For the ARC List at Dandenong, an entry will typically indicate the party or matter reference, the courtroom, the hearing type, and the listed time. Because ARC review hearings are scheduled around each participant's progress, the list can vary considerably from one sitting day to the next. Confirming the details the day before, and again on the morning of the hearing, reduces the risk of missing a call or attending at the wrong time.
If you cannot locate a matter, it may be listed under a slightly different spelling, allocated to the mainstream criminal list rather than the ARC List, or scheduled for a different sitting day. Legal representatives and support workers can also confirm listing details directly with the Dandenong registry during business hours. For members of the public unfamiliar with court terminology, arriving early and speaking with Court Network volunteers can make a first appearance far less stressful. Those searching for hearings elsewhere in the state can browse the full range of County Court of Victoria daily listings for indictable matters that progress beyond the Magistrates' Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Dandenong ARC Magistrates' Court located?
The Assessment and Referral Court list sits within the Dandenong Magistrates' Court at 35 Pultney Street, Dandenong, Victoria 3175. Postal correspondence goes to PO Box 392, Dandenong Victoria 3175. The registry is open from 9:00am to 4:30pm on weekdays and closed on weekends.
Is the ARC List heard every day at Dandenong?
No. The ARC List runs on scheduled sitting days rather than every business day, and the schedule differs from the general criminal and civil lists. Checking the current daily listing is the most reliable way to confirm when an ARC matter is being heard.
Who can refer someone into the Assessment and Referral Court?
A referral can be made by the accused person, their family, a lawyer, a magistrate, Victoria Police, a community service organisation, or the Court Integrated Services Program. It should be lodged as early as possible, often at a bail or mention hearing, and the accused person must agree to participate because the list is voluntary.
What conditions make a person eligible for the ARC?
Eligibility under Section 4T of the Magistrates' Court Act 1989 requires a diagnosed mental illness and/or cognitive impairment, such as intellectual disability, acquired brain injury or autism spectrum disorder, that substantially reduces day-to-day functioning, together with a likely benefit from coordinated services under an individual support plan.
What happens if a participant does not comply with their support plan?
The ARC magistrate can transfer the matter back to the mainstream court for sentencing. The ARC is a pre-sentence list, so at the end of an episode the sentencing options are generally the same as in an ordinary Magistrates' Court matter, including the possibility of imprisonment.
Can I find other Victorian court hearings if my matter is not at Dandenong?
Yes. Daily listings are published for Magistrates', County and specialist courts across the state, so you can check hearings at other venues if a matter has been listed elsewhere or transferred.