VIC Latrobe Valley ARC List Magistrates Court List Today

The Latrobe Valley ARC List at the Magistrates' Court in Morwell is one of only a small number of specialist Assessment and Referral Court sittings operating across regional Victoria, and it plays a distinct role that sets it apart from an ordinary criminal mention. If you are searching for the Latrobe Valley ARC List, you are most likely trying to confirm a hearing date, understand where an accused person needs to appear, or work out how the therapeutic list differs from the mainstream criminal stream. This page brings together the verified operational details, the statutory framework, and the practical information you need, drawn from the Magistrates' Court of Victoria and Victorian legislation, so you can prepare with confidence rather than guesswork.

The Assessment and Referral Court, universally shortened to ARC, is a therapeutic list that sits within the wider Magistrates' Court of Victoria network. It is designed for accused people living with a diagnosed mental illness or cognitive impairment whose condition has contributed to their offending. Rather than moving straight to a conventional plea and sentence, the ARC List pauses the process so that the underlying drivers of offending can be assessed and addressed through structured judicial supervision. At the Latrobe Valley Law Courts, the ARC List operates from the same building that hears the region's summary crime, civil disputes and intervention order applications, at 134 Commercial Road, Morwell, Victoria 3840.

What the ARC List at Latrobe Valley actually does

The core function of the ARC List is problem-solving justice. In a standard courtroom, the accused person, the prosecution and the magistrate occupy separate positions and the interaction is adversarial. In the ARC List, the format is deliberately different. The magistrate, the prosecution, support staff, the accused person and their family sit at the same table and work through a shared plan. This round-table structure is a defining feature of the list and reflects its rehabilitative purpose rather than a purely punitive one.

The list targets the factors that repeatedly pull people back into the justice system. Participants receive intensive case management and are required to appear before the ARC magistrate on a regular basis to report on their progress against an individual support plan. That plan can address treatment, housing, disability support, substance dependency and connection to community services. Because participation is voluntary, an accused person must agree to have their matter heard in the ARC List, and if compliance with the support plan is not met, the magistrate retains the power to transfer the matter back to the mainstream court for sentencing.

Who is eligible for the ARC List

Eligibility is governed by legislation, not by discretion alone. Under Section 4T of the Magistrates' Court Act 1989 (Vic), an accused person must be diagnosed with one or more qualifying conditions and must show a resulting functional impairment. The diagnostic criteria and the functional criteria both have to be satisfied before a matter can proceed in the list.

• A mental illness that meets the clinical threshold set out in the assessment.
• An intellectual disability affecting daily functioning.
• An acquired brain injury, including injury from trauma or illness.
• An autism spectrum disorder.
• A neurological impairment, including but not limited to dementia.

Beyond the diagnosis, the impairment must cause a substantially reduced capacity in at least one area of everyday life, such as self-care or self-management. An accused person is also generally expected to live within the court's catchment area, although this requirement sits at the discretion of the magistrate. These layered tests mean the ARC List is a targeted intervention rather than a general diversion pathway.

How a referral into the ARC List is made

A referral must be made before any matter can be heard in the ARC List, and an assessment by an ARC case manager is required to confirm the person meets the criteria. Importantly, a referral can be made by almost anyone connected to the matter, which widens access considerably.

• The accused person themselves.
• A family member or carer.
• A lawyer or duty lawyer acting for the accused.
• Victoria Police.
• A magistrate.
• Community service organisations or the Court Integrated Services Program (CISP).

A referral and adjournment into the ARC List should be made at the earliest opportunity, which can occur at a bail hearing or a mention hearing. Contested bail hearings, by contrast, are heard in the mainstream court. Once a referral form is submitted, the court organises an assessment by an ARC case manager and a report is provided to the ARC magistrate, who then decides whether the matter is suitable. Eligibility guidance for the list is anchored in Section 4T of the Magistrates' Court Act 1989 (Vic), while the operational framework of the list itself is set out in Section 4S.

The statutory and historical backbone of the ARC List

The ARC List is not an informal arrangement. It was created by statute and its operation is closely regulated. Section 4S of the Magistrates' Court Act 1989 (Vic) provides that the Assessment and Referral Court List may only sit and act at a venue specified by the Chief Magistrate by notice published in the Government Gazette, and its operation and administration are directed by the Chief Magistrate. That same section requires structured reporting on the list, including the source of referrals, the number of persons in each diagnostic category, the number removed from the list and the reasons why, the number who did not complete an individual support plan, and the outcomes of proceedings referred to the list.

The list has a clear origin point. The ARC List formally commenced operation in March 2010, and the first sitting day was 21 April 2010. It began as a single-location initiative and has since expanded across the state. Today ARC lists operate at multiple venues, including Melbourne, Dandenong, Frankston, Heidelberg, Moorabbin, Sunshine, Broadmeadows, Ringwood, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and the Latrobe Valley. That expansion into Gippsland matters because it brings a specialist therapeutic pathway to a regional community that would otherwise have to travel to metropolitan Melbourne to access equivalent support.

What the research says about outcomes

Independent research has examined whether the ARC List achieves its rehabilitative aim of reducing reoffending. A peer-reviewed Australian recidivism study drew on de-identified data from the Magistrates' Court of Victoria across a six-year window from 1 April 2008 to 1 April 2014, comparing offending rates before, during and after program participation. The study concluded that the ARC List is effective at reducing reoffending, contributing evidence to a field where earlier evaluations had produced inconsistent results.

A related two-year recidivism analysis focused on a particularly challenging cohort, offenders diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, a group that international literature had suggested mental health courts struggle to help. The findings indicated that successful completion of the ARC List reduced recidivism for 50% of offenders in that diagnostic group. Comparable Victorian problem-solving courts have shown similar community benefit; the Drug Court of Victoria evaluation, for instance, recorded a reduction of 4,492 days of imprisonment across a two-year recidivism period for its cohort compared with a control group, illustrating the fiscal and social case for therapeutic justice models of which ARC is a part.

Practical details for attending the Latrobe Valley Law Courts

The Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court sits Monday to Friday, with counter and hearing hours typically running from the morning through to 4:30pm. The venue is served by strong public transport links: Morwell station sits a short walk from the Latrobe Valley Law Courts on Commercial Road, with V/Line services on the Gippsland line, and Latrobe Valley Bus Lines connecting Moe, Traralgon and Churchill into the Morwell town centre. The court has a large on-site car park including disabled parking spaces, and additional public parking is available in Ann Street and Commercial Road.

DetailInformation Court venueLatrobe Valley Law Courts, Morwell Address134 Commercial Road, Morwell VIC 3840 Postal addressPO Box 687, Morwell VIC 3840 Sitting daysMonday to Friday List typeAssessment and Referral Court (ARC) List Nearest stationMorwell railway station (Gippsland line) Region servedMorwell, Moe, Traralgon, Churchill and surrounding Latrobe Valley

Accessibility provisions at the courthouse include wheelchair-accessible entry, accessible toilets, hearing loop facilities and remote witness arrangements, which matter especially for a list serving people with disability and cognitive impairment. If an interpreter is required, TIS National can be reached on 131 450. For anyone whose matter is not in the therapeutic stream, the mainstream criminal, civil, family violence and traffic lists run from the same building, and the daily hearing schedule is published so parties can confirm their courtroom before arriving.

How the ARC List fits into the wider Victorian court system

The ARC List is one thread in a large regional network. The Magistrates' Court operates from more than 51 venues across Victoria, and the Latrobe Valley sitting is the principal Gippsland hub for summary matters. It is worth understanding how this venue relates to neighbouring courts and to the higher jurisdictions. County Court circuit sittings are also held at Latrobe Valley (Morwell) alongside the nearby Sale Magistrates' Court, which means serious indictable matters can be heard regionally rather than always transferring to Melbourne.

For anyone comparing the therapeutic list here with the flagship metropolitan sitting, the Melbourne Magistrates' Court runs the highest-volume ARC List in the state and is often used as the reference model for how the round-table format operates in practice. The mainstream criminal, civil and intervention order work that supports and surrounds the therapeutic stream at this venue is handled through the general Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court lists, and you can track sittings across the whole state through the consolidated Victorian court lists. Cross-checking the correct list before you travel avoids the common and costly error of arriving at the wrong stream on the wrong day.

Frequently asked questions about the Latrobe Valley ARC List

Is the ARC List a sentence in itself?

No. The ARC List is a pre-sentence process. It pauses the usual progression so an individual support plan can be assessed and worked through under judicial supervision. Sentencing still follows, and the way a participant engages with the plan can be taken into account.

Can a matter be removed from the ARC List?

Yes. If an accused person does not comply with their individual support plan, the magistrate can transfer the matter back to the mainstream court for sentencing. Section 4S of the Magistrates' Court Act 1989 (Vic) also requires the court to report on removals and the reasons for them.

Does the accused have to consent to the ARC List?

Yes. Participation is voluntary, and the accused person must agree to have their matter heard in the list before it can proceed.

Where do I find the daily hearing details?

Daily hearing information for the Latrobe Valley venue is published as an online court list. Confirm the specific list and courtroom before travelling, particularly because the therapeutic stream and the mainstream criminal stream run from the same building on different schedules.

Who can start a referral into the list?

A referral can be made by the accused person, their family, a lawyer, Victoria Police, a magistrate, or a community organisation such as the CISP. The earlier the referral, ideally at a bail or mention hearing, the smoother the assessment process tends to be.