The Moorabbin ARC List sits within the Magistrates' Court of Victoria at the Moorabbin Justice Centre, a therapeutic list designed for accused people living with complex mental health conditions or cognitive impairment. If you are searching for the Moorabbin Magistrates' Court daily list, checking a hearing date, or trying to understand what an ARC appearance actually involves, this page explains how the Assessment and Referral Court operates in Highett, who is eligible, what happens on a sitting day, and how it differs from a mainstream courtroom. The list is published each court day so participants, family members, lawyers and support workers can confirm where and when a matter will be heard.
ARC stands for Assessment and Referral Court. It is a pre-sentence, solution-focused list established by the Magistrates' Court of Victoria and the Department of Justice under the Magistrates' Court Amendment (Assessment and Referral Court List) Act 2010. Rather than moving an accused person through the ordinary criminal process, the ARC List pauses proceedings so underlying issues that contribute to offending can be assessed and addressed. It is one of Victoria's most established therapeutic justice models, and independent research has described it as having among the strongest evidence in the state for reducing reoffending among people with a mental illness.
What the Moorabbin ARC List is and why it exists
The Moorabbin ARC List is a specialist stream of the Magistrates' Court that helps people address the health, disability and social factors sitting behind their charges. Hearings are deliberately less formal than a standard courtroom. The magistrate, the police prosecutor, the accused person, their lawyer and an ARC case manager sit together at the same table, and family members or support people are often present as well. Progress against an individual support plan is reviewed and explained in plain English, which is a marked departure from the adversarial style of the mainstream court.
The purpose is practical rather than symbolic. Since its inception in 2010, the ARC List has received well over 1,100 referrals across Victoria and has been credited with improving participants' quality of life and giving people a structured opportunity to break the cycle that brought them before the court. The model has proved effective enough that the Victorian Government committed to expanding ARC to all 12 headquarter Magistrates' Courts across the state over a three-year rollout, widening access for regional communities that previously had no therapeutic list at all.
Where the Moorabbin ARC List is held
The Moorabbin ARC List operates from the Moorabbin Justice Centre at 1140 Nepean Highway, Highett, Victoria 3190, with a postal address of PO Box 2042, Moorabbin 3189. Despite carrying the Moorabbin name, the centre is physically located in Highett, a detail that catches many first-time attendees off guard. The registry is open Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 4:30pm and is closed on weekends and public holidays. On-site car parking is limited, so most people rely on nearby street parking or public transport, with Moorabbin and Highett stations both within reach of the precinct.
The Moorabbin Justice Centre opened on 29 October 2007 as part of a Victorian Government commitment to improve access to justice across Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. It is a genuinely multi-jurisdictional precinct, housing a Magistrates' Court, a Children's Court, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Corrections Victoria, the Sheriff's Office and a Police Prosecutions Unit under one roof. The court draws its criminal and civil work from the municipalities of Kingston, Glen Eira, Bayside and parts of Monash, which defines the catchment, or proper venue, for matters heard there. You can review the broader criminal and civil workload of the venue on the main Moorabbin Magistrates' Court list.
Who is eligible for the ARC List at Moorabbin
Eligibility for the ARC List is set out in the Magistrates' Court Act 1989 and is assessed against three tiers of criteria. Participation is voluntary, and the accused person must agree to their matter being heard in ARC. A referral must be made and an assessment completed before a case can be listed, and the Court makes the final decision on suitability.
Diagnostic criteria
The accused person must be diagnosed with one or more of the following conditions:
- a mental illness
- an intellectual disability
- an acquired brain injury
- an autism spectrum disorder
- a neurological impairment, including but not limited to dementia
Functional criteria
The diagnosis must cause a substantially reduced capacity in at least one of these areas:
- self-care
- self-management
- social interaction
- communication
Needs and benefit criteria
Finally, the person must be likely to benefit from coordinated services delivered through an individual support plan. Those services can include psychological support, welfare and health services, mental health treatment, disability services, drug or alcohol treatment, and housing and support services aimed at reducing the risk of reoffending. The accused person must also usually be on bail, and must be charged with an offence committed within the ARC catchment area. A referral can still be made while a person is in custody if release into the community is likely.
How a referral into the Moorabbin ARC List works
One of the practical 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 community service organisation, the magistrate, Victoria Police, a lawyer, or the Court Integrated Services Program (CISP). The strong recommendation is to seek a referral and adjournment at the earliest opportunity, typically at a bail hearing or a mention hearing.
- Confirm the offence was committed within the Moorabbin ARC catchment area.
- Check the diagnostic, functional and needs criteria.
- Complete the online or PDF referral form and submit it to the court before the first ARC hearing.
- Provide medical and diagnostic evidence, along with any prior conviction or remand information and details of current or past support services.
- Attend an assessment with an ARC case manager or clinician.
- Attend the ARC hearing, where the magistrate decides on eligibility.
If a person is accepted, a formal plea must be entered before an individual support plan is approved. A guilty plea means sentencing occurs within ARC at the end of the support-plan episode, while a not-guilty plea sends the matter to the mainstream court for a contested hearing. Because contested bail hearings are also heard in mainstream court, many participants first encounter the therapeutic process only after those preliminary steps are resolved.
What happens on an ARC sitting day
An ARC sitting day is structured very differently from an ordinary criminal list. Sittings often begin with a morning debrief in which the magistrate, case manager, legal practitioner and other team members flag any behavioural issues a participant may be experiencing, and share positive developments too. This multidisciplinary huddle helps the team prepare for the day and respond to each participant as a whole person rather than a case number.
Participants appear before the same ARC magistrate on a regular basis so progress against the individual support plan can be monitored and encouraged. Where compliance falls away, the magistrate retains the power to transfer the matter to the mainstream court for sentencing, and ARC remains a pre-sentence court whose ultimate sentencing options, including imprisonment, are the same as those available in the ordinary Magistrates' Court. Checking the published Moorabbin ARC court hearings today is the simplest way for participants and families to confirm listing details before travelling to Highett.
Support services connected to the ARC List
The ARC List does not operate in isolation. It works hand in hand with the Court Integrated Services Program, which provides case management and bail support and is available at Magistrates' Court venues across Victoria, including those without a dedicated ARC. For participants, that connection often translates into concrete assistance such as help applying for or adjusting an NDIS plan, referrals to housing and financial counselling, and coordinated mental health care planning with a general practitioner. Case managers develop the support plan alongside the participant and check in regularly, taking a strengths-based approach that asks what the person needs to get their life back on track.
These wrap-around services matter because the ARC cohort frequently presents with overlapping challenges, from acquired brain injury to grief, substance dependence and unstable housing. Addressing those factors together, rather than one charge at a time, is the mechanism by which the list aims to reduce reoffending and improve wellbeing.
Does the ARC List actually reduce reoffending?
Independent evaluation offers a measured but encouraging picture. A peer-reviewed Australian recidivism study of 95 ARC participants found that successful program completion was the single most significant predictor of not reoffending, or of a longer time to reoffending, ahead of gender and pre-program offence severity. Where participants did reoffend, roughly 82% of that reoffending occurred within the first year, underlining how important sustained engagement and post-program support are to lasting change. Comparative research on mental health court diversion in New South Wales similarly found that people who were not diverted had a 43% higher reoffending rate than those who were, reinforcing the broader case for therapeutic pathways.
The consistent theme across the evidence is that completion is what drives results. This is why the collaborative, closely monitored structure of the ARC List, with its regular reviews and coordinated services, is not merely procedural formality. It is the active ingredient. For anyone weighing up whether to pursue an ARC referral at Moorabbin, that distinction between simply entering the program and genuinely completing it is worth keeping front of mind.
Preparing to attend the Moorabbin Justice Centre
If you have a matter listed at Moorabbin, arrive well before your scheduled time, dress neatly and conservatively, and be prepared to be at court for much of the day. All visitors pass through security screening on entry, and mobile phones should be silenced inside courtrooms. Support persons are generally welcome, interpreter services can be arranged in advance through the registry, and court staff can help with procedural questions although they cannot give legal advice. If you are unsure which courtroom or list applies to you, confirm the details against the daily list before you travel. You can also cross-check nearby venues such as the Dandenong ARC list if your matter has moved, and browse the full state directory of therapeutic and mainstream lists on the Victoria court listings hub.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Moorabbin ARC List held?
At the Moorabbin Justice Centre, 1140 Nepean Highway, Highett, Victoria 3190. The registry operates Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:30pm, and on-site parking is limited.
Who can make an ARC referral?
Almost anyone involved in the matter, including the accused person, their family, a community organisation, the magistrate, Victoria Police, a lawyer, or CISP. Referrals should be made as early as possible, ideally at a bail or mention hearing.
Is participation in the ARC List compulsory?
No. Participation is entirely voluntary, and the accused person must agree to their matter being heard in the Assessment and Referral Court before it can proceed.
Can the ARC List still send someone to prison?
Yes. ARC is a pre-sentence court, and at the end of an episode the magistrate's sentencing options are generally the same as in the mainstream court, including imprisonment where warranted.
What conditions make a person eligible for ARC?
A diagnosed mental illness, intellectual disability, acquired brain injury, autism spectrum disorder, or neurological impairment such as dementia, provided it substantially reduces capacity in self-care, self-management, social interaction or communication, and the person would benefit from coordinated support.
How do I find the Moorabbin ARC daily list?
The Moorabbin ARC daily list is published each court day. Confirm your hearing date, courtroom and time on the daily list before travelling to the Moorabbin Justice Centre at Highett.