VIC Court Lists

About Victoria Court Listings

Victoria operates one of the largest and busiest court systems in Australia, and keeping track of where and when a matter is being heard can be difficult when the hearing information is spread across several separate government platforms. This page brings the daily court lists for Victoria together in one place, covering the Supreme Court of Victoria, the County Court of Victoria and the Magistrates' Court of Victoria, so that legal practitioners, self-represented litigants, journalists, family members and support workers can find a listing quickly. Instead of moving between three different court websites, you can search by court, by location or by party name and confirm the courtroom, the sitting time and the presiding judicial officer for the next sitting day.

The scale of court activity in Victoria is significant. The Magistrates' Court of Victoria sentenced 85,462 cases in 2023–24, and across the two decades from July 2004 to June 2024 it sentenced an average of 83,587 cases each year, according to the Sentencing Advisory Council. In an earlier reporting period the same court finalised 160,959 criminal cases in a single year, an increase of 21 per cent on the year before. With this volume of matters listed every sitting day across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, an accurate and centralised court list search is a practical necessity rather than a convenience.

Understanding the Victorian court hierarchy

Victoria's courts are arranged in a clear hierarchy, and knowing which court hears your matter is the first step to finding the right daily list. Each tier has a defined jurisdiction, its own filing procedures and its own way of publishing hearing information. The three principal courts of general jurisdiction are the Magistrates' Court, the County Court and the Supreme Court, supported by specialist courts and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

Magistrates' Court of Victoria

The Magistrates' Court is the entry point for the overwhelming majority of legal matters in the state. It hears summary criminal offences, committal proceedings for more serious charges, civil disputes with a monetary value up to $100,000, intervention order applications and a large volume of traffic matters. The court traces its origins to 1836, when a police magistrate was first appointed in the young settlement of Melbourne, and it now sits at more than 50 venues across Victoria. Because it deals with the bulk of the state's caseload, it is the court most people will search for when they need a listing, whether that is a hearing at a metropolitan registry or a regional sitting.

Daily criminal and civil hearing information for this jurisdiction changes constantly as matters are added, adjourned or reallocated. If you are attending a summary hearing, a mention or a contest, you can confirm your details through our Victoria Magistrates Court list, which consolidates listings from registries across the state. For matters heard in the state capital specifically, the Melbourne Magistrates Court daily list covers the busy William Street venue where hundreds of criminal cases are heard each day.

County Court of Victoria

The County Court is the principal trial court of the state and sits in the middle of the hierarchy, above the Magistrates' Court and below the Supreme Court. Established in 1852, it hears serious indictable offences such as armed robbery, sexual offences, causing serious injury, large-scale fraud and drug trafficking, along with civil disputes that generally exceed $100,000. Its work is divided across three divisions: Criminal, Common Law and Commercial. The court also hears appeals from the Magistrates' Court, which means many matters that begin at the summary level can progress to this jurisdiction. In its 2023–24 reporting year the General List recorded a 68 per cent increase in the number of matters finalised compared with the previous year, reflecting a sustained effort to clear backlogs.

Beyond its Melbourne headquarters, the County Court sits on circuit at 12 regional locations, including Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Mildura, Morwell, Sale, Shepparton, Warrnambool and Wodonga. You can check hearing schedules for indictable trials, sentencing and civil matters through our County Court of Victoria list, which draws together listings from the William Street complex and the regional circuits.

Supreme Court of Victoria

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the state and has unlimited civil jurisdiction. It hears the most serious criminal matters, including murder, manslaughter, terrorism offences and large commercial drug prosecutions, and it deals with high-value and complex civil litigation. The court operates through two divisions: the Trial Division, which conducts criminal and civil trials, and the Court of Appeal, which determines whether a trial in the County Court or the Trial Division was conducted fairly and the law applied correctly. Most appeals require leave, meaning the Court of Appeal must first grant permission before an appeal proceeds. The Supreme Court's daily hearing list is typically published in the afternoon before the sitting day and updated again on the morning of the hearing, so timing your search matters.

Specialist courts and VCAT

Alongside the three principal courts, Victoria runs a number of specialist jurisdictions designed to handle particular categories of matter. The Coroners Court investigates reportable deaths and fires. The Children's Court deals with criminal and family matters involving young people, although its daily lists are not published online because the law prohibits publishing identifying details of children before the court. The Koori Court provides a culturally appropriate sentencing process for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who plead guilty.

VCAT sits outside the court hierarchy but resolves an enormous volume of disputes, from residential tenancy claims and consumer matters to planning, guardianship and administrative review. The tribunal's residential tenancies backlog recovery program achieved a clearance rate of around 99 per cent in one recent year, bringing a caseload that had swelled well beyond its pre-2020 average back under control. For a broader view of every jurisdiction covered across the state, the Victoria court lists hub links through to each court and tribunal in one place.

How to find a Victorian court listing

Finding the right listing is straightforward once you know a few key details. The most reliable way to locate a matter is to search by the party name or the case number, combined with the court and the sitting location. Because listings are updated repeatedly throughout the day, it is worth checking close to your hearing date rather than relying on information published several days earlier.

• Identify the correct court. Confirm whether your matter is in the Magistrates' Court, County Court or Supreme Court, as each publishes its lists separately.
• Confirm the venue. A single court may sit at many locations, so knowing the specific registry or circuit town narrows your search considerably.
• Search by name or case number. Party names and case numbers are the fastest way to pinpoint a specific matter within a long daily list.
• Check the time the list is published. Daily lists are often released the afternoon before and revised on the morning of the sitting day.
• Note the courtroom and time. Once you find the matter, record the courtroom number and the listed time, and allow extra time to clear security on arrival.

Why a centralised court list search matters

Victoria is home to more than 6.7 million people and, after New South Wales, has the busiest court system in the country. The Magistrates' Court alone handles the clear majority of matters that come before Victorian courts and operates from dozens of venues, while the County Court and Supreme Court add thousands of trials, appeals and civil hearings each year. When hearing information is scattered across separate government websites, checking a listing can become time-consuming, particularly for practitioners with matters in multiple jurisdictions on the same day.

A consolidated search saves time and reduces the risk of attending the wrong venue or missing a reallocation. For a solicitor confirming a mention at a suburban registry, a self-represented litigant checking a contest date, or a journalist following a trial, having one searchable directory removes friction from an already stressful process. Reliable access to listings also supports open justice, the principle that court proceedings should be transparent and accessible to the public wherever the law allows.

Regional and metropolitan coverage across Victoria

Victorian justice is delivered well beyond the Melbourne CBD. The Magistrates' Court sits at busy metropolitan venues such as Dandenong, Frankston, Ringwood, Sunshine and Broadmeadows, as well as regional centres including Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Mildura and Warrnambool. Court locations across the state are grouped into regions, each built around a headquarter court, which helps the court manage listings and staffing across a wide geographic area. If you are attending a suburban hearing, the Dandenong Magistrates Court list is one of the higher-volume registries in the metropolitan network and a common search destination.

Court sitting hours in Victoria generally run from 9:00am, and busier venues list large numbers of matters for the same start time, with cases then called through the day. Arriving early, confirming your courtroom from the daily list and allowing time for security screening will help your appearance run smoothly, particularly at larger buildings where multiple courtrooms operate simultaneously.

Frequently asked questions

Are Victorian court lists available to the public?

Yes. Daily hearing lists for the Supreme Court, County Court and Magistrates' Court are published and can be viewed by anyone, reflecting the principle of open justice. The main exception is the Children's Court, whose lists are not published online because the law prohibits identifying children involved in proceedings. Family violence and personal safety intervention order hearings are also generally not included in public hearing searches.

When are the daily court lists updated?

Timing varies by court. The Supreme Court typically publishes its list in the afternoon before the sitting day and updates it again on the morning of the hearing. Magistrates' Court and County Court lists are also revised as matters are added, adjourned or reallocated, so it is best to check as close to your hearing date as possible.

Can I search Victorian court listings by name?

In most jurisdictions you can search by the party name or case number to locate a specific matter within the daily list. This is usually the quickest method when a long list contains many entries for the same sitting time. Some sensitive matters, such as intervention orders, are excluded from public search results.

Which court will hear my matter?

Most matters begin in the Magistrates' Court. Serious indictable offences and higher-value civil disputes are heard in the County Court, while the most serious criminal matters and complex, high-value litigation go to the Supreme Court. If you are unsure, the documents you have received from the court will state the court, the venue and the listing date.

What should I bring to court?

Bring any documents relating to your matter, photo identification, and any correspondence from the court that confirms your listing details. Arrive early to allow time for security screening, and once inside check the daily list to confirm your courtroom and time, as allocations can change on the day.