| Name | Court Room | Time |
|---|---|---|
| CAMERON, D** J** (via video link) | Court Room 1 | 10:00am |
Last updated: 26 Aug 2026, 10:05 am. Names are partially masked for privacy. Details may change — always check with the Registry.
The District Court of Western Australia sits at Busselton Court House as a circuit court, bringing intermediate-level trials to the South West without requiring parties to travel the roughly 220 to 230 kilometres north to Perth. Located at 12 Stanley Street, Busselton WA 6280, this courthouse serves a City of Busselton population of about 40,640 residents (2021 Census) across a local government area covering roughly 1,455 square kilometres, including the major centres of Busselton and Dunsborough. When the District Court convenes here, it is dealing with serious matters that sit above the everyday summary work of the local Magistrates Court, and knowing what to expect before your listed date can save considerable time and stress.
Western Australia operates the most geographically dispersed court system in the country, spanning close to 2.5 million square kilometres. To manage that reach, the District Court is headquartered at the District Court Building in Perth and maintains 12 country registries, with Busselton among them alongside Albany, Broome, Bunbury, Carnarvon, Derby, Esperance, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Kununurra and South Hedland. Judges are based in Perth and travel on circuit to these regional centres on a regular basis, which is why a Busselton listing is tied to scheduled sitting periods rather than continuous daily operation.
What the District Court at Busselton actually deals with
The District Court is the intermediate court in the Western Australian hierarchy, positioned between the Magistrates Court below and the Supreme Court above. It hears serious indictable criminal offences that carry a maximum penalty of up to 25 years imprisonment. Typical matters include serious and sexual assaults, serious fraud and commercial theft, armed robbery, grievous bodily harm, burglary and drug offences such as trafficking. These are the cases that are too serious to be finalised summarily and must be tried before a judge and jury, or before a judge sitting alone where the accused so elects.
On the civil side, the District Court determines claims of up to $750,000 and holds unlimited jurisdiction in claims for damages in personal injury cases. This civil ceiling matters for South West residents and businesses, because the Magistrates Court in Western Australia only hears civil disputes up to $75,000, one of the lower thresholds among the states. Higher-value disputes are therefore channelled deliberately into the District Court, and when the Court sits on circuit at Busselton, local litigants gain access to that jurisdiction closer to home.
How a Busselton circuit sitting works
Because judges travel from Perth, the District Court runs a structured circuit process. The Court conducts circuit trial listing hearings by videolink to regional centres including Busselton, with those hearings generally commencing at 9:15 am. Prosecution and defence counsel based in Perth appear in person in the Perth courtroom, while country-based defence counsel appear in the courtroom at the circuit location. Accused persons on bail who are represented by counsel will usually answer their bail by reporting at the local courthouse. Confirming exactly where and when you must appear, well before the day, is the single most useful step you can take.
- Address: 12 Stanley Street, Busselton WA 6280
- Region served: South West Western Australia, including Busselton and Dunsborough
- Court type at this location: District Court circuit sittings, alongside the resident Magistrates Court
- Distance from Perth: approximately 220 to 230 kilometres south
- Registry hours: generally 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday
Verified statistics that put Busselton listings in context
The scale of the intermediate court workload helps explain why circuit scheduling is tightly managed. In the year to April 2024, criminal lodgements in the District Court of Western Australia sat at 2,699 cases, a fall of about 3.5 per cent on the previous year, yet the mix of work grew more complex. Drug offences climbed 13.5 per cent to 595 cases, while assault, sexual offences, robbery and extortion, and burglary together made up roughly 80 per cent of all cases. Over the same period the backlog proportion rose from 27.4 per cent to 31.1 per cent, and average time to indictment worsened to 117 days for the State DPP, well above the 42-day target.
Trial work is only part of the picture. Nationally in 2024 to 2025, the proportion of finalised non-appeal criminal cases that were resolved after a trial commenced ranged from 7 to 20 per cent in the district courts, according to the Productivity Commission. That figure is a useful reminder that most matters listed before the District Court are resolved without a full contested jury trial, through pleas, negotiations or other methods of finalisation, even though the cases that do run to trial are the most resource-intensive.
The broader Western Australian criminal justice system is busy by any measure. The Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded 81,454 defendants finalised across all Western Australian criminal courts in 2024 to 2025, about 16 per cent of the national total, at a rate of 3,057 per 100,000 people aged 10 and over. Traffic and vehicle offences were the most common principal offence at 35 per cent, followed by theft at 11 per cent, and the overall number of finalised defendants rose 11 per cent year on year. The vast majority of that volume begins in the Magistrates Court, with only the most serious matters escalating to the District Court on circuit at locations such as Busselton.
Why the South West relies on circuit justice
Busselton is the largest population centre between Bunbury and the Margaret River wine region, and its courthouse anchors access to justice for a fast-growing corner of the state. Without circuit sittings, accused persons, complainants, witnesses and legal representatives across the South West would face repeated long-distance travel to Perth. The nearby regional hub of Bunbury also hosts a District Court registry, and coordinating listings across these South West locations keeps the intermediate court reachable for a community that has grown steadily over the past two decades. If you need to compare listings across the region, the WA daily court lists bring every sitting together in one browsable view.
Preparing for a District Court date at Busselton
Whether you are an accused person, a witness, a support person or a legal practitioner, a few practical habits make a District Court appearance run more smoothly. The Court's formality, the potential for jury involvement, and the circuit timetable all reward early preparation.
- Confirm your listing and location. Circuit listings can involve videolink components, so verify whether you must attend in person at Busselton or appear remotely.
- Arrive early. Aim to be at the courthouse well before the listed start time, as circuit hearings often begin at 9:15 am and security screening takes time.
- Bring your documents. Carry any bail papers, correspondence from the Court or the DPP, and identification.
- Arrange legal representation. Given the seriousness of District Court matters and potential penalties of up to 25 years imprisonment, obtaining advice from a criminal defence lawyer is strongly advisable.
- Plan for the day. Listings can be adjourned or run long, so allow flexibility in your schedule.
If your matter is a less serious one, it may in fact be listed before the resident Magistrates Court rather than the District Court. It is worth checking the Busselton Magistrates Court listings as well, since both courts operate from the same Stanley Street complex and it is easy to confuse the two when reading a notice.
Where Busselton fits in the WA court hierarchy
Understanding the ladder of courts clarifies how a case reaches Busselton's District Court sittings and where it can go next. Most matters begin in the Magistrates Court. Serious indictable charges are committed up to the District Court, which hears them before a judge and jury or a judge alone. Appeals from the Magistrates Court can be heard in the District Court, while appeals from the District Court itself proceed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia, including its Court of Appeal. The District Court was established on 1 April 1970 to relieve pressure on the Magistrates and Supreme Courts as the state's population grew, and it has operated as the workhorse intermediate court ever since. For the central Perth sittings that anchor the whole circuit system, the District Court Building lists show the daily program at 500 Hay Street.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a permanent District Court judge based in Busselton?
No. District Court judges are based in Perth and travel to Busselton on circuit for scheduled sitting periods. Some responsibilities are delegated to registrars. This is why District Court matters at Busselton are tied to circuit dates rather than being available every business day.
What is the difference between the District Court and the Magistrates Court at Busselton?
The Magistrates Court is the entry-level court and handles summary offences, traffic matters, restraining orders and civil claims up to $75,000. The District Court is the intermediate court and hears serious indictable offences with penalties up to 25 years imprisonment, along with civil claims up to $750,000 and unlimited personal injury damages. Both operate from the same Busselton courthouse building.
Where exactly is the Busselton courthouse?
The courthouse is at 12 Stanley Street, Busselton WA 6280, in the South West region roughly 220 to 230 kilometres south of Perth. Registry hours are generally 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday.
Can a District Court matter be moved between Busselton and Bunbury?
Circuit listings in the South West are coordinated across regional registries, and the closest alternative District Court registry is Bunbury. Where a matter is heard depends on the Court's scheduling and the circumstances of the case. If you want to check nearby sittings, the Bunbury District Court listings are a helpful reference point.
Will my District Court trial involve a jury?
It can. Serious criminal matters in the District Court are tried before a judge and a jury of 12 community members, although an accused person may elect a trial by judge alone. In practice, many matters are finalised through pleas or other methods before reaching a full contested jury trial.
Court listings, sitting arrangements and registry details can change, so always confirm the current schedule for your specific matter before attending. This page is provided for general public information about the District Court sittings at Busselton Court House and is not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, speak with a qualified Western Australian legal practitioner.
