WA District Court – Children’s Court List Today

The District Court and Children's Court sittings that appear on this page cover two of the busiest jurisdictions in the Western Australian justice system. Both operate from the court precinct in central Perth, and together they handle the majority of serious indictable matters and youth proceedings across the state. Whether you are a legal practitioner confirming a hearing time, a party checking when your matter is listed, or a family member following a case, this page gives you the daily listing information alongside the wider context you need to understand how these courts work.

Western Australia runs the most geographically dispersed court network in the country, covering roughly 2.5 million square kilometres from the Perth metropolitan courts out to circuit locations in the Kimberley, the Pilbara and the Goldfields. The District Court sits at the intermediate level of that hierarchy, above the Magistrates Court and below the Supreme Court. It hears serious criminal trials, civil disputes and appeals, while the Children's Court deals separately with young people aged 10 to 17 who are accused of offences, as well as protection and care applications and restraining orders involving children.

What the District Court of Western Australia handles

The District Court is the state's principal trial court for serious indictable offences. It hears matters such as sexual assault, serious drug offences, aggravated burglary, robbery and grievous bodily harm, and it also determines civil claims and personal injury actions. Every accused person dealt with at this level has an automatic entitlement to a trial before a judge and jury, which is one of the defining features that separates the District and Supreme Courts, referred to collectively as the higher courts, from the Magistrates Court.

Recent workload data shows a court under sustained pressure. In the year to April 2024, criminal lodgements fell by 3.5 per cent, a drop of 99 cases to 2,699, yet the complexity of those cases grew. Drug offences climbed 13.5 per cent to 595 cases, while assault, sexual offences, robbery, extortion and burglary continued to make up around 80 per cent of the criminal caseload. Finalisations rose 6.3 per cent to roughly 2,753 cases, up from 2,599 the previous year, though a larger share ended through discontinuance or remittance rather than a guilty plea or acquittal.

Delay remains the central challenge. The backlog proportion increased from 27.4 per cent to 31.1 per cent across a single year, and the time taken to file an indictment jumped to 117 days for the State DPP and 56 days for the Commonwealth DPP, both well beyond the 42-day target. These figures prompted the state government to commission an independent jurisdictional review aimed at reforming court operations, with the Law Society of WA calling for additional courtrooms, judges' chambers and long-term infrastructure planning.

How the Children's Court of Western Australia operates

The Children's Court is a specialist state court that hears cases involving children aged 10 to 17 accused of committing criminal offences. It was originally created in 1907 as the Perth Children's Court under the State Children's Act, and it took its current name when the Children's Court of Western Australia Act 1988 was passed. A significant milestone came in 1988 when Sue Gordon was appointed as a magistrate to the court, becoming the first Indigenous Australian magistrate in Western Australia.

The court applies the Young Offenders Act 1994 and deals with each young person in a way that reflects their age and the objective seriousness of the offence. Children under 10 cannot be charged with a criminal offence anywhere in Australia, so this is the effective floor of the court's criminal jurisdiction. If a young person is charged while under 18, they remain within the Children's Court's jurisdiction even if they turn 18 before the matter is heard, which keeps the treatment of their case consistent under the youth justice framework.

Beyond crime, the Children's Court carries a substantial protection and care workload. In the 2018 to 2019 financial year, 1,001 protection applications were lodged, an increase of 17.9 per cent on the previous year, reflecting the ongoing demand on the child welfare system. The court also determines restraining order applications that involve children under 18. The Perth Children's Court sits at 160 Pier Street, and matters are also heard in courthouses throughout the state.

The role of a responsible adult

When a child attends the Children's Court for a criminal matter, they must be accompanied by a responsible adult, usually a parent or guardian. In criminal proceedings, the court broadly follows the same procedures as the Magistrates Court, but sentencing is shaped by the principles of the Young Offenders Act, which prioritise rehabilitation and diversion where appropriate. The long-standing practice of protecting the identity of young people continues, giving them the opportunity to enter adult life without the burden of publicised juvenile convictions.

Why daily court lists matter

Court lists are published each sitting day and tell you which matters are scheduled, in which courtroom, before which judicial officer and at what time. For practitioners appearing across several venues, an accurate list is the difference between arriving prepared and missing an appearance. For self-represented parties, checking the list confirms whether a matter is proceeding, has been adjourned or has moved courtrooms. Because listings can change at short notice, it is always worth confirming on the morning of the hearing.

The scale of activity across the WA system explains why timely lists are in such demand. According to the Magistrates Court of Western Australia Annual Report, criminal case lodgements reached 104,002 in 2024 to 2025, up from 93,180 the year before, an increase of nearly 12 per cent. With that volume feeding into the higher courts, and with the District Court finalising a significant number of criminal and civil trials each year, the daily listing process is a critical piece of infrastructure for the entire state.

Reading a court list correctly

• Party or matter name: identifies the case, often using initials for youth matters to protect identity.
• Courtroom and time: tells you exactly where and when to attend on the day.
• Matter type: indicates whether the listing is a trial, sentencing, directions hearing, mention or application.
• Judicial officer: shows which judge or magistrate is presiding, useful for practitioners managing multiple appearances.

If you are unsure how the WA hierarchy fits together, it can help to compare the intermediate court with the summary jurisdiction below it. You can review current listings for the summary level through the Central Law Courts Perth listings, which handle the high-volume criminal and civil matters that often precede a District Court committal.

The District Court, the Children's Court and the wider hierarchy

Understanding where each court sits helps you follow a matter as it moves through the system. The Magistrates Court deals with summary offences and the early stages of serious charges. Indictable matters are then committed up to the District Court for trial or sentence. The most serious offences, such as murder and manslaughter, are reserved for the Supreme Court. Youth matters follow a parallel path through the Children's Court, though a child charged with a very serious indictable offence may still be dealt with under specific statutory provisions.

For appeals and the most serious state matters, the top of the hierarchy is worth understanding as well. You can check current Supreme Court WA listings to see how appellate and serious trial work is scheduled. Following a matter across these levels gives you a clearer picture of the timelines involved, particularly given the backlog figures now affecting the intermediate court.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation

National reporting continues to show that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are significantly overrepresented in the criminal courts relative to their share of the population, a pattern that holds across the Supreme, District, Magistrates and Children's Courts. In the youth system specifically, the overrepresentation is acute. On an average night in 2024, about 82 children aged 10 to 17 were held in Western Australia's youth detention system, and a disproportionate number were Aboriginal. These figures underline why diversion and rehabilitation remain central to how the Children's Court approaches sentencing.

Statewide listings and regional access

Because Western Australia's courts stretch across such vast distances, many communities rely on circuit sittings and regional courthouses rather than a single central venue. The Children's Court hears matters in courthouses across the state, and the District Court runs regional circuits to bring trials closer to the parties involved. Median time to trial has historically differed between metropolitan and regional areas, with regional matters at times moving faster than the Perth backlog would suggest.

If your matter sits within the broader Perth criminal jurisdiction, you may also want to monitor the Perth magistrates court listings at the Perth Police Centre, which handles bail and first-appearance matters that frequently connect to higher court proceedings. Keeping an eye on the level below can help you anticipate when a matter is likely to be committed upward.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the District Court and the Children's Court in WA?

The District Court is the intermediate trial court for serious criminal and civil matters involving adults, with an automatic right to a jury trial. The Children's Court is a specialist court for young people aged 10 to 17 charged with offences, and it also handles protection and care and restraining order matters. They operate under different legislation and apply different sentencing principles, with the Children's Court guided by the Young Offenders Act 1994.

What age range does the Children's Court of Western Australia cover?

The court deals with young people aged 10 to 17 at the time of the alleged offence. Children under 10 cannot be charged anywhere in Australia. A young person charged while under 18 remains within the Children's Court's jurisdiction even if they turn 18 before the matter concludes.

How often are the court lists updated?

Listings are published for each sitting day and can change at short notice due to adjournments, courtroom changes or urgent applications. It is best to confirm the list on the morning of your hearing.

Do I need a lawyer to appear in these courts?

You are not required to have a lawyer, but serious District Court matters and youth proceedings can carry significant consequences, so legal representation is strongly advisable. This page provides listing information only and does not offer legal advice.

Where is the Perth Children's Court located?

The Perth Children's Court is at 160 Pier Street in central Perth, with additional sittings held in regional and remote courthouses throughout Western Australia.

For a full overview of every jurisdiction across the state, including magistrates, district, supreme and family courts, you can browse the complete WA court listings hub, which brings together each venue and court type in one place. Bookmarking the venue relevant to your matter is the simplest way to stay on top of changing hearing dates.