WA Family Court Building List Today

The Family Court of Western Australia building at Level 1, 150 Terrace Road, Perth WA 6000 is the principal home of family law in this state, and its daily court list is one of the most searched legal schedules in the Perth metropolitan area. Every weekday, parties, practitioners, support workers and family members check the listings to confirm which matters are being heard, in which courtroom, and before which judicial officer. Because Western Australia is the only state in the country that runs its own dedicated state family court, the listings published here carry matters that in every other state would be handled by the federal system. That single fact makes this building, and its published court list, distinctive within the Australian court hierarchy.

The court was established under the Family Court Act 1975 (WA) and commenced operation in 1976, making it one of the longest continuously operating specialist family jurisdictions in Australia. It was created as a state court under section 41 of the Commonwealth Family Law Act 1975, which allowed a state to run its own family court rather than refer family law disputes to a Commonwealth body. The building deals with the same subject matter as the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, including divorce, parenting arrangements, property settlement, spousal and de facto maintenance, adoption and surrogacy under the Surrogacy Act 2008 (WA). Understanding what sits behind the daily list helps you read it correctly before you attend.

Where the Family Court building is located in Perth

The Family Court of Western Australia occupies a building on Terrace Road, in the Perth central business district, near the Swan River foreshore and the Perth Concert Hall. The Terrace Road entrance leads to the Family Court Registry on the first level, where documents and applications are filed and general enquiries are handled. Courtroom floors are reached by stairs or lifts, and a second entrance on Victoria Avenue is shared with the Federal Court of Australia, providing access to the second level of the building. City of Perth parking is available on Terrace Road and beneath the Perth Concert Hall, which is worth planning for if you have an early listing.

Key building and contact details

• Street address: Level 1, 150 Terrace Road, Perth WA 6000
• Postal address: GPO Box 9991, Perth WA 6848
• Registry call centre: (08) 9224 8222, Monday to Friday
• Country free call: 1800 199 228
• Registry self-serve kiosk: available 9:00am to 4:00pm each weekday
• Coordinates: approximately 31.9589° S, 115.8643° E

The registry self-serve kiosk allows parties to prepare, scan and upload documents through the eCourts Portal of Western Australia, which is particularly useful for people who do not have reliable internet access at home. This mirrors a long-standing feature of the building, which has offered self-service registry facilities to support the large number of self-represented parties who appear in family law matters.

How to read the daily Family Court list

The daily court list for the Family Court building shows the matters scheduled for each sitting day, generally including the file reference, the type of event, the courtroom, the time, and the judicial officer allocated. Family Court lists change frequently, so a matter shown in the morning may be moved, adjourned or reallocated during the day. For that reason, it is sensible to check the list again close to your hearing and to arrive early enough to confirm your courtroom on the day. If you cannot locate your matter, the registry call centre can assist during business hours.

Listings for the Family Court building sit alongside the wider set of Western Australian court schedules. You can browse every court in the state from the WA court lists directory, which groups matters under Supreme Court, District Court, Magistrates Court, Family Court, Coroners Court and State Administrative Tribunal headings on a single page. This is often faster than the official portal, where you must select the court type, then the location, then the date before you reach the list you want.

Types of hearings you may see on the list

• First hearings and directions hearings that set the procedural path of a matter
• Case assessment conferences used to narrow issues early
• Conciliation conferences in property and financial cases
• Interim hearings dealing with urgent parenting or financial orders
• Readiness hearings confirming a matter is prepared for trial
• Final hearings and trials where the court determines the dispute

Verified statistics and case trends

Published annual reviews of the Family Court of Western Australia provide a useful picture of workload at the building. In the 2022-2023 reporting period, final order applications on hand rose by 0.5 per cent, while divorce applications on hand increased by 6.2 per cent. Consent applications on hand fell by 27.8 per cent over the same period, a movement the court attributed to a change in the number of applications being processed. The previous review recorded a 4 per cent increase in final order applications on hand, showing that pending caseloads have remained under sustained pressure across recent years.

The court is authorised for 25 judicial positions and sits full time in Perth, with additional circuit sittings held in five major regional centres: Albany, Broome, Bunbury, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie. Judicial officers face mandatory retirement at age 70. The Chief Judge, Gail Sutherland, has led the court since 7 January 2019. These figures matter for anyone reading the daily list, because the size of the bench and the circuit program directly shape how many matters can be listed on a given day and how quickly complex matters reach trial.

Support services are embedded in the building's operation. Legal Aid WA provides a Duty Lawyer Service and the Family Advocacy and Support Services (FASS), which deliver specialist legal and social support for families experiencing family violence, including support for clients attending regional circuits. In the 2023 review, mental health was recorded as a factor in 54 per cent of relevant matters, underlining how frequently welfare and safety issues intersect with the parenting cases that appear on the list.

Why Western Australia has its own Family Court

When the federal Family Law Act 1975 was enacted, most states referred their family law powers to the Commonwealth. Western Australia instead chose to establish and retain its own state-based court. The reason, set out in the second reading speech of the 1975 bill, was to allow the state court to exercise additional jurisdiction connected with state powers, which a purely Commonwealth court could not reach. The practical result today is that WA parties deal with a single, integrated state court for their family law matters, and appeals may proceed to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia or, in defined circumstances, the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

Attending a hearing at the building

If you have a matter listed, plan your arrival around the registry hours and allow time to pass through the building and locate your courtroom. Many hearings can be attended by telephone or video link where the court has granted approval, and the court publishes guidance and information videos to help self-represented parties understand each stage of a case. If safety is a concern, the court provides personal safety measures at the building and support through FASS, and urgent contact numbers are available for emergencies.

Preparing before your court date

• Confirm your matter on the daily list the afternoon before and again on the morning of your hearing
• Bring copies of all documents you have filed and any orders already made
• Arrive early to clear building entry and find your courtroom
• Check whether you are approved to appear by phone or video
• Contact the registry if your matter is not showing or details appear to have changed

Related Western Australia court listings

The Perth building is the central registry, but family law is also heard on circuit and through connected jurisdictions across the state. If your matter is in the South West, the Bunbury Family Court listings cover circuit sittings for that region, and the Geraldton Family Court listings serve the Mid West. For matters that proceed on appeal or that involve the highest state jurisdiction, the WA Supreme Court building listings provide the relevant daily schedule. Checking the correct location saves a wasted trip when a matter has been allocated to a circuit rather than the Perth registry.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Family Court of Western Australia building?

The building is at Level 1, 150 Terrace Road, Perth WA 6000, in the Perth central business district near the Swan River foreshore. The Terrace Road entrance leads to the Family Court Registry, and a second entrance on Victoria Avenue is shared with the Federal Court of Australia.

What matters are heard at the Family Court building?

The court hears family law matters including divorce, parenting arrangements, property settlement, spousal and de facto maintenance, adoption and surrogacy. Because Western Australia runs its own state family court, these matters are handled here rather than in the federal system.

How do I find the daily Family Court list?

Court listings are published for the next day of business and updated regularly. You can view the current schedule for the Perth building and every other Western Australian court through the consolidated daily lists, then confirm details with the registry before attending, as schedules can change without notice.

What are the registry hours and contact number?

The registry call centre operates each weekday and can be reached on (08) 9224 8222, or by country free call on 1800 199 228. The self-serve kiosk in the registry is available from 9:00am to 4:00pm each weekday for preparing and uploading documents.

Can I attend a Family Court hearing by phone or video?

In many cases yes, where the court has approved attendance by telephone or video link. The court publishes guidance on electronic attendance, and you should confirm approval and connection details before your listed date.

Is the WA Family Court different from the federal courts?

Yes. It is the only state-based family court in Australia. It applies the same family law but operates as a state court, with appeals proceeding to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia or, in defined circumstances, the Supreme Court of Western Australia.