| Name | Court Room | Time |
|---|---|---|
| H** P J & G** M | SUPREME COURT 11 – STIRLING GARDENS | 10:00am |
Last updated: 14 Aug 2026, 2:26 am. Names are partially masked for privacy. Details may change — always check with the Registry.
The Family Court Building at 150 Terrace Road in the Perth central business district is the principal home of the Family Court of Western Australia, the only state-based family court operating anywhere in Australia. Every other state and territory has its family law matters handled by the federal system, but Western Australia runs its own dedicated court under the Family Court Act 1997 (WA), giving Perth families a single, specialised venue for divorce, parenting disputes, property settlements and related applications. If you are trying to find out which matters are being heard, when they are listed, and in which courtroom, this page brings the daily court list together with the practical detail you need before you attend.
The building sits on the northern edge of the Perth foreshore, close to the Perth Concert Hall and within easy walking distance of the wider Perth court precinct. The Terrace Road entrance leads directly to the Family Court Registry on the first level, where documents can be lodged and enquiries made, while the Victoria Avenue entrance is shared with the Federal Court of Australia and provides access to the second level. Courtroom floors are reached by stairs or lifts, and City of Perth parking is available on Terrace Road and beneath the Perth Concert Hall. Knowing your entrance in advance saves time, particularly on busy listing days when the registry counter and callover lists draw steady foot traffic.
What the Family Court of Western Australia does
The Family Court of Western Australia deals with the full range of family law matters, including divorce, parenting arrangements, child custody and contact, marital and de facto property settlements, spousal maintenance, child support departure applications, adoption and surrogacy. Because it exercises both federal family law jurisdiction under the Commonwealth Family Law Act 1975 and state jurisdiction under the Family Court Act 1997 (WA), it can resolve de facto property disputes and other state-based issues in the same forum, which is a distinctive feature not available through the federal courts elsewhere in the country.
The court was established by the Family Court Act (WA) 1975 and commenced operation in 1976, making it one of the longest-running specialist family jurisdictions in the nation. It is principally funded by the Australian Government through a grant to the Western Australian Government, with the state contributing funding for de facto property proceedings. The court is led by a Chief Judge and supported by judges, family law magistrates and registrars, with a judicial establishment of around 25 positions. Judicial officers are appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of Cabinet and face mandatory retirement at age 70.
How appeals work from this court
Appeal pathways depend on which jurisdiction a matter falls under. When the court exercises federal family law jurisdiction, appeals are heard by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1). When it exercises its non-federal jurisdiction under the Family Court Act 1997 (WA), appeals go to the Court of Appeal within the Supreme Court of Western Australia. Litigants weighing an appeal often find it useful to understand the broader court hierarchy in Perth, including the role of the Supreme Court at the David Malcolm Justice Centre, which sits at the apex of the state system.
Reading the daily Family Court list
The daily court list is the schedule of matters set down to be heard on a given day. For the Family Court of Western Australia, listings are published through the eCourts Portal of Western Australia and typically identify the parties by initials or file reference, the type of event, the presiding judicial officer and the assigned courtroom. Family law listings are treated with particular sensitivity, so the level of detail shown publicly is deliberately more limited than in criminal or civil jurisdictions, reflecting the private nature of the matters involved.
Common event types you will see on a Family Court list include case assessment conferences, procedural hearings, interim hearings, callovers, readiness hearings and trials. A case assessment conference is often the first court event, and it is where risk issues, including family violence, are identified early so that appropriate case management can follow. Callover lists are used to check the readiness of matters and to allocate hearing dates. Understanding these labels before you arrive helps you locate your matter quickly and know roughly how long you may need to be at court.
Filing and lodgement through the eCourts Portal
All document lodgement at the Family Court of Western Australia is now handled through the eCourts Portal. To register, parties need a file number and participant identification, which can be obtained by contacting the Family Court call centre on (08) 9224 8222. Law firm staff obtain portal access through their firm administrator. A self-serve kiosk is available at the registry on weekdays from 9:00am to 4:00pm for those who need to prepare, scan and upload documents on site, which is helpful for self-represented litigants who do not have easy access to a scanner at home.
Family Court statistics and workload
The scale of family law demand in Western Australia is significant. Nationally, divorce filings run in the tens of thousands each year, with the federal system recording 49,625 divorce applications in a single reporting year, an eight per cent rise on the previous year. Western Australia is not counted in those federal figures because it processes its own divorces through this court, which underlines why the Perth registry carries a substantial independent caseload of its own.
The court's own annual reviews track pressures on the system. In recent reporting, divorce applications on hand increased by around 6.2 per cent, while consent applications on hand fell by roughly 27.8 per cent as more matters were resolved by agreement. Final order applications on hand have also risen in some years, reflecting the complexity of contested parenting and financial matters. Delay to trial has historically been a challenge across family jurisdictions, and the court has invested in early intervention, dispute resolution and case management to reduce the time families spend in litigation.
Electronic filing has changed how the registry operates. Uptake has been strongest for divorce, where a large majority of applications are lodged electronically, followed by consent applications and then final and interim order applications. The move to the eCourts Portal for all lodgement has continued this shift, reducing counter traffic and giving registered parties electronic access to their court file, including orders, party details, documents filed and scheduled court events.
Support services connected to the court
Families attending the court can draw on a network of support. Legal Aid WA provides a Family Advocacy and Support Service offering specialist legal and social support for people experiencing family violence, including at regional circuit sittings. Child inclusive conferences and family reports help identify risk to children and support parents in negotiating safe, child-focused arrangements. Independent Children's Lawyers may be appointed in contested parenting matters to represent the best interests of the children involved. These services sit alongside the court process rather than replacing it, and they often shape how a matter progresses through the list.
Regional sittings and the wider WA court network
While full-time sittings are held in Perth, the Family Court of Western Australia also conducts circuit sittings in regional centres including Albany, Broome, Bunbury, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie. This circuit model is important in a state as geographically large as Western Australia, where many families live hundreds of kilometres from the capital. If your matter is listed outside Perth, the Family Court sittings at Bunbury Courthouse are one example of how regional access is delivered closer to where people live.
The Family Court Building is one part of a compact Perth court precinct. The District Court Building on Hay Street, the Supreme Court, and the busy Perth Magistrates Court all sit nearby, each with its own daily listings. For matters that begin in the summary jurisdiction, the Central Law Courts Perth listings cover the state's busiest court. To see how all of these venues connect and to browse listings across the whole state, the WA court lists hub brings every Western Australian court and tribunal together in one place.
Planning your visit to the Family Court Building
The registry operates on weekdays, with counter and enquiry hours in the morning and early afternoon, and a country freecall line available for those outside the metropolitan area on 1800 199 228. Court sittings generally run during standard business hours, though urgent applications can be dealt with outside those times in genuine emergencies. Arriving early gives you time to clear security, check the noticeboards or electronic list for your courtroom, and settle before your matter is called. Family law hearings can be emotionally difficult, and the court environment is deliberately structured to keep parties separated where family violence is a factor, so following registry directions on arrival is worthwhile.
If you are unsure whether your matter is being heard on a particular day, checking the daily list is the fastest way to confirm without calling the registry. Lists can change at short notice to suit the needs of the day, so it is sensible to check again on the morning of your hearing rather than relying on an earlier version. Where a matter has settled or been adjourned, that will usually be reflected in an updated list or communicated by your legal representative.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Family Court of Western Australia located?
The court is at the Family Court Building, 150 Terrace Road, Perth WA 6000, in the Perth central business district. The Terrace Road entrance leads to the Family Court Registry, and the Victoria Avenue entrance is shared with the Federal Court of Australia. Postal correspondence goes to GPO Box 9991, Perth WA 6848.
What matters are heard at the Family Court of Western Australia?
The court hears divorce, parenting and child custody arrangements, marital and de facto property settlements, spousal maintenance, adoption and surrogacy. Because it holds both federal and state jurisdiction, it can also resolve de facto property disputes that would fall outside the federal courts in other states.
Why does Western Australia have its own family court?
Western Australia is the only state that runs a dedicated state family court. It was created so the court could exercise additional state jurisdiction alongside federal family law powers, allowing a wider range of family and de facto matters to be resolved in a single specialised forum. It has operated since 1976.
How do I file documents with the court?
All lodgement is done through the eCourts Portal of Western Australia. You need a file number and participant identification to register, which the Family Court call centre can provide on (08) 9224 8222. A self-serve kiosk is available at the registry on weekdays for preparing, scanning and uploading documents.
Where do appeals from this court go?
Appeals from federal family law decisions are heard by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1). Appeals from decisions made under the state Family Court Act 1997 (WA) are heard by the Court of Appeal within the Supreme Court of Western Australia.
Can I see the daily court list online?
Yes. Daily listings for the Family Court of Western Australia are published through the eCourts Portal and are also brought together with other Western Australian court listings so you can check the courtroom, event type and presiding officer before you attend. Because lists can change during the day, check again on the morning of your hearing.
