WA Magistrates Court – Children’s Court List Today

The Children's Court of Western Australia is the specialist state court that hears matters involving young people aged 10 to 17 years, and its Perth headquarters at 160 Pier Street sits at the centre of the state's youth justice system. If you are trying to find out when a young person's matter is being heard, the daily court list is the fastest way to confirm the courtroom, the listing time and whether the matter is a criminal, protection and care, or restraining order proceeding. This page brings together the practical listing information alongside verified statistics and background so parents, guardians, lawyers, support workers and young people themselves can prepare properly before the hearing date arrives.

Unlike the adult jurisdiction, the Children's Court operates under its own legislation and its own guiding principles, which prioritise rehabilitation, diversion and the welfare of the child. Understanding how the court works, where it sits, and how the daily lists are structured helps reduce the stress of a first appearance and makes it easier to be in the right courtroom at the right time.

Children's Court of Western Australia court lists explained

The Perth Children's Court publishes its daily lists through the Western Australian eCourts Portal, and matters are grouped by their type and sitting time rather than in a single continuous roll. Protection and care proceedings generally begin at 9 am, while criminal proceedings usually start at 10 am, although these times can shift depending on the court's caseload on any given day. At regional and metropolitan circuit locations, Children's Court matters typically commence at 10 am.

Each entry on a court list identifies the young person's matter, the presiding judicial officer, the courtroom, and the scheduled time. Because many Children's Court proceedings are closed to the public to protect the identity of minors, the published information is deliberately limited, and reporting restrictions apply to most matters. Checking the list the afternoon before, and again on the morning of the hearing, is the safest way to account for last-minute reallocations between courtrooms.

What the different list types mean

• Criminal lists: These deal with offences alleged to have been committed by young people aged 10 to 17. If a young person turns 18 after the date of the alleged offence, the matter still proceeds in the Children's Court.
• Protection and care lists: These involve applications concerning the safety and wellbeing of children under 18 years, and are separate from criminal matters.
• Restraining order lists: The court also hears restraining order applications relating to children under the age of 18.
• Bail and remand entries: Young people awaiting the outcome of a matter may appear from custody or on bail, and these appearances are listed alongside substantive hearings.

Where the Perth Children's Court sits

The principal registry is located at 160 Pier Street, Perth WA 6000, in the heart of the Perth central business district. The court building is open from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, while the registry counter operates from 9 am to 4 pm and closes between 1 pm and 2 pm each day. The registry can be reached on (08) 9218 0100, and general enquiries are directed to childrenscourt@justice.wa.gov.au.

While Perth is the headquarters, Children's Court matters are heard in courthouses across the state. Magistrates based in Perth hear matters in the metropolitan courts, including Joondalup, Midland, Armadale, Fremantle and Rockingham, while magistrates in regional areas generally conduct Children's Court matters within their own region. The President of the Children's Court sits in Perth and also travels to regional areas on a circuit basis, which means the same young person's matter may be listed in more than one location over the life of a case. For adult criminal matters heard in the same precinct, the neighbouring Perth Magistrates Court arrest and custody lists operate on a separate daily roll.

Arriving and appearing

Those attending should aim to arrive at around 9 am to see the duty lawyer before the matter is called. The court expects everyone to be on time, dressed neatly, and to address the judge or magistrate as "your honour". Mobile phones should be switched off inside the courtroom, and anyone who needs an interpreter should tell the court in advance so arrangements can be made. If a scheduled appearance cannot be attended, the young person and their lawyer must notify the court beforehand, because a failure to appear can lead to a warrant or a bail variation.

History and jurisdiction of the court

The court has a long history in Western Australia. It was originally established as the Perth Children's Court in 1907 under the State Children Act, and became known as the Children's Court of Western Australia when the Children's Court of Western Australia Act 1988 was passed. In 1988, Sue Gordon was appointed as a magistrate to the Perth Children's Court, becoming the first Indigenous Australian magistrate in Western Australia. The current purpose-built court building on Pier Street was officially opened on 9 June 1992, having previously been housed in St George's Hall on Hay Street and later in the former East Perth Primary School buildings from 1977.

The court holds exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine a charge of an offence alleged to have been committed by a child, and it also deals with protection and care applications for children under 18. Importantly, the Children's Court does not decide where a child lives or who they spend time with following a parental separation or divorce, as those parenting matters are handled by the Family Court of Western Australia. Appeals from decisions of the Children's Court are directed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia, which sits at the top of the state court hierarchy.

Youth justice in Western Australia by the numbers

Verified data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows the scale and direction of youth justice in the state. On an average day in 2023–24, around 85% of young people under supervision in Western Australia were aged 10 to 17, with the remainder aged 18 and over. Males under supervision were most commonly aged 17, while females were most commonly aged 16.

The state has recorded one of the clearest downward trends in the country. Between 2020–21 and 2024–25, the rate of young people aged 10 to 17 in detention in Western Australia fell from 3.5 to 2.5 per 10,000, the largest absolute decline of any jurisdiction. Over the same period, the average time young people spent under youth justice supervision in the state dropped from 156 days to 131 days, again the largest fall nationally.

Remand, meaning unsentenced detention, remains a significant feature of the system. On an average day in 2023–24, three in five (60%) young people in detention in Western Australia were unsentenced, awaiting the outcome of their court matter or awaiting sentencing after a finding or plea of guilt. Encouragingly, Western Australia recorded the highest rate in the country for remand periods ending in release on bail, at 84% in 2024–25, which points to a system where a substantial share of young people held on remand are ultimately released back into the community rather than being sentenced to detention.

First Nations over-representation

The data also records a stark and persistent inequality. In 2023–24, First Nations young people aged 10 to 17 in Western Australia were about 21 times as likely as non-Indigenous young people to be under youth justice supervision, at 152 per 10,000 compared with 7.2 per 10,000. Over-representation was even higher in detention, where the First Nations rate was around 29 times the non-Indigenous rate. Nationally in the June quarter 2024, First Nations young people made up about 65% of those aged 10 to 17 in detention, despite comprising only 6.6% of the Australian population in that age group.

Reforms have also reshaped who appears in youth facilities. From June 2023, Western Australia mandated the transfer of young people who reach the age of 18 from youth detention to adult prison, and the effect was immediate: only two people aged 18 and over remained in youth detention in the state on an average night in the June quarter 2024, down from 13 a year earlier.

How a matter moves through the court

Most young people first come to the court's attention through a criminal charge or a protection application, and the daily list is where the journey becomes visible. A criminal matter usually begins with a first appearance, at which the young person can obtain advice from a duty lawyer, enter a plea, or seek an adjournment. Matters that are contested are set down for hearing, while those resolved by a plea proceed to sentencing, where the court weighs rehabilitation, the young person's circumstances and community safety.

The court operates specialist and therapeutic lists designed to address the underlying causes of offending, rather than treating each appearance in isolation. These therapeutic approaches, alongside diversion and community-based supervision, reflect the reality that just over four in five young people under supervision nationally in 2024–25 were supervised in the community rather than in detention. Families monitoring a young person's progress will often see several listings across the life of a single matter, and keeping track of each date through the daily list helps avoid missed appearances. Serious indictable matters that are committed for trial may ultimately be heard before a judge, and appeals against certain decisions can proceed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia lists.

Tips for parents, guardians and support people

• Check the daily list the day before and again on the morning of the hearing, because courtroom allocations can change.
• Arrive at around 9 am so the young person can speak with the duty lawyer before the matter is called.
• Bring identification, any court paperwork, and the details of any bail conditions already in place.
• Dress neatly, switch off mobile phones, and be prepared for the possibility of an adjournment to a later date.
• Request an interpreter in advance if English is not the first language of anyone attending.
• If attendance is impossible, contact the court and the lawyer before the listing time, not after.

Frequently asked questions

What age group does the Children's Court of Western Australia deal with?

The court hears criminal matters involving young people aged 10 to 17 at the time of the alleged offence. If a young person turns 18 after the offence date, the matter still proceeds in the Children's Court. Protection and care and restraining order applications can involve children under 18.

Where can I find the daily Children's Court list?

Daily Children's Court listings for Perth and regional courthouses are published through the Western Australian eCourts Portal. Because many proceedings are closed to protect the identity of minors, the published detail is limited and reporting restrictions apply.

What time do Children's Court matters start?

At Perth, protection and care proceedings generally begin at 9 am and criminal proceedings at 10 am, though times vary with the court's caseload. At other locations, matters generally start at 10 am. Arriving by 9 am gives time to see the duty lawyer.

Are Children's Court hearings open to the public?

Many Children's Court proceedings are restricted to protect minors, and there are strict limits on reporting the identity of young people involved. This is a key difference from the adult jurisdiction, where most hearings are open.

Does the Children's Court deal with custody after a separation?

No. Decisions about where a child lives or who they spend time with after a parental separation or divorce are dealt with by the Family Court of Western Australia, not the Children's Court.

Where do appeals from the Children's Court go?

Appeals from decisions of the Children's Court of Western Australia are directed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia, which sits at the top of the state's court hierarchy.

For daily lists across every jurisdiction in the state, including Magistrates, District, Supreme, Family and Coroners courts, the full Western Australia court lists directory brings each courthouse together in one place, making it simple to move between a young person's Children's Court matter and any related proceedings elsewhere in the system.