WA Magistrates Court – Laverton Police Station List Today

The Laverton Police Station courtroom is one of the most remote sitting locations in the entire Western Australian court system, serving a Goldfields community of just over 400 residents in a shire that spans nearly 180,000 square kilometres. When the Magistrates Court of Western Australia convenes at Laverton, it does so on a circuit basis inside the local police facility rather than a dedicated courthouse, bringing summary justice to a district that sits about 957 kilometres north-northeast of Perth and roughly 370 kilometres northeast of Kalgoorlie. For anyone tracking a hearing here, whether a defendant, a family member, a duty lawyer or a support worker travelling in from a surrounding community, knowing exactly when the court sits and how to read the daily list is essential, because sitting days are periodic rather than daily.

What the Laverton Police Station Court List Covers

The daily law list published for the Laverton Police Station sitting records the matters scheduled to be heard when a magistrate travels to the town on circuit. Because Laverton operates as a visiting court rather than a permanently staffed registry, the list is typically shorter and more concentrated than lists in metropolitan or major regional centres, but it carries the same weight and follows the same procedures. The published list generally identifies the party name or the accused, the scheduled time, the courtroom or sitting space within the police station, the type of appearance, and the presiding judicial officer where that information is released.

Matters that appear on a Laverton list are overwhelmingly summary in nature. These are dealt with under the framework of the Magistrates Court Act 2004 (WA), which established the modern single-tier Magistrates Court in May 2005 through the amalgamation of the former Court of Petty Sessions, the Small Claims Tribunal and the Local Court. In practice, the circuit list at Laverton commonly includes the following categories of work.

• Summary criminal charges such as disorderly conduct, common assault, stealing, property damage and breach of a court order.
• Traffic and driving offences, including driving while disqualified, drink and drug driving, and unlicensed driving, which are frequent in remote Goldfields circuits given the long distances travelled by road.
• Bail applications and remand appearances, where an accused person's custody status is determined before a matter proceeds.
• Restraining order applications, covering family violence restraining orders and violence restraining orders under the relevant Western Australian legislation.
• First appearances and mentions, where a charge is read, a plea is indicated, and the matter is either finalised or adjourned to a future sitting.
• Committal steps for indictable matters, which begin in the Magistrates Court before being transferred to the District Court or Supreme Court for trial or sentence.

How Laverton Fits the Goldfields Circuit

Laverton is part of a wider Goldfields circuit administered out of Kalgoorlie, which functions as the regional hub for court services across the eastern and northern Goldfields. Circuit sittings connect Laverton with nearby locations including Leonora, which lies only 124 kilometres to the west-southwest and is the closest sitting town of any size. When you are confirming a hearing date, it is worth checking neighbouring lists as well, because matters are sometimes moved between circuit locations depending on the magistrate's schedule and the availability of custodial and security support. You can review the schedule for the neighbouring Goldfields sitting town on the Leonora Courthouse court list, and the larger regional list on the Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court listings page.

Where Laverton Sits in the WA Court Structure

Western Australia operates the most geographically dispersed court system in the country, delivering justice across roughly 2.5 million square kilometres from metropolitan Perth to the Kimberley, the Pilbara, the Goldfields and even the Indian Ocean territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Laverton represents the far reach of that network. The Magistrates Court is the first tier of the hierarchy, sitting below the District Court and the Supreme Court. The District Court is the intermediate trial court that hears serious offences and civil claims up to $750,000, while the Supreme Court has unlimited jurisdiction. Appeals from the Magistrates Court are directed to the District Court or the Supreme Court depending on the nature of the matter.

The court is led by the Chief Magistrate, with a Deputy Chief Magistrate supporting the administration of the bench across all sitting locations. Magistrates in Western Australia are appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of Cabinet and serve until a mandatory retirement age of 70. That same statewide bench services Laverton on circuit, which means the standard of procedure applied in a remote police station sitting is identical to the standard applied at a metropolitan registry. For context on the busiest metropolitan sitting location, you can compare the workload and jurisdiction described on the Perth Central Law Courts list.

Civil and Administrative Matters

Although circuit lists at Laverton are dominated by criminal and traffic work, the Magistrates Court also has a civil jurisdiction. It can hear minor claims and general civil claims for debt or damages, along with a range of non-offence matters such as dividing fences disputes, restraining orders and certain licence applications. In a remote community, these civil pathways matter because they give residents a local avenue for resolving disputes without the cost and distance of travelling hundreds of kilometres to a regional centre.

Understanding Remote and Circuit Court Sittings

Circuit courts are a defining feature of justice in regional Western Australia. Rather than requiring every accused person and witness to travel to Kalgoorlie or Perth, the court travels to the community. This model reduces the burden on residents, keeps matters connected to the local context, and supports access to justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who make up around 20 per cent of Laverton's population. The town sits on the western edge of the Great Victoria Desert and serves as an administrative centre for surrounding Aboriginal communities, including Mulga Queen, located about 150 kilometres to the north-west, so the reach of the Laverton sitting extends well beyond the townsite itself.

Because these sittings rely on local infrastructure, they are also more sensitive to disruption than permanent courthouses. In mid-2026, the state's senior judiciary issued a public notice temporarily limiting custodial services at more than 20 regional and remote courthouses that depend on police for security, with Laverton named among the affected locations alongside Fitzroy Crossing, Tom Price and Newman. Under those arrangements, some criminal proceedings were redirected to larger regional courts while major centres such as Broome, Karratha, Geraldton, Bunbury, Albany and Kalgoorlie continued operating normally. Developments like this are exactly why confirming the current sitting arrangements before travelling is so important for anyone with a matter at Laverton.

Why Sitting Days Are Not Daily

Unlike a permanent registry that publishes a list every working day, a circuit location like Laverton only produces a list when the court is scheduled to sit. This can mean sittings are held on a periodic cycle, sometimes monthly or on dates set by the regional listing arrangements out of Kalgoorlie. If you check the list and find no matters displayed, it usually means the court is not sitting on that date rather than that your matter has been removed. In that situation, the safest step is to confirm the next sitting date directly through the eCourts Portal or the regional registry.

How to Find and Read the Laverton Court List

The official source for Western Australian court listings is the eCourts Portal of WA, operated by the Department of Justice, which publishes daily court listings across the Supreme Court, District Court, Magistrates Court, Children's Court, Family Court, Coroners Court and the State Administrative Tribunal. Court lists on the portal can be filtered by jurisdiction and by building, and Laverton Police Station appears in the building filter for Magistrates Court sittings. Lists are open to the public because courts in Western Australia are open courts, though some matters may be withheld from public display where legislation or a court direction requires it.

To make sense of a Laverton list, it helps to understand a few conventions. The time shown is the scheduled start of the sitting, not a guaranteed time for an individual matter, since the magistrate works through the list in an order set on the day. A "mention" is a brief procedural appearance rather than a full hearing. An "adjournment" moves the matter to a later date. If you are unsure whether you need to attend in person, or whether an appearance can be made by a legal representative, that is a question best confirmed with the registry or a lawyer before the sitting date.

Tips for Defendants, Families and Practitioners

• Confirm the sitting date early. Because Laverton is a circuit location, always verify that the court is sitting on your expected date rather than assuming a daily list.
• Arrive with identification and paperwork. Bring any charge documents, bail papers or correspondence so registry staff can locate your matter quickly.
• Plan for distance. With Perth almost 1,000 kilometres away and Kalgoorlie around 370 kilometres distant, travel logistics in the Goldfields require early planning, especially where remote road conditions apply.
• Seek legal help. Duty lawyer services and Aboriginal legal services often attend regional circuits, and early contact can make a significant difference to how a matter proceeds.
• Check neighbouring lists. If your matter has been redirected, it may appear at Leonora or Kalgoorlie instead, so review those lists if Laverton shows nothing.

Laverton at a Glance

Understanding the community helps explain why the court operates the way it does. Laverton was established in 1898 during the Goldfields rush and was originally known as British Flag. It sits at an elevation of 461 metres, records a semi-arid climate with mean annual rainfall of only about 233 millimetres, and experiences mean daily maximum temperatures ranging from roughly 17 degrees in July to around 36 degrees in January. The wider Shire of Laverton recorded a population of 1,333 at the 2021 Census, while the townsite itself recorded 407 residents. The shire falls within the state electorate of Kalgoorlie and the federal division of O'Connor. These figures underline that the Laverton sitting serves a small but geographically vast district where a single circuit court carries real weight for the community it serves.

For a complete overview of every sitting location across the state, including metropolitan registries, regional courthouses and remote circuits, you can browse the full Western Australia court lists directory, which brings together more than 60 venues in one searchable place.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Laverton court a permanent courthouse?

No. Laverton sittings are held at the Laverton Police Station on a circuit basis when a magistrate travels to the town. It is a visiting court location rather than a permanently staffed registry, which is why lists are published for scheduled sitting days rather than every weekday.

What types of cases are heard at Laverton?

The list is dominated by summary criminal charges, traffic and driving offences, bail and remand appearances, restraining order applications and first mentions. The Magistrates Court also handles minor civil claims and certain administrative matters under its general jurisdiction.

Where do I find the official Laverton court list?

Official listings are published on the eCourts Portal of WA, operated by the Department of Justice. You can filter by the Magistrates Court jurisdiction and select Laverton Police Station from the building list. Courts are open to the public, though some matters may not be displayed where the law requires.

What happens if no matters are listed for Laverton on a given day?

An empty list usually means the court is not sitting that day rather than that your matter has been cancelled. Circuit sittings run periodically, so confirm the next scheduled date through the eCourts Portal or the regional registry, and check nearby locations such as Leonora and Kalgoorlie in case a matter has been redirected.

How far is Laverton from Kalgoorlie and Perth?

Laverton is about 370 kilometres northeast of Kalgoorlie and roughly 957 kilometres north-northeast of Perth. The nearest sizeable sitting town is Leonora, around 124 kilometres to the west-southwest.

Can a lawyer appear for me at Laverton?

In many summary matters a legal representative can appear on your behalf, but this depends on the nature of the matter and any direction from the court. Confirm your specific requirements with a lawyer or the registry before the sitting date, particularly for bail-related appearances where personal attendance may be required.