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Victorian Courts

A number of courts and tribunals operate in Victoria. The role of Victoria's courts is to interpret the laws, decide who is right or wrong in a dispute and sentence people who have broken the law.

Laws are made by State and Federal Government, which means there are State and Federal courts and tribunals. The Victorian legal system is organised into three tiers:

• Supreme Court, the superior court in Victoria which hears and determines substantial criminal and civil matters
• County Court, which hears both middle tier criminal matters and civil disputes
• Magistrates' Court, which handles minor criminal matters and private disputes of up to $100,000.

There are also a number of specialised courts including:

• the Children's Court, which deals with matters involving children and young people
• the Coroner's Court, which investigates the cause of death in certain circumstances such as sudden or accidental death, as well as investigating causes of fire
• the Drug Court, which sentences and supervises the treatment of serious offenders with drug and alcohol dependence who have committed offences under the influence of drugs, or to support a drug or alcohol habit
• the Koori Court, which sentences indigenous offenders who plead guilty
• the Family Violence Court Division, which specialises in hearing family violence cases and provides additional support services for victims of Family Violence.

The Drug Court, the Koori Court and the Family Violence Court Division are all part of the Magistrates' Court.

In addition to these courts, there are also several tribunals operating in Victoria, and details of these can be found in the 'Victorian Tribunals' section of this site.