SEQ courts – this week

Queensland Courts has provided a further notice to the profession for the Supreme and District Courts, from Maryborough to Southport, including Toowoomba:

Criminal matters – Supreme and District Courts

• No new jury trials will start this week. In respect of the one jury trial which is ongoing, the parties will be contacted by the judge’s associate.
• Mentions, sentences and other hearings in Brisbane will not proceed on Tuesday and Wednesday, 1 and 2 March; but it is anticipated they will resume from Thursday, 3 March. The parties should contact the appropriate List manager for new hearing dates.
• The Supreme Court circuit at Toowoomba will not resume this week. All remaining matters have been rescheduled and allocated another hearing date.
• The District Court sitting at Beenleigh is anticipated to resume on Thursday 3 March.
• As to hearings in Maryborough, Maroochydore, Ipswich and Southport, the parties should contact the judge’s associate as to when their matter will be heard.
• If there are any urgent matters required to be heard, please contact the associate to Bowskill SJA or Smith DCJA, as relevant, and arrangements will be made.

Civil matters – Supreme and District Courts

• Applications in Brisbane are anticipated to resume on Thursday, 3 March. For matters listed on Tuesday and Wednesday, 1 and 2 March, parties are encouraged to contact the appropriate List manager to advise of a mutually agreeable date for the hearing to be adjourned to; to advise if the application is one that can be heard on the papers; or to submit any consent orders if they are agreed to. If any such matter is urgent, and required to be dealt with on Tuesday or Wednesday, please contact the associate to Bowskill SJA or the associate to Smith DCJA, as relevant, and arrangements will be made. For applications that are adjourned from Tuesday and Wednesday, the courts will endeavour, as far as possible, to accommodate these on Thursday and Friday. However, if the parties are able to agree upon a suitable date next week or later, please advise.
• For civil trials in Brisbane, the parties will be contacted by the associate to the judge allocated to hear the matter.
• For any civil matters in the District Court sitting at Maryborough, Maroochydore, Ipswich, Beenleigh and Southport, parties are asked to contact the associate to the judge sitting in the particular court for further details.
• For Planning & Environment Court matters, parties are to contact the associate to Rackemann DCJ as to when they will be heard.

Magistrates Court (updated 2pm 2 March)

Chief Magistrate Terry Gardiner has advised of the arrangements for the remainder of the week (up to and including Friday 4 March).

1. Maryborough Courthouse will re-open to the public on Thursday 3 March 2022.
2. All Magistrates Courts will be open. To and including Friday 4 March 2022, parties may appear by telephone. If you are unable to appear due to safety issues, flooding, transport problems or any other issue preferably contact your local registry by email or telephone. Your matter will be adjourned a Notice of Adjournment will be sent to you. Police prosecutors would be expected to appear in person where possible.
3. Details of telephone numbers and email addresses for all registries across Queensland can be found on the Queensland Courts Website – Magistrates Court courts.qld.gov.au/contacts/courthouses.
4. Legal practitioners who wish to apply for an adjournment are encouraged to apply using the using the Online Application for a Court Event portal. Ordinarily, applications lodged through the Online Application for a Court Event portal must be submitted two clear business days before the current listed date. This requirement is removed until Friday 4 March 2022. Legal practitioners may now submit applications at any time. In other cases, an email can be sent to the relevant Court registry requesting an adjournment with a telephone contact. Once processed the Registry will advise of the result.

This information is also available at courts.qld.gov.au.