Due to Cyclone Jasper in North Queensland, the Heads of Jurisdiction have approved altered arrangements for Supreme and District Courts until further notice in accordance with Practice Directions No. 16 of 2023 and No. 7 of 2023 and for Magistrates Courts in accordance with Practice Direction No. 8 of 2023 tomorrow, 13 December.
These arrangements will apply to courts in Atherton, Cairns, Cooktown, Innisfail, Mareeba and Mossman.
Supreme and District Court Arrangements
The Cairns Supreme and District Court Registry closed at 4pm today and will remain closed until a further Practice Direction is issued.
The Registry or Judges Associate will be in contact to make alternative listing arrangements for matters before the court that are affected by the closure.
Magistrates Courts Arrangements
All matters, including sentences and hearings, will be administratively adjourned and a Notice of Adjournment will be sent to parties.
Urgent Domestic and Family Violence
Given the closure of affected court registries, parties will be unable to file any Applications for Protection Orders, including via electronic means.
Any person seeking to apply for an urgent Domestic Violence Order under the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act (Qld) 2012 will only be able to do so by attending a Queensland Police Station.
SMS messages will be sent to defendants with a court date for 13 December 2023 advising them not to attend the court in person.
Further Information
All remaining Supreme, District and Magistrates Courts will be open. If anyone is unable to appear due to safety issues, flooding, transport problems or any other issue associated with Cyclone Jasper, they are encouraged to their local registry by email or phone to make other arrangements.
Details of telephone numbers and email addresses for all registries across Queensland can be found on the Queensland Courts Website – https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/contacts/courthouses.
Formal information is available on the Queensland Courts’ website.
Share this article