The Court System

CHAPTER CONTENTS

Last Updated 31 May 2017

Queensland State Courts

The Queensland Magistrates Court
The District Court of Queensland
The Supreme Court of Queensland
The Queensland Court of Appeal
Queensland’s Specialist Courts
The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal

Commonwealth Courts

The High Court of Australia
The Federal Court of Australia
The Family Court of Australia
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal

Most courts deal with both civil and criminal matters.

Criminal cases are usually prosecuted by the police or a government official, and result in either an acquittal or a conviction and the imposition of a penalty such as a fine, imprisonment or probation. Criminal convictions may result in a person having a criminal or police record.

Civil cases involve one person (the plaintiff or applicant) claiming damages or seeking some order against another person (the defendant or respondent). Civil cases do not result in a person having a criminal or police record.

Courts that hear both civil and criminal cases are called courts of general jurisdiction.

Courts such as the Family Court of Australia, the Childrens Court and Land Court deal solely with specialised legal problems.

Tribunals and commissions such as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal hear and make decisions about particular cases that come before them.