The Magistrates Court is the busiest court in Tasmania, dealing with matters in the following Divisions:
- Administrative Appeals Division: hears and determines cases where someone wishes to appeal a legal decision they are not happy with
- Children’s Division: determines child protection matters, including care and protection orders and assessment orders
- Civil Division: deals with disputes involving amounts: minor civil claims (up to and including $5,000), civils claims (from $5,001 to $50,000), and claims involving more than $50,000 if all parties agree.
- Coronial Division: conducts inquests and investigations into certain deaths, and incidents (including fires and explosions) regardless of whether a death occurred.
- Criminal and General Division: hears and determines criminal cases such as drink driving, traffic offences, assaults, drug offences and theft. Applications for restraint and family violence orders, restricted licence applications, and applications to change a child’s name are also dealt with. Preliminary hearings for serious crimes (such as murder and manslaughter) may be held here, to decide if the matter will move to the Supreme Court for trial
- Youth Justice Division: hears and determines cases involving young people who are alleged to have committed offences while under the age of 18.
For daily court lists for appearances in the Magistrates Court, information on going to court and more, go to the Magistrates Court website.