Local Court of New South Wales

Local Court of New South Wales
James Barnet designed Bathurst Courthouse, completed in 1880, one of the sites for the Local Court.
Jurisdiction	New South Wales, Australia
Location	~160 branches across New South Wales
Composition method	Vice-regal appointment upon Premier's nomination, following advice of the Attorney-General and Cabinet
Authorized by	Parliament of New South Wales via the Local Court Act 2007 (NSW)
Decisions are appealed to	District Court of New South Wales
Judge term length	mandatory retirement by age of 72
Website	localcourt.justice.nsw.gov.au
Chief Magistrate
Currently	Judge Graeme Henson
Since	2006

The Local Court of New South Wales is the lowest court in the judicial hierarchy of the Australian state of New South Wales. Formerly known as the Court of Petty Sessions and the Magistrates Court, there are more than 160 branches across New South Wales where the Local Court has jurisdiction to deal with the majority of minor civil and criminal matters.

Matters are heard before a single magistrate sitting without a jury, addressed as "Your Honour" or "Sir" (but no longer "Your worship"). The Local Court has no jurisdiction for claims in equity.

On appeal, matters may be heard by the District Court of New South Wales including appeals against the sentence or conviction decided in the Local Court.

The Chief Magistrate of the Local Court is Judge Graeme Henson, appointed in 2006.

In 1788, following the landing of the First Fleet and establishment of the Colony of New South Wales, the power and authority of the first criminal and civil courts in the Colony of New South Wales were vested by the Charter of Justice.

The first Local Court courthouse was constructed in 1821 at Windsor, 56 kilometres (35 mi) northwest of Sydney.

The Local Court of New South Wales hears civil matters of a monetary value of up to $100,000; mental health matters; family law and/or child care matters; adult criminal proceedings, including committal hearings, and summary prosecutions for summary offences (i.e., offences of a less serious nature) and indictable offences; licensing issues (as the Licensing Court); industrial matters; and mining matters. In addition to this, the Local Court, via its Small Claims Division, hears claims for less than $10,000 and also hears applications for Apprehended Violence Orders (AVOs). The local court has limited jurisdiction under the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) to hear and determine family law matters. The local court can deal with applications such as property settlements and residence orders.