Other Courts

Drug and Alcohol Court

The Drug and Alcohol Court is a division of the Brisbane Magistrates Courts. It provides an intensive and targeted court process for adult defendants with severe drug and alcohol use directly associated with their offending.

It aims to rehabilitate defendants and reduce offending behaviour through strict monitoring and treatment to address their drug and alcohol dependencies and criminal thinking.

The Drug and Alcohol Court features:

regular and random drug testing
regular court appearances so offenders stay on track, and
incentives for offenders to continue to engage with treatment.

Find out more about the Drug and Alcohol Court.

Mental Health Court

The Mental Health Court is a special hearing of the Supreme Court making decisions about the mental state of persons charged with a serious offence. Psychiatrists help the court understand the specialist clinical evidence presented.

See what decisions the Mental Health Court can make.

The Mental Health Court is usually open to the public but can be closed in special cases or when the person charged is under 18 years.

Find out about a mental health examination.

What decisions can the Mental Health Court make?

When you have been charged with an offence, the Mental Health Court can make decisions as to whether you are:

Decision	Outcome
Of unsound mind at the time of the offence.	You may be placed on a forensic or treatment support order Proceedings are stopped/discontinued
Of sound mind and fit for trial	You continue in the trial process to court
Fit for trial but there's a dispute of facts	You continue in the criminal justice system
Temporarily unfit for trial	You are placed on a forensic or treatment order Proceedings are suspended You are regularly reviewed by the Mental Health Review Tribunal
Permanently unfit for trial	You may be placed on a forensic or treatment order Proceedings are stopped/discontinued
Granted a defence of diminished responsibility (in the case of a murder charge)	You continue in the criminal justice system

Read more about the Mental Health Court.

Land Court of Queensland

The Land Court of Queensland hears and determines matters relating to land and natural resources. The court:

hears appeals against land valuations
determines claims for compensation for the resumption of land
makes recommendations and hears objections to the grant of mining tenures and environmental authorities for resource projects
determines compensation for mining claims and leases and determines compensation and land access conditions for mining exploration and other natural resource activities
hears appeals against local government rating categories
deals with Indigenous land and cultural heritage issues, including the grant of injunctions and approval of cultural heritage management plans.

Find out more about the Land Court.

Email all formal Land Court correspondence to landcourt@justice.qld.gov.au

The Land Court registry can be reached on (07) 37387199.

The Land Court registry is in the Brisbane Magistrates Court building on Level 8 at 363 George Street, Brisbane and is open 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays and other designated court holidays).

The Land Court of Queensland holds hearings across Queensland and the Torres Strait.

Planning and Environment Court

The Planning and Environment Court (P and E Court) hears matters including those relating to:

planning and development
environmental protection
coastal protection and management
fisheries
marine parks
nature conservation
heritage
transport infrastructure
vegetation management.

You don't have to be legally represented in the P and E Court. You may appear personally or be represented by a lawyer or by an agent who is not a lawyer.

Read more about the Planning and Environment Court.

Coroners Court

The coroner is a magistrate investigating reportable deaths in Queensland. A reportable death where:

the identity of the person is unknown
the death was violent or unnatural, such as accidents, falls, suicides or drug overdoses
the death happened in suspicious circumstances
a ‘cause of death’ certificate has not been issued and is not likely to be issued
the death was a health care related death
the death occurred in care
the death occurred in custody
the death occurred as a result of police operations.

Coronial investigation

The purpose of the investigation by the coroner is to determine:

the identity of the deceased
when and where they died
how they died
the medical cause of death

Read the steps involved in a coronial investigation.

Holding an inquest

As part of the investigation, the coroner may decide to hold an inquest—a court hearing—to gather more information about the cause and circumstances of the death.

This is usually held in the Magistrates Court closest to where the person died.

It is not a trial and there is no jury.

Witnesses may be called to give evidence.

Very few coronial investigations proceed to inquest.

An inquest must be held if:

the person died in custody
the death occurred while the person was in care and there are issues about the care that was provided
the death occurred as a result of police operations (unless the coroner believes that an inquest is not required)

A coroner may decide to hold an inquest if it is in the public interest. For example:

there is significant doubt about the cause and circumstances of the death

an inquest may help to prevent future deaths or uncover systemic issues which affect public health and safety.

The coroner presents written findings at the end of the inquest. Findings may include recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future.

The coroner cannot (under the legislation) make a finding that a person is guilty of an offence or civilly liable.

The coroner’s findings and recommendations cannot be used as evidence in any other court or tribunal.

Requesting an inquest

You can request an inquest be held into a family member’s death by writing to the coroner. Read more about inquests and how to request one.

Find out more about the Coroners Court.

Murri Court

Murri Court is a court linking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander defendants to cultural and support services.

Elders and Respected Persons from the local community are in the courtroom to guide and support defendants and increase the Magistrate’s understanding of each defendant’s personal and cultural circumstances.

Defendants can go to Murri Court if:

they plead or intend to plead guilty to Magistrates or Childrens Court offences
are on bail
they want to go to Murri Court, and it operates at the Magistrates or Childrens court they need to attend.

Murri Court currently operates in 15 Magistrates Courts across Queensland.

Find out more about Murri Court.

Specialist Domestic and Family Violence Court

Specialist domestic and family violence (DFV) courts deal with civil and criminal DFV matters that can be heard in the Magistrates Court.

Specialist DFV courts have specialist registries with trained court staff offering support and information to parties involved in domestic and family violence court proceedings.

Dedicated magistrates with expertise in DFV issues sit in the specialist DFV courts, and support services such as court support and duty lawyers are available to support aggrieved and respondent parties to DFV matters and defendants throughout the court process. Specialist DFV courts currently operate in:

Southport
Beenleigh
Townsville
Mount Isa
Palm Island.

Find out more about Specialist Domestic and Family Violence Court.

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