Skip to Main Content
Exit to Opens Google in same window
Government of Western Australia State Coat of Arms
Children's Court of Western Australia

Government of Western Australia State Coat of Arms
Children's Court of Western Australia

Home →Publications and Forms→Practice Directions→Practice Direction 8 of 2021 - Northbridge Children's Court - Weekend and Public Holiday Bail Hearings

Practice Direction 8 of 2021 - Northbridge Children's Court - Weekend and Public Holiday Bail Hearings

Related Pages

1. Application of Practice Direction

This Practice Direction applies to the hearing of bail matters at the Perth and Northbridge Children's Courts on a weekend or public holiday.

Practice Directions 1 of 2011 and 2 of 2018 are revoked.

This Practice Direction has effect from 31 December 2021.

To make the Practice Directions accessible we have not used paragraph numbering. If you need this, please see the PDF version.

2. Weekend and public holiday bail sittings

An application for bail for a young person must be determined by a magistrate or acting magistrate of the Children's Court.

Acting magistrates who preside at the Northbridge Court on a weekend or public holiday are appointed as acting magistrates of the Children's Court and acting magistrates of the Magistrates Court.

From 31 December 2021 there will no longer be regular Saturday bail sittings at the Perth Children's Court.

From 1 January 2022 weekend and public holiday bail matters that would have been heard in the Perth Children's Court will be heard at the Northbridge Children's Court.

Northbridge Children's Court will hear bail applications for young persons but unless the matter is urgent, and subject to the discretion of the presiding magistrate, will not deal with pleas of guilty.

3. Bail plans

Police, Youth Justice and Department of Communities officers, lawyers and families of young people are encouraged to work together to develop permanent bail placements and bail plans to ensure young people are not remanded in detention unnecessarily.

That process should continue outside of usual business hours and on weekends and public holidays.

4. Order of hearings

Children's Court matters listed in the Northbridge Children's Court will, as far as practicable, be heard before Magistrates Court matters, in the following order:

  • Metropolitan Children's Court matters via video link to Banksia Hill Detention Centre;
  • Regional Children's Court matters via video link to the regional Police location;
  • All other regional Children's Court matters via video or, if necessary, audio link.

Judge Hylton Quail

President
Children's Court of Western Australia
9 December 2021


Last updated: 2 March 2023

[ back to top ]

For Printing