The County Court of Victoria was established in 1852 by the County Courts Act 1852. The court has jurisdiction in the State of Victoria, Australia. Its role has since changed significantly.

The current Chief Judge of the County Court is His Honour Chief Judge Michael Rozenes QC, a former Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

History

The Victorian County Court (which holds the same level of seniority as the District Courts in other states except Tasmania) was formed in 1852 as the court for the County of Bourke. It was modelled on the British County Courts which had been established in 1846. The Court's principal purpose was to handle small civil claims, and eventually this role evolved (with the partnering of the Court of General Sessions) into both civil and criminal jurisdiction in 1968. Since that time, the Court's jurisdiction has increased considerably.

Jurisdiction

Civil

The civil jurisdiction of the County Court (in Victoria) extends to:

• All claims for personal and non-personal injuries and losses, irrespective of the amount claimed.
• Claims against municipal councils for loss or injury sustained while upon or using roads, land, buildings under the control of the council or municipality.
• Actions where jurisdiction is specifically conferred on the County Court by a statute. The list includes: the Administration and Probate Act, the Adoption Act, the Cluster Titles Act, the Property Law Act, the Settled Land Act, the Strata Titles Act, the Transfer of Land Act & the Trustee Act.

Criminal

The County Court is the general trial court for Victoria. It has jurisdiction to hear all indictable (serious) criminal matters except treason, murder and manslaughter and in practice hears the great majority of trials.

The County Court also hear appeals from the Magistrates' Court regarding criminal cases. These are hearings de novo. (Civil appeals from the Magistrates' Court are only permitted on a point of law and are heard in the Supreme Court Appeals Division.) All decisions of the County Court except appeals from the Magistrates Court can be appealed in the Supreme Court Appeals Division.

County Court Judges

• Judge Michael Strong is currently at the Office of Police Integrity.
• Judge Jennifer Coate is currently the Victorian Coroner.

Locations

The County Court of Victoria is located in the legal precinct of Melbourne's central business district, on the corner of William Street, and Lonsdale Street opposite the Supreme Court and Melbourne Magistrates' Court.

The County Court has its headquarters on the corner of William and Lonsdale Streets in Melbourne. The County Court building in Melbourne is owned by Challenger Financial Services. It also does circuits to the following locations:

• Bairnsdale
• Ballarat
• Bendigo
• Geelong
• Hamilton
• Horsham
• Mildura
• Morwell
• Sale
• Shepparton
• Wangaratta
• Warrnambool
• Wodonga

See also

• Australian court hierarchy

External links

• County Court of Victoria
• County Court of Victoria is at 37°48′51″S 144°57′25″E / -37.814047, 144.956912Coordinates: 37°48′51″S 144°57′25″E / -37.814047, 144.956912

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