County Court of Victoria

County Court of Victoria

Established	1852
Jurisdiction	Victoria
Location	Headquartered in Melbourne, with 12 circuit courts located in Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Horsham, Mildura, Morwell, Sale, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Warrnambool and Wodonga
Coordinates	37°48′48″N 144°57′27″E / 37.8134°N 144.9575°E / 37.8134; 144.9575Coordinates: 37°48′48″N 144°57′27″E / 37.8134°N 144.9575°E / 37.8134; 144.9575
Composition method	Appointed by Governor on the advice of the Executive Council.
Authorized by	County Court Act 1958
Decisions are appealed to	Supreme Court
Decisions are heard for appeals from	Magistrates' Court
Judge term length	Mandatory retirement by age of 70
Website	www.countycourt.vic.gov.au
Chief Judge
Currently	Peter Kidd
Since	8 September 2015

The County Court of Victoria (formally "the County Court") 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.

Since 8 September 2015, the Chief Judge of the County Court is His Honour Chief Judge Peter Kidd, a former Senior Crown Prosecutor.

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 were established in 1846. Originally, the Court's principal purpose was to handle small civil claims, but this role evolved (with the partnering of the Court of General Sessions in 1968) into both civil and criminal jurisdiction. Since that time, the Court's jurisdiction has increased considerably.

Jurisdiction

Criminal

The County Court is the general trial court for Victoria. It has jurisdiction to hear all indictable criminal matters except treason, murder and manslaughter, which are heard in the Supreme Court of Victoria.

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.

Civil

The County Court has original jurisdiction in all civil matters. Cases heard in this jurisdiction include commercial matters, building disputes and damages arising from a wide range of incidents including medical negligence, serious injury and defamation. The Court is also able to hear Workcover matters.

The Court's civil jurisdiction also covers actions where jurisdiction is specifically conferred on the County Court by statute:

The Administration and Probate Act
The Settled Land Act
The Adoption Act
The Strata Titles Act
The Cluster Titles Act
The Transfer of Land Act
The Property Law Act
The Trustee Act^[1]

^[2]

County Court judges

Name	Date Appointed (D/M/Y)
Chief Judge Peter Kidd	8/09/2015
Judge Michael McInerney	21/6/1994
Judge Marilyn Harbison	5/2/1996
Judge Carolyn Douglas	7/10/1997
Judge Rachelle Lewitan	16/5/2001
Judge Graeme Hicks	20/8/2001
Judge John Smallwood	20/8/2001
Judge Susan Cohen	20/8/2001
Judge Meryl Sexton	20/8/2001
Judge Frances Hogan	2/10/2001
Judge Irene Lawson	26/3/2002
Judge Giuseppe Gullaci	4/6/2002
Judge Michael Bourke	10/9/2002
Judge Liz Gaynor	10/9/2002
Judge Phillip Coish	10/9/2002
Judge Jane Campton	22/10/2002
Judge Roy Punshon	8/4/2003
Judge Frances Millane	2/12/2003
Judge Sandra Davis	26/10/2004
Judge Felicity Hampel	9/2/2005
Judge Jeanette Morrish	9/8/2005
Judge Paul Grant	26/4/2006
Judge David Parsons	22/8/2006
Judge Sue Pullen	22/8/2006
Judge Lisa Hannan	3/10/2006
Judge Damian Murphy	24/10/2006
Judge Chris O'Neill	24/7/2007
Judge Duncan Allen	21/8/2007
Judge Philip Misso	11/12/2007
Judge Katherine Bourke	11/12/2007
Judge Jane Patrick	15/4/2008
Judge Peter Wischusen	15/4/2008
Judge Paul Lacava	27/5/2008
Judge Frank Gucciardo	27/5/2008
Judge Mark Taft	29/9/2008

References

External links

County Court of Victoria

Government of Victoria
Executive	Monarchy Governor Lieutenant-Governor Premier Deputy Premier Cabinet Entities Police
Legislative	Parliament Legislative Council Legislative Assembly Electoral regions Electoral districts President of the Legislative Council Speaker of the Legislative Assembly MLCs MLAs Opposition Leader
Judicial	Supreme Court County Court Magistrates' Court Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) Other courts and tribunals

Courts of the Australian states and territories
Commonwealth	High Court Federal Court Family Court Federal Circuit Court Military Court of Australia Court of Disputed Returns List of Commonwealth courts and tribunals
New South Wales	Supreme Court District Court Local Court List of New South Wales courts and tribunals
Victoria	Supreme Court County Court Magistrates' Court List of Victorian courts and tribunals
Queensland	Supreme Court District Court Magistrates' Court List of Queensland courts and tribunals
Western Australia	Supreme Court Family Court District Court Magistrates Court List of Western Australian courts and tribunals
South Australia	Supreme Court District Court Magistrates' Court List of South Australian courts and tribunals
Tasmania	Supreme Court Magistrates' Court List of Tasmanian courts and tribunals
Australian Capital Territory	Supreme Court Magistrates Court List of Australian Capital Territory courts and tribunals
Northern Territory	Supreme Court Magistrates Court List of Northern Territory courts and tribunals
Norfolk Island	Supreme Court Court of Petty Sessions

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