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| Supreme Court of Victoria | |
|---|---|
 _(St_Edwards_Crown).svg) Emblem (left) and arms (right) of the Supreme Court | |
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 Interactive map of Supreme Court of Victoria | |
| 37°48′51″S144°57′29″E / 37.81417°S 144.95806°E /-37.81417; 144.95806 | |
| Established | 1852 |
| Jurisdiction |  Victoria |
| Location | Melbourne |
| Coordinates | 37°48′51″S144°57′29″E / 37.81417°S 144.95806°E /-37.81417; 144.95806 |
| Composition method | Appointed byGovernor on the advice of the Executive Council |
| Authorised by | None (inherent jurisdiction) |
| Appeals to | High Court of Australia |
| Appeals from | |
| Judge term length | Mandatory retirement by age 70 |
| Website | www.supremecourt.vic.gov.au |
| Chief Justice of Victoria | |
| Currently | The Honourable Chief JusticeRichard Niall |
| Since | 3 February 2025 |
TheSupreme Court of Victoria is thehighest court in theAustralianstate ofVictoria. Founded in 1852, it is asuperior court ofcommon law andequity, with unlimited andinherentjurisdiction within the state.
The Supreme Court comprises two divisions: the Trial Division, which oversees itsoriginal jurisdiction, and theCourt of Appeal, which deals with itsappellate jurisdiction, and is frequently referred to as a court in its own right. Although the Supreme Court is theoretically vested with unlimited jurisdiction, it generally only hears, at trial, criminal cases in instances ofmurder,manslaughter ortreason, and civil cases where the statement of claim is in excess of theMagistrates' Court limit of $100,000.
The court hears appeals from theCounty Court, as well as limited appeals from theMagistrates' Court. Decisions of the Supreme Court are appealable to theHigh Court of Australia.
Thebuilding itself is on theVictorian Heritage Register.
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The Supreme Court has two divisions - the Trial Division and the Court of Appeal.[1]
The Trial Division sits with one judge, and usually acts as a court of original jurisdiction for serious criminal matters such as murder, attempted murder, corporate offences and certain conspiracy charges, and civil matters which are considered to involve greater complexity or amounts of money more than would be appropriate to have determined in theMagistrates' Court (whose civil jurisdictional limit is $100,000)[2] orCounty Court (whose jurisdiction has since the beginning of 2007 been unlimited as to amount). The Trial Division also acts as an appeal court from the Magistrates' Court on questions of law, and appeals from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on points of law, except against an order of the President or Vice-President of the Tribunal. It also hears federalindictable offences such as treason.
TheCommercial Court is a sub-division of the Trial Division, composed of specialist judges to deal with commercial disputes.
The Court of Appeal hears appeals from the County Court and the Trial Division, as well as appeals on points of law from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal against the order of the President or Vice-President, and usually consists of a panel of three Judges of Appeal. In rare cases where it is sought to overrule or reconsider the correctness of a previous Court of Appeal decision, it can sit with five judges.
Themain buildings for the Supreme Court are located at the corner of William and Lonsdale Streets in Melbourne and in nearby buildings.[3]
The Supreme Court also does circuits toBendigo,Ballarat,Geelong,Warrnambool,Hamilton,Horsham,Mildura,Shepparton,Wangaratta,Wodonga,Sale andMorwell. In these locations the Court uses the facilities of the local Magistrates' Court.[3]
(appointment date in brackets):[4]
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