Western Australia to Close 26 Regional Courthouses for Three Months

The WA Department of Justice announced last week that regional court sittings and registries that rely on police security will be temporarily suspended for three months from June due to a lack of security. The closures will affect 26 regional and remote courthouses across Western Australia. Cases from the South West region will be redirected to courts in Bunbury and Busselton.

Family Legal Services chief executive Corina Martin AOM said the closure of the circuit courts would exacerbate barriers for Indigenous people to access justice. "It's a disgrace," she said. " Ms Martin fears the closures would make it harder for victim-survivors of family and domestic violence to access justice in the region due to remoteness, lack of transport and language barriers.

"Victims in remote communities, they will no longer be able to access court services to obtain urgent protection orders," she said.

Professor of Social Work Donna Chung said delays to court proceedings could impact victim-survivor safety. "It increases the period of time in which victims are living in fear, living with uncertainty," she said. Renee Turner, a principal solicitor at the South West Community Legal Centre, said cases that needed to be relisted in alternative courts could face lengthy delays.

"If they've got the criminal matters from those smaller court registries and trying to fit them in on the existing days when there's listings on the Bunbury or Busselton courts, that's going to make the whole waiting room busier, the listings take longer," she said.

The Department of Justice said it would actively support affected court users, including those involved in restraining order matters. "Local registry staff will continue to support court users on the ground, including assisting with enquiries, lodgements, and access to remote hearings," it said.

Attorney General Tony Buti said the department and police had been working towards a solution since December 2024. He said there had been an increase in funding to deploy 20 police auxiliary officers to regional courts, who were expected to be brought online in coming months.