The District Court of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

has jurisdiction to hear most indictable

Indictment

An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...

 offences (except murder

Murder

Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...

 and treason

Treason

In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...

). It hears appeals from the Local Court (in criminal matters) and civil claims up to A$

Australian dollar

The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...

750 000. In some circumstances the amount may be higher, e.g. with the consent of the parties or in motor accident claims etc. Also, some matters must not be brought before the court, regardless of the amount involved, e.g. probate, unfair dismissal

Unfair dismissal

Unfair dismissal is the term used in UK labour law to describe an employer's action when terminating an employee's employment contrary to the requirements of the Employment Rights Act 1996...

s etc. The District Court also presides over a range of tribunals, including the Medical Tribunal. It is an intermediate trial court in the Australian court hierarchy

Australian court hierarchy

There are two streams within the hierarchy of Australian courts, the federal stream and the state and territory stream. While the federal courts and the court systems in each state and territory are separate, the High Court of Australia remains the ultimate court of appeal for the Australian...

but also hears appeals, in particular, criminal appeals from the NSW Local Courts. The Court has been treated as a model court for reforms to the legal system of China.

The current Chief Judge of the NSW District Court is The Honourable Justice R O Blanch AM.