Maroochydore Magistrates Court: what to expect

Why your matter ended up at Maroochydore

Maroochydore is the principal court for the Sunshine Coast. Charges laid at Maroochydore, Mooloolaba, Buderim, Kawana, Caloundra, Nambour, Coolum, Noosa and the hinterland behind them are ordinarily listed here.

It is a genuinely busy court, and the reason matters. A long list means the magistrate has limited time for each matter and very little patience for material that could have been sorted out beforehand. Turning up with your QP9 already read, your traffic history already obtained and a position already worked out changes how your morning goes.

It is also a holiday coast, which means a steady stream of people charged while visiting and now facing a court date several hundred kilometres from home. That is a common problem and there are proper ways to deal with it, including appearing by phone or video in some matters, or having a lawyer appear for you.

Getting there and parking

The courthouse is on Cornmeal Parade in the middle of Maroochydore, close to the Sunshine Plaza precinct. The Maroochydore bus interchange is on Horton Parade, a short distance away, and is the main public transport hub for the area.

Sunshine Coast Council states that it provides free on street and off street parking throughout Maroochydore, and publishes a parking area map for the centre. That said, many bays in the busier parts of the centre are marked, signed and time limited, and the area around the court and the plaza is exactly where that applies. Read the sign at the bay you park in. A time limited bay does not become longer because you are in court.

Wednesday is the short day at the registry, closing at 4:00pm rather than 4:30pm. If you are filing something or paying a fine late in the day, do not leave it to Wednesday afternoon.

Reading the list at Maroochydore

The daily law list is published on the Queensland Courts website and updated twice each morning, at 6:45am and again at 8:45am.

Maroochydore runs multiple courtrooms and multiple lists, so the time on the list matters as much as the name. Arrests, bails and notices to appear are called at 9:00am. The summary mention and committal mention callover is at 9:30am. Review mentions are listed at 2:00pm, which catches people who assume every court date is a morning. Youth Justice bails and notices to appear are listed earlier again, at 8:30am.

Because the District Court also sits here, read the heading on the list, not just the times. A District Court sentence and a Magistrates Court mention are different lists in different rooms with different start times, and being in the right building is not the same as being in the right courtroom.

What actually happens at a mention

A first mention is a housekeeping appearance. The magistrate wants to know what the charge is, whether you are represented, whether you have the police material and what you propose to do. It is generally over in a couple of minutes.

You are not required to plead at a first mention and usually should not. Until you have read the QP9, which is the police summary of what they say happened, you do not know what you are pleading to. An adjournment to obtain legal advice is a normal request and is routinely granted the first time.

• Check whether your matter is a morning or an afternoon listing. Review mentions at Maroochydore sit at 2:00pm.
• Bring the notice to appear and anything the police or the court have sent you.
• Get the QP9 from the prosecutor before court, or ask the duty lawyer to obtain it.
• Do not discuss your matter with police prosecutors beyond asking for the material. They are not neutral and they are not acting for you.
• If you live interstate or several hours away, say so early. There may be options that do not require you to drive back for a two minute mention.

Clothes, phones and conduct

Neat and covered. No singlets, no thongs, no hats or sunglasses inside. It is a coastal town and people do turn up dressed for the beach, and it is noticed.

Phones on silent. No recording of any kind anywhere in the building, no photographs of the list or the courtroom, and nothing about your matter on social media. Recording proceedings without permission is an offence in its own right.

Address the magistrate as Your Honour, stand when you speak, and bow your head slightly on entering and leaving the courtroom. If you are unsure what to do, watch the matter before yours. Everybody in the room learned it the same way.

The duty lawyer at Maroochydore

Legal Aid Queensland runs a criminal duty lawyer service at Maroochydore and publishes a roster for it. Ask court staff on arrival. Legal Aid's own guidance is to turn up when the court opens, because it gets busy and you may have to wait.

There is also a family law duty lawyer service that runs sessions at the Maroochydore Magistrates Court on scheduled days. That is a separate service from the criminal duty lawyer, and it is booked and rostered separately. Legal Aid Queensland can confirm the next session on 1300 267 762.

The Legal Aid Queensland Maroochydore office is on the ground floor of the M1 Building on Duporth Avenue, and can be reached on (07) 5451 6900. General legal information is on 1300 65 11 88.

If you are late, cannot get there, or live a long way away

Ring the registry on (07) 5376 5100 if you are running late. A matter can be stood down to later in the morning. Silence gets treated as a failure to appear, and that can mean a warrant.

If you were charged on the Sunshine Coast while visiting and you live in Brisbane, on the Gold Coast or interstate, do not simply not turn up. Depending on the charge, a lawyer can appear for you, or the matter can sometimes be dealt with without you being physically present. Those options have to be arranged before the date.

The Maroochydore courthouse has been the subject of a funded upgrade including a new safe room with direct access to a courtroom for vulnerable witnesses, security upgrades at the entry and a registry refurbishment. If you are a complainant in a domestic violence matter, ask court staff or the duty lawyer about safe waiting arrangements when you arrive rather than sitting in the public area.