Wynnum Magistrates Court: what to expect

The Wednesday rule

This is the thing to get right about Wynnum. The court's own published listing arrangements state that there is no court sitting at Wynnum on Wednesdays, because the Wynnum magistrate sits at Cleveland Magistrates Court that day.

It explains the registry hours, which close at 4:00pm on Wednesday and 4:30pm on every other weekday, and it explains why nothing is listed. If someone has told you that you have a Wednesday date at Wynnum, check the paperwork, because either the date or the court is wrong.

It is also worth knowing if you are trying to get something urgent in front of a magistrate mid week. On a Wednesday, the person you are looking for is at Cleveland.

Why your matter ended up at Wynnum

Wynnum is not its own Magistrates Courts district. Under Schedule 1 of the Justices Regulation 2014 (Qld) it is a division of the Brisbane district, and the regulation defines the area precisely: the Wynnum division is the electoral wards of the City of Brisbane of Doboy and Wynnum-Manly, and the place for holding Magistrates Courts in that division is Wynnum.

In practical terms that means charges laid around Wynnum, Manly, Lota, Tingalpa, Hemmant, Murarrie, Cannon Hill, Wakerley and Gumdale ordinarily list here rather than at Brisbane on George Street.

That is generally good news for a defendant. A division court hears a fraction of the volume of the Brisbane Magistrates Court, the lists are shorter, and the same magistrate sees the same prosecutors week after week. You are a person rather than a file number in a list of two hundred.

Getting there

The courthouse is at 76 Pine Street, Wynnum. TransLink publishes stops for both Wynnum Central station and Wynnum station, which sit on the Cleveland rail line running between the Brisbane CBD and Cleveland.

Neither Queensland Courts nor Brisbane City Council publishes parking information for this courthouse, so we are not going to state any. Treat it as a suburban centre on a weekday morning, arrive early enough to find a space, and read the signs.

Reading the list at Wynnum

The daily law list is published on the Queensland Courts website and updated at 6:45am and again at 8:45am each day. Matters are listed from 8:30am and 9:00am, in a single courtroom.

Wynnum runs a wide spread of jurisdictions for a small court. Beyond ordinary criminal and traffic work, it hears domestic violence applications, the Childrens Court and child protection, the Murri Court, civil claims, Peace and Good Behaviour complaints, a Justice of the Peace court, and monthly QCAT sittings.

Because most of those lists sit on particular weekdays rather than daily, the day printed on your notice matters as much as the time. Do not assume you can turn up on a different day that suits you better and have it dealt with.

What actually happens at a mention

A first mention is a short administrative appearance, not a hearing. The magistrate wants to know the charge, whether you are represented, whether you have the police material and what you propose to do.

You are not required to plead. An adjournment to obtain legal advice is granted routinely on a first appearance. Get the QP9 first, because the charge written on your notice to appear and the facts police say support it are two different documents, and people plead guilty to the first without ever reading the second.

• Check the day, not just the time. Most Wynnum lists sit on a particular weekday, and none sit on Wednesday.
• Arrive by 8:15am. Matters start from 8:30am.
• Bring the notice to appear and any correspondence.
• Ask the prosecutor for your QP9, or have the duty lawyer obtain it.
• Expect the morning to go, even on a shorter suburban list.

The duty lawyer at Wynnum

Legal Aid Queensland runs a free duty lawyer service at Wynnum for the adult court and the Childrens Court, staffed by rostered preferred suppliers. Ask at the counter as soon as you arrive.

Childrens Court matters are handled by Youth Legal Aid on 1800 527 527. General legal information is on 1300 65 11 88, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm. Legal Aid's own advice is to turn up when the court opens, because the service is first in, first seen.

A duty lawyer can handle an adjournment, bail, a simple guilty plea and a breach. They do not run trials or committals, they generally do not take traffic matters, and they will be seeing your matter for the first time that morning.

Clothes, phones, and if you cannot get there

Neat and covered. No singlets, thongs, hats or sunglasses inside. Phones off or silent, no recording or photography anywhere in the building, and nothing about the matter posted online while it is on foot.

Address the magistrate as Your Honour and stand when you speak.

If you are running late, ring the registry on (07) 3097 2800. A matter can be stood down. An unexplained absence risks a warrant, and a failure to appear becomes a separate problem sitting on top of the charge that brought you.