Federal Magistrates Court of Australia

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Description of Client

The Federal Magistrates Court of Australia (also known as the Federal Magistrates Court) was established by the Commonwealth Parliament at the end of 1999. It conducted its first sittings on 3 July 2000.

The court was established by the Federal Magistrates Act 1999  and its jurisdiction is found in the Federal Magistrates (Consequential Amendments) Act 1999.

The court is an independent federal court under the Australian Constitution. The establishment of the Federal Magistrates Court marked a change in direction in the administration of justice at the federal level in Australia. Australia had not previously had a lower level federal court although a considerable amount of federal law work had been done in state and territory courts of summary jurisdiction under the provisions of the Judiciary Act.

The jurisdiction of the Federal Magistrates Court includes family law and child support, administrative law, bankruptcy, human rights, consumer protection and trade practices, privacy, migration, copyright, industrial law and admiralty law. The court shares those jurisdictions with the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Court of Australia. Some work in those jurisdictions continues to be done in state courts also.

The objective of the Federal Magistrates Court is to provide a simpler and more accessible alternative to litigation in the superior courts and to relieve the workload of those courts.