3 July 2021
Brisbane and Moreton Bay will emerge from lockdown at 6pm tonight after five new community transmission cases of COVID-19 were detected in Queensland.
Authorities are satisfied contact traces will get on top of the new cases. Although lockdown ends, mask-wearing remains mandatory for the next two weeks.
Stay up to date with the latest COVID-19 updates from the courts here.
The current three-day lockdown will extend for a further 24 hours in Brisbane and Moreton Bay.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced today, 2 July, that the lockdown would end at 6pm for Noosa, the Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, Gold Coast, Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim, Somerset and Townsville.
The extension follows two new COVID-19 positive tests, for a Carindale mother and daughter who had moved about in the community “extensively”.
Supreme & District Court
Unless the situation changes over the weekend, once the lockdown ends, the courts will revert to business in accordance with the remaining restrictions as implemented on Monday 28 June 2021.
Magistrates Courts affected by the extended lockdown
The courthouses’ where operations are affected by the continued lockdown are: the Brisbane Magistrates Court, Brisbane Arrest Courts, Caboolture, Holland Park, Pine Rivers, Redcliffe, Richlands, Sandgate and Wynnum Magistrates Courts
Lockdown restrictions will continue until 6pm 3 July.
- If the lockdown is lifted prior to court commencing on Monday, the courts listed above will return to normal operations with the requirement for masks to be worn in the courthouse.
- If the lockdown is extended to cover Monday, the current arrangements (attached) for the above courts only, will continue. That is:
- All appearances will be by telephone or video unless the Magistrate provides leave.
- Those wishing to appear should contact local courthouses.
- Prosecutors may appear with leave and aggrieved applicants in urgent domestic and family violence applications.
- Subject to specific exemptions, registries will not be open to the public.
- Signage will be displayed on courthouse doors with contact numbers for the registry to allow access where required.
- Masks will be required in courthouses.
Lifting of lockdown restrictions from 6pm tonight (Friday) applies to:
Beaudesert, Beenleigh, Caloundra, Cleveland, Coolangatta, Gatton, Ipswich, Maroochydore, Nambour, Noosa, Pomona, Southport and Townsville courthouses.
The doors in these courthouses will reopen on Monday morning, returning to the pre-lockdown arrangements where masks will be required in the court building for the next two weeks.
Your law library
Your law library premises will be closed to the public from 5pm on Tuesday 29 June.
After-hours access to the library will also be temporarily suspended during the lockdown period. If there are no changes or further extensions to the lockdown, after-hours access will be reinstated from from 8.30am Monday 5 July.
Supreme Court Library staff will be working from home, so you can continue to access essential library services remotely and online during business hours.
Contact the library for assistance, research and information requests.
Three-day lockdown for SEQ, other areas
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced this morning that, from 6pm today, Tuesday 29 June 2021, South-East Queensland, Townsville, Magnetic Island and Palm Island will lockdown for three days.
The news comes after Queensland reported two new locally acquired coronavirus cases, including a 19-year-old hospital worker, and two in hotel quarantine.
Ms Palaszczuk said she had been left with no choice but to impose the lockdown because of the fast-moving situation.
“The risk is real and we need to act quickly,” the Premier said. “We need to go hard and we need to go fast.”
Residents of these areas may only leave home to:
- Buy essentials such as groceries or medication
- Work or study if this can’t be done from home
- Exercise in the local area
- Receive healthcare, or to provide health care or support.
Got a question?
Please see this page for answers to commonly asked lockdown-related questions. Note: This page includes the latest health direction, issued today, 29 June: ‘Restrictions for Impacted Areas Direction No.5’.
Magistrates and Childrens Court
29 June 2021
The Beaudesert, Beenleigh, Brisbane Magistrates Court, Brisbane Arrest Court, Caboolture, Caloundra, Cleveland, Coolangatta, Gatton, Holland Park, Ipswich, Maroochydore, Nambour, Noosa, Pomona, Pine Rivers, QEII, Richlands, Redcliffe, Sandgate, Southport, Townsville and Wynnum courthouses are affected by the lockdown.
A new protocol for matters before Magistrates and Childrens Court has been issued today (see below). Those wishing to appear should contact local courthouses. Prosecutors may appear with leave and aggrieved applicants in urgent domestic and family violence applications. Subject to specific exemptions, registries will not be open to the public. Signage will be displayed on courthouse doors with contact numbers for the registry to allow access where required. Masks will be required in courthouses.
Notice to the profession from Acting Chief Magistrate Brassington
These arrangements apply to the following Local Government Areas:
- City of Brisbane
- City of Gold Coast
- City of Ipswich
- Lockyer Valley Regional Council
- Logan City
- Moreton Bay Region
- Noosa Shire Council
- Redland City
- Scenic Rim Regional Council
- Somerset Regional Council
- Sunshine Coast Regional Council
- Townsville City
- Palm Island Aboriginal Shire
- All appearances will be by telephone or video. The Acting Chief Magistrate will permit all parties leave to appear by telephone/video for the 30 June 2021 – 2 July 2021.
- Those wishing to appear should contact the local Courthouse for contact details. Details of email addresses for all registries across Queensland can be found on the Queensland Courts Website – Magistrates Court https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/contacts/courthouses.
- There are no physical appearances in the Court except:
– If a Prosecutor can appear, and wishes to appear in person, the local Magistrate can give leave.
– For aggrieved applicants in urgent domestic violence applications.
– With the leave of the Magistrate. - Subject to specific exceptions notified in this arrangement and by the District and Supreme Court, registries and Courthouses will not be open to the public in affected areas.
- Messaging on the Courthouse doors and websites will provide contact information so that filing of urgent documents can be completed.
- For the lockdown media representatives are permitted to report on Court by telephone or video where the Court is open.
- Duty lawyer services will be available by telephone.
- All persons in Court will be masked unless the Court gives leave to remove the mask.
- All hearings will be adjourned.
- Other matters will remain as listed and, if possible, proceed.
- Matters where a defendant may be sent to custody are not suitable to proceed.
- If parties do not appear the matters will be adjourned with notices sent.
Supreme and District Courts
The QEII courthouse will remain open but you are encouraged not to attend unless necessary. A drop box has been established and the counter closed for the next three days.
For filing documents, drop boxes are available, OR post (include a return paid envelope so any service copies &/or receipts can be returned to you) OR phone 1800 497 117.
A new protocol for applications to the Supreme Court has been issued today with the major variations being the requirement to wear masks and the allocation of individual start times for applications over the three days of the lock down https://www.courts.qld.gov.au/media/publications/policies/protocol-for-applications-supreme-court-29-june-2021.pdf.
No new trials will commence but those that are under way will continue to completion.
Sentences will proceed as listed with those in custody produced personally to the court.
Queensland Corrective Services
In response to today’s announcement of a three-day lockdown of parts of Queensland, in accordance with the advice of Queensland Health, a determination has been made for all correctional centres and community Corrections offices in Queensland to now be returned to Stage 3 operations.
The advice with respect to operational restrictions related to Stage 3 which took effect at 1am today remains current, however will now extend to all other correctional centres in Queensland, effective today.
These arrangements will remain in place until further notice and in line with QH advice received, and may be subject to change.
Brisbane Watchhouse
Brisbane Watchhouse is currently closed. Fresh arrests have been going to Pine Rivers. There are enquiries in process now about the possibility of fresh arrests appearing by video link from Pine Rivers to Brisbane.
Parole Board of Queensland
The Supreme Court of Queensland has issued a protocol for Applications for judicial review (Parole Board of Queensland) effective from 28 June 2021 until further notice.
The protocol can be found here.
Family Court of Australia
The Family Court of Australia’s registries in Brisbane in Townsville have ceased face-to-face services until Monday (5 July) as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown.
The court says no in-person services will be provided at Queensland registries unless approved by the jurisdiction chief.
However, the registries will remain open to support members of the legal profession and litigants through a range of online and phone services. For further enquiries, call 1300 352 000
Your law library
Your law library premises will be closed to the public from 5pm today (Tuesday 29 June).
After-hours access to the library will also be temporarily suspended during the lockdown period. If there are no changes or further extensions to the lockdown, after-hours access will be reinstated from from 8.30am Monday 5 July.
Supreme Court Library staff will be working from home, so you can continue to access essential library services remotely and online during business hours.
Contact the library for assistance, research and information requests.
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