Judges will hear the first cases at Wyndham’s new $270 million law court complex on Monday 10 November.
The media was invited to tour the complex on on Thursday 6 November, as part of the official opening ceremony hosted by Victorian Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny.
Located next to the Werribee Police Station and forming part of the Wyndham Justice Precinct, the facility brings together several jurisdictions in one space. These include the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, the Children’s Court of Victoria and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), along with specialist therapeutic courts and community services.
It is the largest court complex in the state, outside of the CBD.
The first cases will be heard in the magistrates’ and children’s courts.
Ms Kilkenny said VCAT is expected to follow suit shortly after, but did not provide a date.
The state government allocated $114 million in this year’s budget to finalise the complex and open the courts after the original March opening date was delayed.
The precinct will support almost 53,000 court hearings by 2036 and features 13 courtrooms, four hearing rooms and 26 holding cells.
The courts will service Wyndham and the wider western metropolitan region.
A Koori Court and a Specialist Family Violence Court will also operate out of Wyndham from 2027, featuring safe facilities designed for victim-survivors of family violence as well as witnesses and protected parties.
The courtrooms feature technology to allow remote hearings, display of digital evidence and video conferencing.
Alongside Ms Kilkenny at the official opening was Werribee MP John Lister, Tarneit MP Dylan Wight, Point Cook MP Mathew Hilakari and Laverton MP Sarah Connolly.
Mr Lister said he was glad to see new facilities open and said that the precinct will boost more jobs across the legal sector.
“When we invest in justice, we are not only investing in the people behind the bench and those days in court– we are also investing in the entire system around it and making sure we have more jobs in the legal profession for people in the western suburbs,” he said.
The event concluded with a welcome to Country and smoking ceremony.
