The Court does not have capacity to hear Final Hearings in the same way that it did prior to COVID-19 and is looking for alternate ways for parties to finalise their matters.

If your matter has been listed for a Final Hearing within the next 2 months, the presiding Judge will conduct a brief telephone hearing prior to your Final Hearing date to determine the urgency and status of your matter.

If your matter is not urgent and does not take priority over other matters listed in the presiding Judges’ docket your matter may be referred to mediation, a conference with a Registrar or Family Report, where appropriate, and otherwise your matter may be adjourned to a future date to be advised by the Court to encourage parties to settle their matter in ways other than by judicial determination and avoid inevitable delays in the court system.

If the presiding Judge determines that your matter should be given high priority it may remain listed for a face-to-face hearing to be conducted either in person, or partly face-to-face and partly by telephone and video conferencing or written submissions to be prepared by your lawyer.