The Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, also referred to as the Brisbane Supreme and District Court, is a
court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...
building located at 415
George Street in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
.
Location and features
Completed in 2012 as a purpose-built building for the
Supreme Court of Queensland
The Supreme Court of Queensland is the highest court in the Australian State of Queensland. It was formerly the Brisbane Supreme Court, in the colony of Queensland.
The original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court allows its trial division to h ...
and the
District Court of Queensland
The District Court of Queensland (QDC) is the second tier in the court hierarchy of Queensland, Australia. The Court deals with serious criminal offences such as rape, armed robbery and fraud. Juries are used to decide if defendants are guilty ...
, the building together with the adjacent
Brisbane Magistrates Court
The Brisbane Magistrates Court building is located at 363 George Street, Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. The building is one of the many locations in the state that houses the Magistrates Court of Queensland.
Location and features
The bu ...
building created a legal precinct in Brisbane, which occupies an entire city block between George Street,
Roma Street and
Turbot Street. Both buildings are located adjacent to the
Roma Street railway station and
King George Square busway station
King George Square busway station is located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia serving the Brisbane central business district. It is located beneath King George Square and marks the start of the Northern Busway. The station has twelve stops on ...
.
The complex, shared between both courts, features enhanced facilities for victims of crime, witnesses, judges, lawyers and members of the public. It is one of the largest court buildings in Australia and includes 39
courtroom
A courtroom is the enclosed space in which courts of law are held in front of a judge. A number of courtrooms, which may also be known as "courts", may be housed in a courthouse. In recent years, courtrooms have been equipped with audiovisual ...
s, 1 large ceremonial court,
Queensland Court of Appeal, 23 criminal courts and 14 civil courts, the Supreme Court Library, accommodation for 68 judges and a cell block in basement. The foyer of the Supreme Court also hosts the
Sir Harry Gibbs Legal Heritage Centre, a museum dedicated to Queensland’s legal history.
The complex was named in the honour of
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
,
Queen of Australia
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
, to mark her
Diamond Jubilee
A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th anniver ...
. It was officially opened by the
Premier of Queensland
The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland.
By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...
Campbell Newman
Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman (born 12 August 1963) is a former Australian politician who served as the 38th Premier of Queensland from 26 March 2012 to 14 February 2015. He served as the member for Ashgrove in the Legislative Assembly of Quee ...
on 3 August 2012 in presence of the
Governor of Queensland
The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...
Penelope Wensley
Penelope Anne Wensley, (born 18 October 1946) is a former Australian public servant and diplomat who served as the 25th Governor of Queensland from 2008 to 2014. She was previously High Commissioner to India from 2001 to 2004 and Ambassador to ...
,
Chief Justice of Queensland
The chief justice of Queensland is the senior judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland and the highest ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of Queensland. The chief justice is both the judicial head of the Supreme Court, as well as t ...
Paul de Jersey
Paul de Jersey, (born 21 September 1948) is an Australian jurist who served as the 26th governor of Queensland, in office from 29 July 2014 to 1 November 2021. He was Chief Justice of Queensland from 1998 to 2014.
Education
De Jersey was ed ...
,
Chief Judge Patsy Wolfe,
Attorney-General of Queensland Jarrod Bleijie
Jarrod Pieter Bleijie (; born 25 January 1982) is an Australian politician in the Queensland parliament. Bleijie was elected as the member for Kawana at the 2009 state election, and is the third member since the seat's inception at the 2001 ...
,
Master of the Rolls
The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice. As a judge, the Master of ...
The Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury
David Edmond Neuberger, Baron Neuberger of Abbotsbury (; born 10 January 1948) is an English judge. He served as President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from 2012 to 2017. He was a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary until the House of Lo ...
, judge
Lady Justice Hallett,
Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal
The chief justice of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, sometimes informally known as the chief justice of Hong Kong, is the head of the Judiciary of Hong Kong and the chief judge of the Court of Final Appeal. The chief justice is one of t ...
of
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
Geoffrey Ma and
Chief Justice of New Zealand Dame Sian Elias.
The court operations commenced on 27 August 2012.
Gallery
File:Themis (sculpture) outside the Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, Brisbane, 02.jpg , The statue of Themis, "Greek Goddess of Justice" outside
Image: Brisbane Supreme and District Court 5.JPG , The Herschel Street facade of the new Law Courts Complex
Image: Brisbane Supreme and District Court 3.JPG , The Roma Street facade of the new Law Courts Complex
Image: Brisbane Supreme and District Court 2.JPG , The Roma Street facade of the new Law Courts Complex
Image: Brisbane Supreme and District Court 1.JPG , The Roma Street facade of the new Law Courts Complex
References
External links
{{commons-cat-inline, Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, Brisbane, Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law
Building at the Department of Justice and Attorney-General webpage Building at the Lend Lease webpageQueensland Courts webpage
Buildings and structures in Brisbane
Courthouses in Queensland
Government buildings completed in 2012
2012 establishments in Australia
George Street, Brisbane
Roma Street, Brisbane