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Provides legal services to people in special need throughout Western Australia. Legal Aid is an independent statutory body. Legal services are provided by staff and also by lawyers in private practice.
ALSWA provides legal aid services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout Western Australia in accordance with grant conditions imposed by the Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department.
Driver and Vehicle Services is responsible for administering all aspects of driver and vehicle licensing in WA in accordance with the relevant Acts and associated Regulations. Driver and Vehicle Services must also keep an accurate and up-to-date record of client information:
- To ensure the correct identity and addresses of all clients, for the purposes of correspondence.
- To ensure that clients pay the correct fees for licensing services.
- To prevent driver and vehicle licences being issued fraudulently.
- To help enforce the traffic laws of Western Australia.
State government agency protecting the interests of consumers.
If you need to have a document witnessed, a Justice of the Peace (JP) will assist you.
Department of Justice, Corrective Services
The Department of Justice, Corrective Services fulfils its obligations by:
- providing offender management services that protect the community
- giving offenders the interventions they need to make a positive difference in their lives and reduce their involvement in the criminal justice system
- supporting offenders to become responsible citizens by adopting law-abiding lifestyles
- promoting crime prevention.
The Children's Court of Western Australia deals with offences alleged to have been committed by young people aged 10 to 17 years.
The Prisoners Review Board has authority to grant, defer or refuse parole, taking into account factors affecting the offender, victims of crime and, most importantly, the safety of the community.
The Coroners Court of Western Australia is a specialist court established to investigate certain types of deaths. The purpose of these investigations is to determine the cause and manner of death and also to consider ways that similar deaths may be prevented in the future.
Criminal Injuries Compensation
Compensation can be awarded for suffering bodily harm, mental or nervous shock, or pregnancy, resulting from an offence.
The Supreme Court is the State's highest court, with responsibility for both criminal and civil matters. It is also the State's main appeal court. The Supreme Court is divided into two divisions - the General Division and the Court of Appeal.
The District Court is an intermediate trial court placing it between the Magistrates Court and the Supreme Court in the Western Australian courts hierarchy. The District Court deals with serious criminal offences including serious assaults, sexual assaults, serious fraud and commercial theft, burglary and drug offences. The District Court also determines civil claims up to $750,000 and has unlimited jurisdiction in claims for damages for personal injury.
Family Court of Western Australia
The Family Court of Western Australia was established in 1976 as a State court under the Family Court Act 1975. The court is presided over by judges, magistrates and registrars. It is vested with State and Federal jurisdiction in matters of family law and deals with divorce, property of a marriage or defacto relationship, matters relating to children, maintenance, adoptions and surrogacy.
The State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) in Western Australia deals with a broad range of administrative, commercial and personal matters. These matters span human rights, vocational regulation, commercial and civil disputes, and development and resources issues. The Tribunal is the primary place for the review of decisions made by Government agencies, public officials and local governments. It also makes a wide variety of original decisions.
Last updated: 3-Apr-2023
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