Children's Court of Western Australia

{{Short description|State court in Western Australia}} {{Full citations needed |date=March 2025}} {{Use Australian English|date=June 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}} thumb|Perth Children's Court The '''Children's Court of Western Australia''' is a state court that hears cases involving children (aged 10 to 17 years) accused of committing criminal offences.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.childrenscourt.wa.gov.au|title=Children's Court of Western Australia}}</ref> It was originally called the '''Perth Children's Court''' when it was created in 1907<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/wa/biogs/WE00407b.htm | title=State Children Act 1907 - Summary | Find & Connect }}</ref> by the State Children's Act, but became known as the Children's Court of Western Australia when the Children's Court of Western Australia Act 1988 was passed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/consol_act/ccowaa1988385|title=Children's Court of Western Australia Act 1988|publisher=Australasian Legal Information Institute}}</ref>

In 1988, Sue Gordon was appointed as magistrate to the Perth Children's Court, making her the first Indigenous Australian magistrate in Western Australia.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.nzfvc.org.nz/accan/speakers/gordon.shtml | title = Keynote Speaker: Sue Gordon | work = Australasian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect | access-date = 2007-04-28 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070320040919/http://www.nzfvc.org.nz/accan/speakers/gordon.shtml | archive-date = 20 March 2007}}</ref>

The current purpose-built Court building was constructed by Cooper & Oxley and officially opened on 9 June 1992. Previously the Court was housed in St George's Hall in Hay Street until it was re-located in 1977 to the former East Perth Primary School buildings. The Court is currently located at 160 Pier Street, Perth, although children's court cases are heard in other courthouses throughout the state.

== References == {{Reflist}}

== Further reading == * {{cite book|title=The Children Court, Perth, Western Australia, during two decades|author=Arthur Lovekin|author-link=Arthur Lovekin|publisher=Government Printer|year=1929|url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/12760894}} * Geraldine, Byrne (July 1992) ''History of the Perth Children's Court''. Law Society of Western Australia (pages 6–7)

Category:Courthouses in Perth, Western Australia Category:Western Australian courts and tribunals Category:Children's courts in Australia Category:1907 establishments in Australia Category:Courts and tribunals established in 1907