Brisbane Federal Circuit and Family Court

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCA) in Brisbane is located at the Harry Gibbs Commonwealth Law Courts building at North Quay and Tank Street in Brisbane City.

Division 1 of the FCFCA deals with family law, migration law and some general federal law. Division 2 of the FCFCA is devoted solely to family law matters, including appeals. Prior to the establishment of the FCFCA, two separate but overlapping jurisdictions existed. These were the Federal Circuit Court and Family Court of Australia. These two courts merged on 1 September 2021.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FCFCA is utilising the telephone and Microsoft Teams for the majority of court appearances. If you have a matter in court, you should enquire as to whether the matter will be dealt with in person or by phone or using Teams.

If your matter is being heard in person, you should arrive at court well before the time the matter is listed for. The FCFCA is open between 8:30am and 5:00pm. You should be neatly dressed and be prepared that it may take the whole day for your matter to be heard. There are no child-minding facilities at court unless you are attending court-ordered mediation, in which case you can request those facilities from the registry. Generally, children should not be brought to court.

The court list is published in the foyer (for the day of the hearing) and on the FCFCA website (after 5pm on the day before the hearing). There are strict rules regarding the publication of the list and the list must not be reproduced. There is also strictly no recording or photography in the courts.

There is a paid car park across from the Brisbane FCFCA. The courts are also not far from Roma Street train station and various buses.

If you have fears for your safety when coming into contact with a former partner at court, you can contact the registry to arrange entry through an alternate entrance.