There are a range of courts and tribunals which have different jurisdiction. The Court hierarchy supports the appeal process and the doctrine of precedent.
Legislation outlines the jurisdiction for each court or tribunal and whether they hear civil or criminal cases or both.
Courts may have original jurisdiction and/or appellate jurisdiction.
- A court's original jurisdiction decides what cases must start in that court. Eg in Queensland, charges for traffic infringements are first heard in the Magistrate's court, but charges for murder are first heard in the Supreme Court
- A court's appellate jurisdiction decides when the court may hear an appeal from another court. Eg, if you want to appeal the decision of a Magistrate on a traffic fine, you have to appeal to the District Court.
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