If you have to go to court for a Domestic Violence Order, you can get legal advice about what will happen in court.
You can also talk to a support service that helps people who have experienced domestic and family violence through the Domestic Violence Order process at court. For your local service see support at court.
These services may be able to help you:
- understand what the conditions mean on a Domestic Violence Order
- understand what to expect at court
- plan for your safety – for example, if you’re worried about seeing the other person at court
- find other local services that can help you.
Going to court can be a slow process and you may need to go to court a few times before the case goes to a hearing.
A hearing is when both sides tell the court their story, and the court makes a final decision.
A case will only go to a hearing if the person the order is against disagrees to the order being made.
What will happen on the first day at court may depend on:
- if the case is urgent
- if the person who applied for the order turns up at court
- if the person the order is against:
- turns up at court
- has been served with (given) the application
- agrees to it being made or disagrees
- needs more time to get legal advice.
What happens at court is a bit different in each State and Territory, you can get legal advice about what to expect.
See resources for more detailed information about what happens at court in your State or Territory.
