How does the Drug Court take referrals from District and Local Courts?

All Local and District Courts in NSW have a statutory duty to make inquiries and refer persons who appear eligible and willing to the Drug Court.

Once a person who appears to be eligible and willing is identified, the judicial officer at the referring court should make orders referring the matter to the Drug Court closest to where the person resides.

The Court Officer must contact the Drug Court registry closest to where the person resides to provide the details of the referral. These details are then added to a randomised ballot.

The Drug Court registry will notify the referring court of the outcome of the referral after the team meeting is completed and ballot discussions have been finalised on the ‘ballot day’ (Mondays (Hunter and Dubbo) and Thursdays (Parramatta and Sydney)).

Refer to our Guide to referring eligible persons fact sheet (PDF, 180.5 KB) to learn more.