The SV Case Management Calculator estimates the case management timeline under District Court Practice Direction 3 of 2024 for matters on the Sexual Violence List. That is the Part B pilot covering Brisbane and Ipswich District Court proceedings where the defendant is pleading not guilty.
- Go to the Tools page and click the SV Case Management Calculator card.
- Enter the indictment presentation date, pick the registry (Brisbane or Ipswich), and say whether evidence will be pre-recorded.
- Calculate. The estimated trial is called out at the top as the Monday of the week it is expected to commence (trials are listed week-commencing), and below it the timeline runs in strict date order from presentation to trial.
The Practice Direction paragraph references sit behind a “Where the timeframes come from” link under the timeline.
Why pre-recording matters
With pre-recording (affected child or special witness evidence recorded ahead of trial), the mediated case conference and directions hearing sit about two weeks before the recording. Without it, the conference sits two weeks before the Trial Readiness Hearing, and the directions hearing on the complainant’s evidence folds into the Trial Review.
Reading the timeline
- Form deadlines (shown in amber): the online Case Review and Trial Readiness forms are due at least 5 business days before their hearings. Weekends, Queensland public holidays and the registry’s show day (Ekka for Brisbane, Ipswich Show for Ipswich) are skipped, so a deadline that spans Easter or Christmas is still right.
- Hearing bounds: dates shown as “no later than” are the Practice Direction’s outer limits. The Case Review Hearing sits within 4 weeks of presentation, the Trial Readiness Hearing at least 3 months before trial, the Trial Review 7–10 days before trial.
- Estimates: the conference, pre-recording and trial dates are set by the court at the Case Review Hearing. The calculator shows a working guide (marked estimated), not a listing.
Below the timeline are the SV Case Manager contact for your registry, the Case Conference Registrar, and the link to the online forms. The Print button opens a print-ready timetable to take to court or save as a PDF.
Tip: when a client’s court date is an indictment presentation in the District Court, its detail drawer offers a “See the likely timetable” shortcut that opens the calculator pre-filled with that date.
Note: the Practice Direction applies to indictments presented on or after 2 September 2024, and the calculator warns you if the date you enter is earlier.
Once the court sets the real dates at the Case Review Hearing, work from the orders made, and add them all at once with the SV Case Schedule (see the next article).