What is the highest court in Australia called?

The highest court in Australia is called the High Court of Australia.

The court was created by section 71 of the Australian Constitution and began sitting in 1903, shortly after Australian federation. Its first sitting took place in Melbourne on 6 October 1903, with Sir Samuel Griffith as the inaugural Chief Justice. The court was later based in Canberra, where it now sits in the Parliamentary Triangle.

The High Court interprets the Constitution, decides important federal questions, and hears appeals from federal, state and territory courts, usually by special leave. It is therefore both Australia’s final court of appeal and the country’s constitutional court.

A common mix-up is to call it the “Supreme Court of Australia.” Australia has state and territory Supreme Courts, but the national apex court’s official name is the High Court of Australia. The Federal Court is also a major national court, but it is not the highest court.