Court Orderly
A Court Orderly manages the administrative and logistical operations of a courtroom or court registry in Australian federal, state, or local court systems. They prepare courtrooms for proceedings, manage case files and exhibits, summon witnesses and parties, and ensure compliance with court procedures and judicial direction.
What this job is
A Court Orderly manages the administrative and logistical operations of a courtroom or court registry in Australian federal, state, or local court systems. They prepare courtrooms for proceedings, manage case files and exhibits, summon witnesses and parties, and ensure compliance with court procedures and judicial direction. The role operates within strict regulatory frameworks established by state or federal court rules and Acts.
Are employers advertising this role?
Rising, up 65.5% over 5 years
Counted across a group of similar roles. These are three-month rolling averages of online job advertisements, not filled positions.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index.
Day-to-day
Prepare courtrooms before hearings by arranging furniture, testing audio-visual equipment, and setting up witness boxes and judicial benches according to court layout standards. Swear in witnesses using prescribed oath or affirmation procedures and manage witness conduct during examination-in-chief, cross-examination, and re-examination. Manage court files, exhibits, and documentation by organising, filing, and retrieving case materials in compliance with court registry procedures and retention schedules. Serve summons, subpoenas, and court notices to parties, witnesses, and legal representatives within timeframes specified by court orders or legislation. Record attendance and announce proceedings using standard court phraseology, including opening and closing statements as directed by judicial officers. Maintain exhibit lists and chain-of-custody records for physical evidence presented during trials, ensuring secure storage and accurate documentation. Assist judicial officers and registrars by taking instructions, distributing court documents, and managing court lists and hearing schedules. Ensure courtroom compliance with courtroom behaviour protocols established by court rules and judicial direction, including addressing disruptions.
Who does this now
About 1,400 people worked in this occupation across Australia at the 2021 Census.
Is it steady
E-filing and digital court management are reducing manual work in many courts. Courtroom coordination tends to stay human-led.
What this role asks for
Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3)
Can employers fill these jobs
Employers hiring for this occupation were generally able to find suitable applicants in 2025. This measures how hard employers found it to fill jobs. It is not a count of jobs, and it does not say whether the occupation is growing.
Requirements
The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.
The honest hard part
You're bound by strict court procedures with zero flexibility, meaning repetitive work managing files and exhibits day after day. If you're easily bored by routine admin tasks, this will wear you down.
Where the jobs are
You'll find them in federal courts (spread across capitals), state district and supreme courts, and local courts in urban areas. Regional courts exist but are far fewer. Practically speaking, metro areas dominate. This isn't remote work.
Pay
Published for ANZSCO unit group 5992, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.
This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.
Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
Skills
- Active Listeningcore
- Attention to Detailcore
- Confidentiality and Privacy Compliancecore
- Conflict De-escalationcore
- Court Filing and Deadline Managementcore
- Incident Reportingcore
- Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
- Record Managementcore
- Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
- Time Management and Prioritisationcore
- Verbal Communicationcore
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Civil law
- Civil process order
- Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
- Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
- Legal Research
- Legal Terminology
- Multitasking
- Professional Boundaries Maintenance
- Risk Identification
- Stakeholder Communication
- Written Communication
Which of these do you have?
Tick the ones you haveCommon questions
Sources
- ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
- ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
- ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.
Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.
Last updated: 30 October 2026
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