Transcripts
A transcript is the written record of what was said in the courtroom by all persons involved in a case.
All Court proceedings heard in courtrooms are recorded. When requested, transcripts are produced from the recordings by an external transcription service used by the Court. Conferences held in conference rooms are not recorded. Recordings of courtroom proceedings are kept for six (6) years.
Only parties to the proceedings are able to obtain copies of transcript. There are charges for this service.
Requests for a Reason for Decision or Judgment are transcribed separately and can only be released by the presiding Magistrate or Judge on receipt of a written request.
Transcript Request Process
| Step No. | Description | Notes |
| 1 | Download and complete the Transcript Request Form | Use the Transcript Cost Estimator app to determine estimate of costs |
| 2 | eLodge the Transcript Request Form on the eCourts Portal | The Court will then prepare an invoice notice and send by email |
| 3 | When received, pay the transcript invoice notice on the eCourts Portal payment page within 1 month | If you do not pay within 1 month your transcript request will be cancelled |
| 4 | Upon payment the Court will order the transcript from the service provider | The service provider will produce the transcript within 7 or 14 working days as requested |
| 5 | The Court will distribute the transcript to all parties to the proceedings | Pursuant to the Case Management Guidelines |
It is recommended you order the transcript well before your next hearing or appointment to avoid inconvenience, and to ensure you receive the transcript in time to properly prepare for your hearing or appointment.
| The 7 or 14 working day turnaround period refers to the creation of the transcript by the service provider, and does not include Court processing time. |
Transcript charges and cost estimation
Transcript charges are calculated in 15 minute blocks. The current 14 working day turnaround is charged at $68.48 per 15 minute block, and 7 working day turnaround at $71.84 per 15 minute block.
Transcript costs cannot be waived, and payments cannot be refunded once the transcript has been created.
A Transcript Cost Estimator is available to calculate an estimate of the transcript costs.
Listening to a recording of the hearing
If you are unsure how much of a hearing you need to have transcribed, you can listen to the audio recording of the hearing.
You can request to listen to the audio recordings of hearings using the Audio Request Form below.
After receiving your request, the Court will contact you to arrange an appointment for you to listen to the recording. The Court does not provide a copy of the audio. The appointment will be at the court subpoena viewing area, and please note it may be several weeks before an appointment is available.
More information
For more information about transcripts please email: transcripts.familycourt@justice.wa.gov.au
Last updated: 26-Apr-2024
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