Mention.
This is the first time you will appear in court and will typically be in the Local Court, no matter how serious the alleged offence is.
It is very important that either you or you lawyer attends on this day, because if not, the case could be decided in your absence.
If you are on bail, you will be required to attend court even if a lawyer is also attending for you.
At the mention you can plead guilty, not guilty or ask for an adjournment to seek legal advice.
If you plead guilty and the charge is relatively minor, the magistrate will normally move to sentencing and impose a penalty that very day.
If you plead guilty to a more serious case, the magistrate may order that you obtain a pre-sentence report (PSR) from community corrections (formerly called the probation and parole service).
A PSR will outline the options available to the magistrate other than full-time imprisonment. For example, it may find you eligible for a supervised good behaviour bond or community service order.
If a community corrections officer is at the courthouse that day, you may be able to get a duty PSR and have your case finalised on the day.
If the magistrate orders a full PSR, your case will normally be adjourned for 6 to 8 weeks to enable community corrections to prepare a detailed report.
If your case is very serious, it may need to be committed (sent) to a higher court such as the District Court for sentencing.
If you plead not guilty at your mention, your case will normally be adjourned for another mention in 6 weeks to enable police to serve all of their statements and other evidence against you.
Once the materials are served, the case will proceed to a Defended Local Court Hearing.
If you plead not guilty to a serious charge, it will ultimately reach a committal hearing.