I was asked to provide some insight into the legal proceedings involved with a committal mention, and committal hearing in this thread. Please note that I’m not a lawyer, but the below is my understanding.
There are a few stages before a serious criminal matter ends up being dealt with at a trial.
First, once police make an arrest and press charges, it must be determined if there is enough evidence to send the matter to trial. This is the purpose of the committal process.
The first hearing in the committal process is called a Filing Hearing. At this hearing, a magistrate will determine and set dates by which the prosecution and defence must exchange relevant information (for example serving briefs of evidence). Bail applications can also be lodged at this time, if relevant. A date for a commital mention will also be set.
At the commital mention hearing, the court will hear what areas exist where there is disagreement between the parties, which are called the matters in dispute. Witnesses can sometimes be cross examined at this stage if the magistrate gives permission.
If the accused chooses to plead guilty, some matters may be heard and determined at this stage, the accused getting credit when sentenced for resolving the matter at this early stage.
If the accused is not pleading guilty, a date is set for the Committal Hearing, where the matters in dispute & the evidence against the accused will be heard in court. The number of witnesses, their availability and the number of matters in dispute will help determine the date and expected length of the Committal Hearing. The nature of the matters in dispute may help to determine which witnesses are needed at the Committal Hearing.
At the Commital Hearing, the magistrate will hear the evidence of the prosecution & decide whether there is enough evidence to send the accused for trial. If the matter is sent for trial, it will proceed to a higher jurisdiction. That trial will determine the guilt or otherwise of the accused, but may afterwards be subject to an appeal in a higher court.
As Bohemian suggested, judge only trials are not an option in Victoria.
If there are any questions regarding them, I’m happy to answer them to the best of my ability.