The courts which have jurisdiction or authority in Western Australia are the High Court of Australia, the Federal Court of Australia, the Supreme Court of Western Australia, the Family Court of Western Australia, the District Court of Western Australia, the Magistrates Court and the Children's Court.
Courts operate in a hierarchical system. This means that a court is bound by any decisions of a higher court.
In Western Australia, the hierarchy moves upwards from the Magistrates Court to the District Court and then to the Supreme Court. To go above the Supreme Court, a case must go to the High Court of Australia, the ultimate court from which there is no appeal.
In deciding what the law is or what it should be where there is no legislation and no higher decision, state courts will have regard to decisions of other state courts and courts in common law countries overseas, particularly England and Wales, Canada, the United States and New Zealand.
