Collect, conserve, interpret and research Western Australia’s legal and social history
Provide visitors with a unique Western Australian experience that stimulates discussion and reflection
Represent Aboriginal, British and Australian systems of law
Be a site of ‘unforgetting’ Aboriginal peoples’ experiences of justice and injustice under colonial rule of law
Your tax deductable donation will enable us to care for the oldest building in Perth, support us to grow and digitise our collection, energise the creation of new and exciting exhibitions and provide access to country kids through our education resources
Expanding Accessibility to the Museum
Ensuring the Collection Reaches a Wider Audience
Redesigning and Interpreting the Judge’s Chambers
Give & Grow
We have launched our Give & Grow campaign!
When you become a donor as part of Give & Grow, your generosity goes further, creating a long-term ripple effect to impact positive change. Now is your chance to come on board as an individual or organisational donor. You will help to fulfill the Museum’s campaign goals of expanding access to the Museum, improving the visitor experience, digitising the Collection to share with the world and undertaking important collection management of over 2,000 items that tell the story of Western Australia’s legal and social history.
Become a member of our Give & Grow community and help fuel the growth of the Museum for the benefit of the next generation.
All donations over $2 are tax deductible. Let’s grow together.
The more you give, the more we can achieve.
Support us
As a contemporary Museum, we collect, conserve and interpret Western Australia’s legal and social histories, our shared histories, from past to present.
Interpretation at the Museum aims to reflect diverse Western Australian voices and lived experiences of the law, its reach and impact.
Donations are tax-deductible and ensure the Museum remains free and open 6 days a week, while also supporting the conservation and interpretation of the Collection for future generations.
There are a number of ways to donate to the Museum:
- Donate Online here
Electronic Funds Transfer
You can donate via Electronic Funds Transfer (once-off or direct debit) via the following bank account.
Account Name: Old Court House Law Museum
BSB: 066-000
Account No: 134 02841
Payment reference: Museum Donation – Your Name
Please email your EFT receipt to accounts@lawsocietywa.asn.au to ensure a tax deductible receipt is issued.
Speak to us directly
Please contact Aine Whelan on 9324 8629 for a confidential discussion.
Are you interested in volunteering at the Museum? Please complete the online expression of interest form.
As a contemporary Museum, we collect, conserve and interpret Western Australia’s legal and social histories, our shared histories, from past to present.
Interpretation at the Museum aims to reflect diverse Western Australian voices and lived experiences of the law, its reach and impact.
Donations are tax-deductible and ensure the Museum remains free and open 6 days a week, while also supporting the conservation and interpretation of the Collection for future generations.
How to donate and support the Museum:
Donate online
You can donate via credit card by completing the online donation form.
All donations over $2.00 are tax deductible and every gift supports the Museum’s work for current and future generations.
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
You can donate via EFT (once-off or direct debit).
Account Details:
Account Name: Old Court House Law Museum
BSB: 066-000
Account No: 134 02841
Payment reference: Museum Donation – Your Name
Please email your EFT receipt to accounts@lawsocietywa.asn.au to ensure a tax deductible receipt is issued.
Speak to us directly
Please contact Áine Whelan on 9324 8629 for a confidential discussion.
Volunteer at the Museum
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at the Museum, please complete the expression of interest form.
Your donation will help us:
Equity of Access
Remain Free and Open 6 Days a Week
Expanding accessibility relies on the Museum remaining open on weekends and maintaining the staffing and other resources to do so.
As the Old Court House Law Museum offers free entry to ensure equity of access, help us keep the doors open six days a week and free to the public.
“This building and its history is unique and so important to retain and preserve. Long may it continue.” Visitor feedback, 2023.
Visitor Experience
Gallery Re-design
Improving the visitor experience within the Museum focuses on the redesign of the Judge’s Chamber interpretation (redesign, fabrication and install) as well as other elements of interpretation in other galleries.
This initiative will further public access to Western Australia’s legal and social history through the curation of interpretive display content that utilises a more diverse range of voices including a new film about Aboriginal Law.
This work will allow us to improve display of our significant objects and update the audio-visual elements in the galleries to enhance our interpretation of themes in the Museum and improve the visitor experience.
Collection Reach and Impact
Maintain Collection for Future Generations
The Museum Collection is deemed to be of State, National and International significance.
“The Museum collection is nationally significant for its close inter-relationship with and direct provenance to the building, its functions, communities and people whose history the collections embody, and the exhibitions interpret.” Dr Joanna Sassoon, Statement of Significance of the Old Court House Law Museum.
This project enables the Museum to undertake essential and ambitious projects to digitise and research the Museum Collection and maximise its cultural impact.
Digitisation ensures that details of each collection object are captured through photography, historic research and material analysis. Digital records will then be made publicly accessible through an online database. Publishing the Collection online democratises access and allows our Collection and its themes to contribute to the wider research field locally, nationally and internationally.
Supporting Collection research work enables the Museum to collaborate with experts in a range of legal, historic and conservation fields, facilitating a range of projects to ensure our collection is maintained and its cultural relevance is fully realised. This work will simultaneously create jobs and opportunities in the cultural and heritage fields and build the Museum’s connections with the wider community.
Year in Review 2023-2024
The Old Court House Law Museum made significant progress towards its goals as detailed in the Year in Review 2023-2024. Significant achievements included:
- The trialling of weekend opening from Jan 2024; a great success with visitation increasing 62% to 12,129 total visitors; and
- Additional resourcing allowing the Museum to progress its collection management priority, particularly regarding conservation and digitisation initiatives to expand access to the Collection.
Donor support has contributed to expanding the reach and impact of the Museum as we work to shift the Museum from a hidden treasure to a must see Western Australian cultural heritage site.
Click below to read the full review.
