Victorian Current Acts

OPEN COURTS ACT 2013

TABLE OF PROVISIONS

   PART 1--PRELIMINARY

   1.      Purposes  
   2.      Commencement  
   3.      Definitions  
   4.      Principle of open justice prevails unless circumstances require displacement  
   5.      Abrogation of common law and no implied jurisdiction  
   6.      Jurisdiction and powers of courts and tribunals to deal with contempt  
   7.      Admission of evidence and disclosure of information to a court or tribunal or party to a proceeding  
   8.      Other laws restricting or prohibiting publication not affected  
   8A.     Handing down and delivering judgments by electronic communication does not contravene rules of law relating to open justice  
   8B.     Certain measures in relation to proceeding or hearing do not contravene rules of law relating to open justice  
   8C.     Court may restrict or prohibit publication of transcript provided under section 8B  

   PART 2--GENERAL PROVISIONS FOR SUPPRESSION ORDERS

   9.      Application of Part  
   10.     Notice of applications for suppression orders  
   11.     Notifications to relevant news media organisations  
   12.     Duration of orders  
   13.     Scope of information covered by order  
   14.     Order must be made on basis of evidence or sufficient credible information  
   14A.    Statement of reasons for making a suppression order  
   15.     Review of orders  
   16.     Duty to publish reasons, judgments or decisions  

   PART 3--PROCEEDING SUPPRESSION ORDERS

   17.     Court or tribunal may make proceeding suppression order  
   18.     Grounds for proceeding suppression order  
   19.     Procedure for making a proceeding suppression order  
   20.     Interim orders  
   21.     Where a proceeding suppression order applies  
   22.     Exceptions for conduct of proceeding, enforcement or informing persons of existence of proceeding suppression orders or interim orders  
   23.     Offence to contravene proceeding suppression order or interim order  

   PART 4--BROAD SUPPRESSION ORDERS

   24.     Application of this Part  
   25.     County Court may grant injunction restraining publication in relation to criminal proceeding  
   26.     Magistrates' Court may make order prohibiting publication of specified material  
   27.     Offence to contravene order under section 26(1)  

   PART 5--CLOSED COURT ORDERS

   28.     Principle of open justice and hearings in open court  
   29.     Jurisdiction and powers of courts and tribunals to regulate proceedings  
   30.     Power to close proceeding to the public  
   31.     Requirement to post notice of closed court order on door of court or tribunal  
   32.     Offence to contravene closed court order  

   PART 6--GENERAL

   33.     Regulations  

   PART 7--TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

   34.     Transitional  
   35.     Power to resolve transitional difficulties in proceeding  
           ENDNOTES