Victorian Numbered Acts

OPEN COURTS ACT 2013 (NO. 58 OF 2013)

TABLE OF PROVISIONS

   PART 1--PRELIMINARY

   1.      Purposes  
   2.      Commencement  
   3.      Definitions  
   4.      Presumption in favour of disclosure of information  
   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  

   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 and purpose of suppression order  
   14.     Order must be made on basis of evidence or sufficient credible information  
   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.     Presumption in favour of 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  
   36.     Regulations dealing with transitional matters  

   PART 8--CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS

           Division 1--Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006

   37.     Fair hearing  

           Division 2--Coroners Act 2008

   38.     Coroners' powers at inquests  
   39.     Publication of findings and reports  
   40.     Rules of the Coroners Court  
   41.     Registers to be kept by principal registrar  
   42.     New clause 22 inserted into Schedule 1  

           Division 3--County Court Act 1958

   43.     Criminal jurisdiction of the County Court  
   44.     Rules of Court  
   45.     Power to close proceedings to the public and circumstances in which order may be made under section 80  
   46.     Publishing particulars of issued summonses an offence  
   47.     New section 98 inserted  

           Division 4--Magistrates' Court Act 1989

   48.     Rules of Court  
   49.     Register  
   50.     Business to be conducted in open court  
   51.     Power to close proceedings to the public  
   52.     New clause 52 inserted in Schedule 8  

           Division 5--Private Security Act 2004

   53.     General provisions for hearing matters involving protected information  

           Division 6--Supreme Court Act 1986

   54.     Power to close proceedings to the public and circumstances in which order may be made under section 18  
   55.     Offence to publish certain information concerning proceedings  
   56.     Rules of Court  
   57.     New section 152 inserted  

           Division 7--Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998

   58.     Secrecy  
   59.     Method of conducting hearings  
   60.     Hearings to be public unless otherwise ordered  
   61.     Consequential amendments to sections 144, 145 and 146  
   62.     New section 166 inserted  
   63.     Variations from Parts 3 and 4 for various proceedings  
   64.     Subject matter for rules  

           Division 8--Wrongs Act 1958

   65.     Heading to Part I amended  
   66.     No action maintainable against a person for faithfully reporting  

           Division 9--Repeal of amending provisions

   67.     Repeal of Part 8  
           ENDNOTES