New South Wales Consolidated Acts

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE ACT 1986 - SECT 314

314 Media access to court documents

(1) On application to the registrar, a media representative is entitled to inspect any document relating to criminal proceedings, at any time from when the proceedings commence until the expiry of 2 working days after they are finally disposed of, for the purpose of compiling a fair report of the proceedings for publication.

(2) The documents that a media representative is entitled to inspect under this section are copies of the indictment, court attendance notice or other document commencing the proceedings, witnesses’ statements tendered as evidence, brief of evidence, police fact sheet (in the case of a guilty plea), transcripts of evidence and any record of a conviction or an order.

(3) The registrar is not required to make documents available for inspection if the documents are not in the possession or control of the registrar.

(4) The registrar must not make documents available for inspection if:

(a) the proceedings are subject to an order prohibiting their publication or a suppression order, or

(b) the documents are prohibited from being published or disclosed by or under any other Act or law.

(4A) This section does not limit the operation of any other Act or law under which a person may be permitted to inspect documents relating to criminal proceedings.