DISTRICT COURT ACT 1991 - SECT 51
DISTRICT COURT ACT 1991 - SECT 51
51—Rules of Court
(1) Rules of the Court
may be made—
(a)
regulating the business of the Court and the duties of the various officers of
the Court; and
(b)
authorising the Masters or Judicial Registrars to exercise any part of the
jurisdiction of the Court; and
(ba)
regulating the making of bail applications, including limiting the making of
bail applications to the Court in circumstances where the application may be
made to another court; and
(c)
regulating the practice and procedure of the Court (including in its appellate
jurisdiction); and
(ca)
imposing mutual obligations on parties to proceedings in the Court to disclose
to each other the contents of expert reports or other material of relevance to
the proceedings before the proceedings are brought to trial; and
(cb)
regulating the referral of an action or issues arising in an action to
mediation or arbitration, the conduct of mediations or arbitrations or the
referral of questions for investigation and report by an expert; and
(d)
regulating the form in which evidence may be taken; and
(da)
empowering the Court—
(i)
to order the carrying out of a biological or other
scientific test that may be relevant to the determination of a question before
the Court; and
(ii)
to include in such an order directions about the carrying
out of the test and, in particular, directions requiring a person (including a
party to the proceedings) to submit to the test or to have a child or other
person who is not of full legal capacity submit to the test; and
(iii)
if a party is required to submit to the test, or to have
another submit to the test—to include in the order a stipulation that,
if the party fails to comply with the order, the question to which the test is
relevant will be resolved adversely to the party; and
(e)
giving law clerks limited rights of appearance before the Court; and
(f)
regulating costs; and
(g)
dealing with any other matter necessary or expedient for the effective and
efficient operation of the Court.
(2) Rules of the Court
may be made by the Chief Judge and any two or more other Judges.
(3) The rules take
effect as from the date of publication in the Gazette or a later date
specified in the rules.