FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS ACT 1975 - SECT 13
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS ACT 1975 - SECT 13
13—Confidentiality of proceedings
(1) "Protected
information" is information relating to an application under this Act
(including images) that identifies, or may lead to the identification
of—
(a) an
applicant; or
(b) a
person who is related to, or associated with, an applicant or is, or is
alleged to be, in any other way connected in the matter to which the
application relates; or
(c) a
witness in the hearing of the application.
(2) A person who
publishes protected information is guilty of an offence.
Maximum penalty: $5 000 or imprisonment for 1 year.
(3) A person who
discloses protected information knowing that, in consequence of the
disclosure, the information will, or is likely to, be published is guilty of
an offence.
Maximum penalty: $5 000 or imprisonment for 1 year.
(4) This section does
not apply to—
(a) the
publication or disclosure of material—
(i)
by a court or an employee of the Courts Administration
Authority (so long as such publication or disclosure is made in connection
with the administrative functions of the court); or
(ii)
for purposes associated with the administration of this
Act or another Act relevant to the application; or
(b) the
publication in printed or electronic form of material that—
(i)
consists solely or primarily of the reported judgments or
decisions of a court; or
(ii)
is of a technical nature designed primarily for use by
legal practitioners.
(5) In this
section—
"newspaper" means a newspaper, journal, magazine or other publication that is
published at periodic intervals;
"publish" means publish by newspaper, radio or television, or on the internet,
or by some other similar means of communication to the public.