Open Justice Report

12 July 2022

Today I tabled in Parliament the NSW Law Reform Commission report Open Justice: Court and tribunal information: access, disclosure and publication.

The report and its annexures are more than 630 pages long and make 156 recommendations about the laws that govern the disclosure and publication of court and tribunal information, and court suppression and non-publication orders, as well as who has access to information and in what circumstances.

In 2019 I asked the Law Reform Commission to consider whether NSW laws strike the right balance between promoting the administration of justice, the rights of victims and witnesses, privacy, confidentiality, public safety, the right to a fair trial, national security, commercial and business interests, and the public interest in open justice.

The review involves a complex area of law, which required analysis of over 50 individual statutes.

I thank the Law Reform Commission for its significant work on producing the project over the last three years. In particular, I acknowledge former Chairperson Alan Cameron AO for his leadership of this project.

I also thank the many organisations and individuals who contributed to the report through written submissions, including judicial officers, legal practitioners, academics, community groups and the media. These submissions provided valuable input into the Law Reform Commission’s important work.

The Law Reform Commission received written submissions from these stakeholders on its consultation papers and draft proposals, consulted widely in person and remotely with people across NSW and also conducted an online survey.

The Government is carefully considering the report’s 156 recommendations with the care and diligence these complex matters deserve.

Download: Open Justice Report

Download media release: Open Justice Report media release (PDF , 164.3 KB)