These rules, which come into force on 1 September 2024, amend the District Court (Access to Court Documents) Rules 2017 (the principal rules). The principal rules provide for access to court documents in the custody or control of the District Court relating to civil proceedings, criminal proceedings, and appeals.

These rules amend rule 11 of the principal rules provides that any person (a requestor) may make a request to the Registrar of the District Court (the Registrar) to access a court document relating to a proceeding or an appeal if they are not otherwise entitled to access the document. On receiving a request, the Registrar must promptly give a copy of the request to the parties to the relevant proceeding or appeal, or to the parties’ lawyers.

The amendment to rule 11 of the principal rules means that the Registrar, when giving a copy of the request to the parties or to their lawyers, is required to redact the address of the requestor. This amendment is to ensure the confidentiality of the requestor’s personal information.