Contempt of Court, Judicial Proceedings Reports Act 1958 and Enforcement Processes

Project Status:

Tabled in parliament

Start Date:

12/10/2018

Tabled in Parliament Date:

04/08/2020

Reference

In October 2018 the Attorney-General asked the VLRC to consider contempt of court law reform. Contempt of court is any conduct that risks interfering with the ability of the courts to perform their role. It has developed over centuries through decisions made by courts, but is not currently defined in legislation.

In February 2020 the Commission delivered its report on the law relating to contempt of court, the possible reform of the Judicial Proceedings Reports Act 1958, and the legal framework for enforcement of prohibitions or restrictions on the publication of information.

The report was tabled in Parliament and published on 4 August 2020. The key recommendation is that Victoria needs a Contempt of Court Act to define different types of contempt and make the law clearer and fairer. The report goes into detail about the law reforms that should be included in the new Act, including new definitions.

The report and consultation paper can be viewed in different formats by following the links below.

The Commission also recommended the modernisation of the Judicial Proceedings Reports Act 1958 (Vic) which covers what can be reported about court cases. In particular, the bans on publishing material about indecent matters and about divorce should be removed.  To find out if our recommendations have become law, visit the Implementation page.

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Project Stage

  • Terms of reference received
  • Submissions and consultations
  • Submissions closed
  • Final Report
  • Tabled in parliament

Publications

Publication Date

04/08/2020

The VLRC’s Contempt of Court report was tabled in Parliament on 4 August 2020. Read more
Publication Date

04/08/2020

The VLRC’s Contempt of Court report was tabled in Parliament on 4 August 2020. Read more
Publication Date

04/08/2020

The VLRC’s Contempt of Court report was tabled in Parliament on 4 August 2020. Read more
Publication Date

25/11/2019

The Commission received the following submissions to its inquiry. Read more
Publication Date

01/05/2019

The Consultation Paper explains the scope of the review and the Commission’s approach. In undertaking this review, the Commission focuses on the most common and problematic manifestations of the common law of contempt of court, namely: • contempts in or near the courtroom—also known as contempt in the face of…
Publication Date

01/05/2019

The Consultation Paper explains the scope of the review and the Commission’s approach. In undertaking this review, the Commission focuses on the most common and problematic manifestations of the common law of contempt of court, namely: • contempts in or near the courtroom—also known as contempt in the face of… Read more
Publication Date

01/05/2019

The Consultation Paper explains the scope of the review and the Commission’s approach. In undertaking this review, the Commission focuses on the most common and problematic manifestations of the common law of contempt of court, namely: • contempts in or near the courtroom—also known as contempt in the face of… Read more
Publication Date

12/10/2018