In October 2018, the Victorian Law Reform Commission was asked to review and 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. We are currently considering all types of contempt in our review, including:
- contempt in the face of the court
- sub judice contempt
- contempt by publication
- juror contempt
- contempt by scandalising the court.
As an early part of the inquiry process, we published a consultation paper in May 2019, including a call for submissions. Submissions have now closed and are published here. The Attorney-General's original reporting date of 31 December 2019 was extended and the Commission delivered its report on 28 February 2020. Please note that the report will not be publicly available until after it has been tabled in Parliament, which will happen up to 14 sitting days after 28 February.
Podcast
Want a quick overview of the laws of contempt? Listen to our podcast explainer.
The Law Report - Contempt of Court
The VLRC's Anna Beesley was interviewed by Damien Carrick of the ABC's The Law Report for an episode on contempt of court. Listen to The Law Report on Radio National.
