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Supreme Court (Rules of Procedure) Act 1987
1Supreme Court (Rules of Procedure) Act 1987
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NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA
No. 37 of I9B7
PART I - PRELIMINARY
1. SHORT TITLE
Thís Act may be cíted as the Supreme Court (RuLes of
Procedure) Act 7987.
2, COMMENCEMENT
AN ACT
lAssented to 13 October, 1987]
T)E it enacted by the Legislltive Assem.b.ly.of the, Norther¡ Territory of
ö " Àñäúr",- *i1¡, the issent as prt''vitló.1 by the N,rrher¡r Territory
(Se1Í'-Government) Act l97B of the Commonweâlth' ¿ìs follows:
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(1 ) Sectíons 1
the day on which th
is given.
and 2 shall come into oPeration on
e Adminístratorrs assent to this Act
(2) The remaining provisions of thís Act shall come
into operation on a date to be fixed by the Admínistrator
by notice ín the Gazette.
3. PRINCIPAL ACT
The Supreme Court Act is in this Act referred to as
the Principal Act.
Govgmm€nt Prinler ot lhe Nonh6m Temlory
Pr¡ce: S1 10
Suprene Court (Rules of Procedure)
4. REPEAL
(1) The Rul-es of the Supreme Court of the Northern
Territory of Australia comprísíng the Statutory Rules and
Regulations specified in the Schedule (other than Orders
64 and 69, and the Second and Fourth Schedules to, those
Rules) are repealed.
(2) The Supreme Court (Justíces Appeals) Rules,
comprísing Statutory Rules L969, No. 167, are repealed.
5. DEFINITION
In this Act ttnerd Rulestt means the Rules of the
Supreme Court ratified, va1ídated and approved under
sectioû 6(1) or, except in section 7, those Rules as
¡mended from time to time.
PART II - VALIDATION OF RULES
6. VALIDATION OF NET' RULES
(1) The Ru1es of the Supreme Court conditionally
made by the Judges of the Supreme Court on 31 JuIy 1987
and subsequently tabled in the Legislative Assembly are by
this Act rãtífíed, validated and approved.
To the extent that the new Rules are, or a direction
under section 9 Ís, inconsístent wlth the Príncípal Act as
¡mended by this Act or with any other Act, those Rules or
that directíon, as the case may be, shall prevail.
PART III - INTERIM PROVISIONS
8. AMENDMENT oF RULES
(2) The ne$r Rules are for all purposes
for the purpose of beíng amended) to be taken
of Court duly made under the Princípal Act by
of the Supreme Court.
7 . CONFLICT BEThTEEN NEId RULES, &c. , AND ACTS
For the purposes only of av.oiding
in the new Ru1es or between the new Rules
(a) the Principal Act as amended
(b) any other Act,
( including
to be Rules
the Judges
an ínconsistency
and -
by thís Act; or
the e Supreme Court $/ho are not actíng or
add r .or a majority of them, rây nake Rules
of the new Rules notwithstanding that, but
f.or they may not have the power tõ make such
RuI
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Supreme Court (Rules of Procedure)
9. CHIEF JUSTICE MAY GIVE DIRECTIONS
(1 ) For the PurPos
tency in the new Rules
(a) the Principal Act as amended by thís Act; or
(b) any other Act'
but without limiting the Chief Justícers powers under
section 72 of the Prlncipal Act as amended by this Act,
the Chief Justice may give directions relating to a matter
of practice or procedure of the Court notlsithstanding
thal, but for this section, the Chief Justíce may not have
the power to give such a direction, and the matter shall
be governed according to those directions.
(2) A under subsection (1) which,
but for that beyond the power of the Chief
Justice to g s sooner approved by Rules of
Court made u have no force or effect after
the expirâtion of 6 months after the date on which ít was
gaven.
10. TIME LII4IT oN EXERCISE OF PO\47ER UNDER THIS PART
Rules of Court shall not be made under sectíon 8 nor
a direction given under section 9(1) Iater than 5 years
after the commencement of this Act (other than sectíons 1
and 2 of this Act).
PART IV - CONSEQUENTIAL A}ÍENDMENTS
11. INTERPRETATION
Section 9 of the Principal Act ís amended -
(a) by omitting the definition of "Rules" and
substituting the following:
'rtRulesr means the Rules of Court made under this
Act or ratífíed, validated and approved under
the Supreme Court (Rufes of Procedure) ¿'ct
7987; "; and
by adding at the end the following:
e only of avoiding
between the nerl an inconsis-
Rules and -or
re Northern
¡ Rules and
:han Orders
to, those
-s ) Rules,
repealed.
es of the
rved under
Rules as
ditionatly
July 1987
bly are by
( incì-uding
o be Ru1es
the Judges
direc tion
pal Act as
e Rules or
L.
)nsistency
Act; or
acting or
ake Rules
that, but
make such
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(b)
" (2)
Iegislatíve
(a) a
In this or any other Act or an instrument of a
or administratíve charact.er, a reference to -
rule or decree of the Court shall be taken to
a reference to an order of the Court; or
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be
(b) a writ of prohibition, mandamus or certiorari
by which the Court had before the corrunencement
of Parts II and IV of the Supreme Court (¡ules
of Procedure) ect 7987 jurisdiction to grant
3
supreme Court (Ãu-Zes of Procedure)
relief or a remedY shal1 be taken to
."i...t "" to the judgment by which the
frây, aft.er that commencement, grant that
crr" ietnudy under this Act and the Rules' " '
bea
Court
rel ie f
F
12. NEl{ SECTION
The Principal Act is amended by inserting in Part I'
after section 9, the following:
''94, ABOLITION OF DISTINCTION BETI.{EEN COURT AND CITAMBERS
chambers is
" (1) The distinction
abolished.
between court and
Act in
II and
7987 a
Judge -
q
"(2) Nothing in subsection (1) al-ters the practice
"rra ptà."d,r." of -the Court with respect to business that
""tr ú" conducted otherwise than ín open court'
"(3) The business of the Court, whether conducted
in courL or otherwise, shall be taken to be conducted in
court.
"(4) Where by or under this or any other
force irrmediately before the commencement of Parts
lV of the Supreme court (Rules of Procedure) Act
jurisdiction ' Po\^/er or authority is vested in a
(a) the jurisdictíon, Power or.' exerclsed ín accordance with
Rules bY the Court in all
Judge míght have done; and
without appeal an appeal does not fie from a determlnation
of the Court. " .
authorltY may be
this Act and the
respects âs that
ti
4
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rken to be a
Lch the Court
t that rel-ief
lles . tt ,
lng in Part I,
. AND CTIAMBERS
d chambers is
the practice
business that
her conducted
r conducted in
other Act ín
: Parts lI and
e) Act 7987 a
in a Judge -
ority may be
; Act and the
rects as that
1ce with this
oûr power and
jurisdiction,
other Act in
: Parts II and
e) Act 7987 a
r the Court or
t' , rthe Court
r, or by words
jurlsdiction,
the Court in
rstanding that
hority in the
Judge as the
d to hear and
rt the deter-
t appeal, but
be final or
determination
Supreme Court (Rul-es of Procedure)
13. CONSTITUTION
SectionllofthePrincipalActisamended-
(a) by omitting sulsections (1) and
slbstituting tht followíng:
" (1) The court consists of the Judges
Master.
fiì (2) and
and the
rI
,'(2) The Court shall
Judges' or, in a case where
îtã?-1. maY be constituted
"iiaittg ""á exercising the
and
be constituted bY a Judge .or-án -ect or the Rules Provide
bv the llaster, bY the Ìlaster '"joü"¿i"tio" of the Court'rt;
(b) bY omitting subsection (3) '
14. EXERCISE OF JURISDICTION
Section 15 of the Princípal Act is amended -
(a) by omitting from paragtaph (b) t'sitting in
Courtt'; and
(b) by omítting "paragraph (c)"'
15. REPEAL
Section 16 of the Prlncipal Act is repealed'
\6, FULL COURT
Section 2L(2) of the Principal Act 'ís amended by
omirring "make" <1ttJi ";;;t;i*i ãï¿ substituting "made'r'
I7. EXERCISE OF APPELLATE JURISDICTION
Section 52 of the Principal Act is amended -
(a) by omitting from s.ubsection (3) "sittíng in
Court or inlChambersr'; and
(b) bY omittíng subsection (4)'
18. INJUNCTIONS AND RECEIVERS
Section 69(1) of the Prlncípal Act ís amended by
omitting "a mandamus orr''
19. CHANGE OF VENUE
Sectíon 83(3) of the Principal Act is amended by
omitting "to a Judge in Chambers" '
II{.
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Supreme Court (Rules of Procedure)
20. AMENDMENT OF LITLITATION ACT
The Limitation Act is amended bY
Divisíon 2 of ParL ìtV, before section 49'
,,484. ABROGATION OF RULE TN WELDON V NEAL
SCHEDULE
f'ti
ll'i
" (1) If a court would
relevant Period of linitatio
in the còurt has commenced
document in the Proceedlng,
amendment to be made if it
party to the Proceedíng woul
t" prejudiced in the condu<
defence in a way that could not be met by an adjournment'
an award of costs or otherwise'
" (2) This section does not apply to an amenclment in
a proceedíng "o**á,,t"¿ before thå- Corunencement of this
section. ".
inserting in
the following:
Section 4
STATUTORY RULES AND REGULATIONS COMPRISING
RULES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE
NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA
1966
1967
1-97 0
r97 2
797 4
r97 4
L91 5
t97 8
1980
1981
L982
1,982
1983
1986
1986
1987
No,
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No,
No.
No.
No,
No.
No.
No.
No,
No.
178
L4
208
86
L02
103
r64
18
42
6
+
5t
JJ
4
27
77
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