District Court of Western Australia Amendment Act 1984 (WA)

WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

DISTRICT COURT

OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

No. 122 of 1984.

AN ACT to amend the District Court of Western

Australia Act 1969.

[Assented to 27 December 1984.]

BE it enacted by the Queen's Most ExcellentMajesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1. (1) This Act may be cited as the District Short title

Court of Western Australia Amendment Act 1984. Act. principal

Act.

(2) In this Act the District Court of Western Australia Act 1969 is referred to as the principal Act.

Reprinted as

approved 5

September1980 and

amended by

Acts Nos. 118

of 1981 and

7 of 1982.

No. 122.] District Court of Western [1984.

Australia.

Commen-

(1) Subject to subsection (2), this Act shall come into operation on the 28th day after the day on which this Act is assented to by the Governor.

2.

cement.

(2) Sections 8, 9, 10 and 11 shall come into

operation on a day to be fixed by proclamation.

Section 3	3.	Section 3 of the principal Act is repealed.
repealed.
Section 4
amended.	4.	Section 4 of the principal Act is amended

by inserting after subsection (4) the following

subsection-

(C (4a) The books and records of a

Court of Session for a Division are deemed to be court records for the purposes of Part IX of this Act. ".

Section 5

amended. 5. Section 5 of the principal Act is amended by

inserting after subsection (4) the following sub-

section

l{

(5) Unless the context otherwise requires, a reference in any other Act or in any regulation, rule, by-law, notice, proclamation or other statutory instrument made, pub- lished or in force under this Act or any other Act to the Chairman, or Chairman of Judges, of the District Court shall be read and construed as a reference to the Chief Judge. ".

Section 6

amended. 6. Section 6 of the principal Act is amended

(a) by deleting the definition of "the Chairman"; and

1984.] District Court of Western [No. 122.

Australia.

(b) by inserting in the appropriate alphabetical position the following definition-

fl "the Chief Judge" means the District Court Judge appointed the Chief Judge and includes a District Court Judge appointed to act in the office of Chief Judge under section 18 (2a); ".

7. Section 10 of the principal Act is amended— iTgWaodnej.°

(a) in subsection (4)-

(i)  by deleting "Chairman of Judges" and substituting the following-

" Chief Judge "; and

(ii)   by deleting "as the Chairman" and substituting the following-

" as the Chief Judge ";

(b) by inserting after subsection (4) the follow- ing subsection

(4a) On the day on which section 7 of the District Court Amendment Act 1984 comes into operation the person who, immediately before that day, held office as, or acted in the office of, Chairman of Judges shall be deemed to have been appointed as Chief Judge, or to act in the office of Chief Judge, as the case may be, under and subject to this Act. "; and

in subsection (5), by deleting "Chairman"

(c) and substituting the following-

" Chief Judge ".

No. 122.] District Court of Western [1984.

Australia.

Section 50

amended. 8. Section 50 of the principal Act is amended

(a) in subsection (1)-

(i)  by deleting "fifty thousand dollars" wherever it occurs and substituting in each case the following-

" $80 000 "; and

(ii)  by deleting "twenty-five thousand dollars" in both places where it occurs in paragraph (d) and sub- stituting the following-

" $40 000 ";

(b) by inserting after subsection (1) the following subsection

(la) A sum of money referred to in subsection (1) does not include any interest which may be payable in the particular action. ";

in subsection (2), by deleting "caused by or

(c) arising out of the use of any motor vehicle" and substituting the following-

'' and in relation to all proceedings arising with respect to those personal actions under the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence and Tort- feasors' Contribution) Act 1947 "; and

(d) by repealing subsection (3).

Section 51

amended. 9. Section 51 of the principal Act is amended in

subsection (1)-

(a) by deleting "fifty thousand dollars" in both places where it occurs and substituting the following-

" $80 000 "; and

1984.] District Court of Western [No. 122.

Australia.

(b) by deleting "seventy-five thousand dollars"

and substituting the following-

" $120 000 ".

10.    Section 60 of the principal Act is amended by =red

deleting "fifty thousand dollars" in both places

where it occurs and substituting the following-

" $80 000 ".

11.    Section 73 of the principal Act is amended— 2,e,:=1,2

(a) by inserting after the section designation "73." the subsection designation "(1)"; and

(b) by inserting the following subsections

if

(2) When, in an action or matter

brought in the Supreme Court

(a)	the claim, though it originally exceeded $80 000, is reduced by payment into Court, an admitted set-off, or otherwise, to a sum not exceeding $80 000;
(b)	in which the claim exceeds $80 000, the plaintiff obtains judgment on part of the claim and the remainder of the claim does not exceed $80 000; or
(c)	there is an interlocutory judgment for damages to be assessed and the action or matter or a question or issue therein is otherwise within the jurisdiction of the District Court,

No. 122.] District Court of Western [1984.

Australia.

any of the parties to the action or matter may, at any time, apply to the Supreme Court or a Judge thereof for an order remitting the action or matter, or question or issue, as the case may be, to the Court sitting at such place as the order specifies, and the Supreme Court or Judge thereof shall make an order accordingly unless it or he considers that under the circumstances of the case it is advisable that the action, matter, question or issue should be tried in the Supreme Court.

(3) A sum of money referred to in subsection (2) does not include any interest which may be payable in the particular action.

(4) The Supreme Court or a Judge thereof may make an order referred to in subsection (2), if it or he thinks fit, without an application from any of the parties.

(5) The Chief Justice of Western Australia may make an order, at any time after hearing the parties concerned, remitting to the Court any action or matter that

(a)

is commenced under the

Supreme Court Act 1935;

(b)

is pending on the date of the coming into operation of any written law amending the jurisdiction of the Court; and

(c)

could have been commenced under this Act if the written law referred to in paragraph (b) had been in operation when the action was so

commenced,

1984.] District Court of Western [No. 122.

Australia.

unless the Chief Justice of Western Australia considers that under the circumstances of the case it is advisable that the action or matter should be tried in the Supreme Court. ".

12. After Part VIII of the principal Act the riWittd.

following Part is inserted

PART IX.-MAINTENANCE AND

DESTRUCTION OF COURT RECORDS.

91. In this Part—

Interpreta-

tion.

"court record" means official record of any proceedings in the Court and includes any document filed in the Court, or in the custody of the Court, in relation to the proceedings;

"document", "negative" and "reproduc- tion" have the same respective meanings as they have in and for the purposes of sections 73A to 73V of the Evidence Act 1906;

"official record" includes

(a)	any document, book, plan, paper, photograph, or parch- ment; or
(b)	any other material or part thereof on which is any writing or printing or which is marked with any letters or marks denoting words or any other signs capable of carrying a definite meaning to persons conversant with them,

made or received by the Court or a person acting judicially under this Act.

No. 122.] District Court of Western [1984.

Australia.

Application

of Part IX.	92. This Part shall not be construed so as to derogate in any way from section 8 (1) (a) or from the Library Board of Western Australia Act 1951.
Negative of
court record.	93. A negative of a court record may be made at any time to be held by or on behalf of the Court.
Destruction

of court	94. Subject to sections 92, 95 and 96, a
records

generally. court record

(a)	of a criminal proceeding may be destroyed after the expiration of 53 years; or
(b)	of a civil proceeding may be destroyed, after the expiration of 25 years,

from the time when it became such a court

record.

Destruction

of court	95. Subject to sections 92 and 96 a court on behalf of the Court, be destroyed at any time after the expiration of 3 years from the time when it became a court record, but in that case the negatives shall be so held until
records when
negatives	record may, if a negative of it is held by or
held.

(a)	in the case of the negative of a court record of a criminal proceeding, the expiration of 53 years; or
(b)	in the case of a negative of a court record of a civil proceeding, the expiration of 25 years,

from the time when the court record became

a court record.

1984.] District Court of Western [No. 122.

Australia.

Preservation

96. (1) The Registrar may, of his own orders.

motion or on the application of any person interested in any proceeding in the Court, which proceeding has not yet been completed

(a) order in writing that all or any of the court records relating to that proceeding be preserved from destruction for a period of one year;

and

(b) from time to time renew in writing for a period of one year an order made under this subsection.

(2) A person shall not destroy a court record to which an order made or renewed under subsection (1) relates while that order is in force.

Penalty: $100.

Evidentia

97. For the purposes of the laws relating provision.ry

to the admissibility of evidence but without otherwise affecting those laws, where, at any time, a negative of a court record is held by or on behalf of the Court, the negative is deemed to be the court record and shall be treated as such by any other court, without any enquiry as to whether or not the court record has been destroyed. ".

13. The principal Act is amended by deleting "Chairman of Judges" or "Chairman" wherever it

Miscella-

neous.

amendments.

occurs in the provisions referred to in the Schedule

and substituting in each case the following-

" Chief Judge ".

No. 122.] District Court of Western [1984.

Australia.

SCHEDULE. (Section 13)

Substitution of "Chief Judge" for "Chairman of Judges"

or "Chairman".

Sections 12 (1) (a), 12 (3), 12 (4), 18 (1), 18 (2), 18 (2a),

18 (2b), 18 (3) (a), 19 (3), 19 (5), 20, 28 (2), 28 (3).