In the Matter Of Lisa Jane Barrett (No 2)

This matter concerned an application by Lisa Jane Barrett for restricted access orders in relation to certain documents and parts of documents that had been disclosed to the Board of Examiners and the Court in support of her application for admission as a legal practitioner. Some of these documents contained confidential and personal information, and interim restricted access orders had previously been granted pending the hearing of the application.

The Court was required to determine whether to grant restricted access orders in relation to these documents and parts of documents, balancing the applicant's privacy interests against the public interest in the transparency of court processes.

The Court reasoned that the nature and notoriety of the events in the applicant's history strongly supported the public interest in transparency regarding the Court's deliberations on her admission. It held that the subjective matters relating to these events were an integral element of both the Board's and the Court's considerations. Consequently, the Court revoked the interim restricted access orders, subject to some specific exceptions. The applicant was ordered to file redacted versions of certain identified documents for unrestricted access, while the unredacted versions would be subject to court access only.