Reg v M

The applicant, referred to as "Reg", sought special leave to appeal to the High Court of Australia against a decision of the Federal Court. The dispute concerned an allegation of sexual molestation of a young child. The applicant's counsel requested an order suppressing the publication of the names of the parties involved, which was granted by the High Court.

The legal issues before the High Court included whether the Federal Court had erred in its decision. Specifically, the applicant's counsel argued that the Federal Court had decided the matter on an issue that had not been in dispute at trial, but rather had been common ground between the parties. Additionally, the applicant's submissions touched upon inconsistencies in the child's evidence at trial, though counsel indicated these were minor and not decisive to the appeal.

The High Court's reasoning, as indicated by the preliminary discussions, focused on ensuring that any order made would not be rendered futile by prior publication. The court acknowledged the public interest in the fact of proceedings but not necessarily the names of the individuals. The argument was to be conducted using the initials of the parties. The court ultimately made the order for suppression of names.