Widjabul Wia-bal v Attorney-General of New South Wales (Confidentiality of expert reports) [2023] FCA 806

Federal Court of Australia

Widjabul Wia-bal v Attorney-General of New South Wales (Confidentiality of expert reports) [2023] FCA 806 File number(s): NSD 1213 of 2018 NSD 1174 of 2013

Judgment of: RARES J

Date of judgment: 30 June 2023

Catchwords: PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – suppression and non-publication orders – application for suppression and non-publication of parts of anthropological and historical reports exchanged by applicant and State filed to support making of consent determination under s 87 of Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) – whether proposed redactions properly made to suppress matters not publicly known or revealing confidential specific cultural knowledge or protocols – where some redactions related to matters disclosed in Form 1 filed to commence proceeding – whether suppression necessary to prevent prejudice to the proper administration of justice – Held: application granted in part

Legislation: Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Act 1989 (Cth) s 41 Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) ss 37AF(1), 37AG(1)(a), (2), 37AI(1) Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) ss 87, 87A, 94A, 223, 225 National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW) Due Diligence Code of Practice for the Protection of Aboriginal Objects in New South Wales

Cases cited: Australian Broadcasting Commission v Parish (1980) 43 FLR 129 Dickason v Dickason (1913) 17 CLR 50 Grassby v The Queen (1989) 168 CLR 1 Hogan v Australian Crime Commission (2010) 240 CLR 651 John Fairfax & Sons Ltd v Police Tribunal of New South Wales (1986) 5 NSWLR 465 O'Brien v Komesaroff (1982) 150 CLR 310 Ogawa v President of the Australian Human Rights Commission (2022) 294 FCR 221 Scott v Scott [1913] AC 417 Widjabul Wia-bal v Attorney-General of New South Wales (Section 87 Agreement) [2022] FCA 1521