Law Reform Commission > Completed projects > 1980-1989

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Evidence

Reference received: 29 June 1966

Reference extended: 25 March 1975

Reports

Report 17: Evidence (Business Records) [PDF, 274Kb], July 1973

Tabled in parliament: 9 August 1973

Legislative action: Evidence (Amendment) Act 1976

Judicial citation: Bilbao v Farquhar [1974] 1 NSWLR 377, 383; Albrighton v Royal Prince Alfred Hospital [1980] 2 NSWLR 542, 549; Trade Practices Commission v TNT Management Pty Ltd (1984) 1 FCR 172; Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Advanced Medical Institute Pty Ltd (No 2)[2005] FCA 1357, [24]; Gabel v Meltzer [2014] FCCA 604 [182]

Report 29: The Rule Against Hearsay, May 1978

An Outline of the Report was also published [PDF, 63Kb]

Tabled in parliament: 29 August 1978

Judicial citation: Jones v Sutherland Shire Council [1979] 2 NSWLR 206, 230; The Ritz Hotel Ltd v Charles of the Ritz Ltd (1988) 15 NSWLR 158; Conway v The Queen (2000) FCR 461, [146]; R v Ambrosoli (2002) 55 NSWLR 603, [16]; Harrington-Smith v Western Australia (2004) 207 ALR 483, [84]; R v Hillier [2004] ACTSC 81, [13]

Report 45: Criminal Procedure: Unsworn Statements of Accused Persons [PDF, 420Kb], October 1985

Tabled in parliament: 31 October 1985

Legislative action: No legislation was required to implement this Report. However, the right to make an unsworn statement was subsequently abolished by theCrimesLegislation(Unsworn Evidence) Amendment Act 1994 (NSW) which inserted s 404A into the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) (now Criminal Procedure Act 1986(NSW) s 31).

Report 56: Evidence [PDF, 432Kb], June 1988

Tabled in parliament: 15 November 1988

Legislative action: Motor Accidents Act 1988 Part 5, Division 5; Evidence Act 1995

Judicial citation: Sved v Council of the Municipality of Woollahra (NSW SC, No 55096/92, Giles CJ in CommD, 15 April 1998, unreported), 6; Esso Australia Resources Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation (1999) 201 CLR 49 [104]; R v Clark(2001) 123 A Crim R 506 [111]; Cornwell v The Queen(2007) 81 ALJR 840 [58], [72], [136]; Habib v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (2010) 76 NSWLR 299 [203]

Journal article

F Bates, "Review: the New South Wales Law Reform Commission Report on Evidence" (1990) 14 Criminal Law Journal 136

Working papers

Working Paper 9: Evidence (Business Records), 1972

Working Paper 16: The Rule Against Hearsay, 1976

Working Paper 19: Evidence of Disposition, 1978

Working Paper 20: The Course of the Trial, 1978

Working Paper 21: Illegally and Improperly Obtained Evidence, 1979

Discussion papers

Discussion Paper 7: Competence and Compellability, 1980

Discussion Paper 8: Oaths and Affirmations, 1980

Discussion Paper 9: Unsworn Statements of Accused Persons, May 1980

Terms of reference

To review the law of evidence in both civil and criminal cases.

Law Reform Commission