Policies

To provide the ICLRQ with a principled basis upon which to carry its objects into effect, the following policies have been adopted:

  1. Governing Principle

In carrying out its objects, the focus of concern by the ICLRQ should be to assist the courts in facilitating the just and efficient administration of justice according to law. This is best achieved by:

  1. ensuring the prompt publication of high-quality, authorised law reports which will provide a permanent record of the key judgments of the Supreme Court of Queensland;
  2. ensuring that the text of these law reports is readily available to the courts, the legal profession, and the public, in both print and electronic formats, on a not-for-profit basis which is sustainable in the longer term; and
  3. facilitating access to these law reports by other legal information providers, on appropriate terms, to ensure that the Reports can be accessed by the courts, the legal profession and the public in the most convenient, efficient and innovative manner available.
  1. Selectivity

The judgments to be published in the Queensland Reports should be selected pursuant to published criteria, which reflect the best practice in authorised reporting, and have the approval of the Chief Justice. The responsibility for applying these criteria to select the cases for reporting vests in the Queensland Reports Editor.

  1. Quality of Reports

The style and content of the cases published in the Queensland Reports should satisfy published criteria, which reflect the best practice in authorised reporting, and have the approval of the Chief Justice. The responsibility for ensuring that these criteria are met vests in the Queensland Reports Editor.

  1. Promptness

All law reports, other than cases retrospectively identified for reporting, should be published in the Queensland Reports within six to ten clear months of the date of judgment.

  1. Printed Format

The authoritative version of the Queensland Reports is to continue to be published by the ICLRQ in a printed format, to maintain a permanent record of the key judgments of the Supreme Court of Queensland.

  1. Electronic Format

Exact images of the printed format of the Queensland Reports are to be published by the ICLRQ in an electronic format online, to make the Reports readily available to courts, the legal profession and the public. The text of the online format should be searchable and the images of the printed format printable. The ICLRQ should endeavour to facilitate online access to the Queensland Reports and other related content through its own online services, including the Queensland Judgments website. The ICLRQ should also endeavour to make arrangements with all major Australian legal information providers to facilitate online access to the Queensland Reports by their users.

  1. Cost

The ICLRQ should seek to set prices for end-users of the Queensland Reports on a basis which:

  1. is transparent;
  2. will cover the costs of production of the Reports, and associated legal information services in the longer term, on a not-for-profit basis;
  3. is spread over the largest possible user base;
  4. which seeks to avoid any user being charged by the ICLRQ more than once (directly or indirectly) for receiving the Reports in different formats or from different suppliers; and
  5. which limits the costs of printing the Reports by reference to the incremental cost of producing law reports in this format.