Alongside the recently implemented changes in the Federal Circuit Court and Family Court systems, court staff are now looking to streamline the online filing process in order to ensure that both solicitors and self-represented litigants have an efficient method available to provide the court with documents.
On 7 September 2018, the Family Court released a statement outlining further changes to the Commonwealth Court's portal online filing system, including:
- Further options to apply for fee reductions or exemptions via the Commonwealth Courts portal;
- Additional documents being made available for online filing, including correspondence to the Commonwealth Court;
- The ability to both seek urgency and nominate safety considerations via the Commonwealth Courts portal; and
- An increase in the size of documents available for online filing (which will assist with the sending of large affidavits).
Historically, when new filing methods have been introduced to the Commonwealth Court's Portal, the Parramatta Court Registry has responded by changing their face-to-face policies to ensure that any parties that require service directly from Registry staff receive that assistance as soon as possible.
This previously included the introduction of a 'drop box' system for solicitors to file non-urgent applications (as well as other documents); the requirement for divorce applications to be filed exclusively online; and in many circumstances, a general refusal to file documents directly at the counter if there is no urgency attached.
As such, we would recommend that you watch this space with regard to any future changes to the filing process in order to ensure that that you effectively remove any administrative difficulties which may impede the progress of your matters in the Parramatta Court Registry.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.