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Relevant laws
In some cases, your access to documents may be restricted by law. For example, if a document or exhibit is sealed by a court order, you’ll need a court order to search or copy the material.
If you know you need a court order, you should get one before applying to avoid delays, otherwise we’ll let you know if you need one.
Decisions about searching or copying Court of Appeal material are based on the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules (UCPR) 1999 and the Criminal Practice Rules 1999
The Supreme Court Practice Direction 2013 /03 provides procedural guidelines that are also relevant to the Court of Appeal.
Definitions of terms used
Appellant—the person who is appealing.
Exhibit—a document or thing used as evidence at a trial or sentencing hearing.
Party to the proceeding—a party is an individual, corporation or other entity that has:
- started a civil or criminal court proceeding
- had a proceeding started against them
- later joined in a proceeding.
If a party appoints a legal representative (e.g. a solicitor) to do a task they must do, or are allowed to do, the legal representative becomes the contact in the proceeding for the party they represent.
Primary court file—a file held at a court where the case was first heard that contains relevant material about the order, conviction or sentence being appealed.
Civil fees
| Search / inspect | Party | Non-party |
|---|---|---|
| Search the record—per name or file | Nil | $26.60 |
| Retrieval from offsite storage—per file (if applicable) | $26.60 | $26.60 |
| Copy | Party | Non-party |
|---|---|---|
| First copy—per page | $2.95 | $2.95 |
| Maximum fee for first copy (per document) | $76.75 | $76.75 |
| Additional copy—per page | $0.65 | $0.65 |
| Maximum fee for additional copy (per document) | $30.60 | $30.60 |
| Certify a copy | $72.95 | $72.95 |
Civil fees are defined under the Uniform Civil Procedure (Fees) Regulation 2009.
Criminal fees
| Search / inspect | Party | Non-party |
|---|---|---|
| Search the record—per name or file | Nil | N/A |
| View an exhibit, other than a document, under rule 56(1) | Nil | N/A |
| Search a court file or document under rule 57(1)(a) | Nil | N/A |
| Retrieval from offsite storage—per file (if applicable) | $26.60 | N/A |
| Copy | Party | Non-party |
|---|---|---|
| First copy—per page | $2.95 | N/A |
| Maximum fee for first copy (per document) | $76.75 | N/A |
| Additional copy—per page | $0.65 | N/A |
| Maximum fee for additional copy (per document) | $30.60 | N/A |
| Certify a copy | $71.65 | N/A |
Criminal fees are not payable by the Attorney-General, the Director of Public Prosecutions, or a party’s lawyer who is employed or funded by Legal Aid Queensland.
Criminal fees are defined under the Criminal Practice (Fees) Regulation 2010.