Clause 24

by inserting, immediately after the words “this Act” in subsection (1), the words “and in the Protection from Harassment Court”;

by deleting the words “Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), the Rules Committee may make Rules of Court” in subsection (2) and substituting the words “Without affecting subsection (1), Rules of Court may be made”;

by deleting the words “section 12, 13 or 15” in subsection (2)(d) and substituting the words “section 12 or 13 or Division 2 of Part 3”;

by deleting paragraph (e) of subsection (2) and substituting the following paragraph:“(e)to prescribe the persons who may bring civil proceedings under this Act on behalf of —

any victim mentioned in section 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7; or

any subject mentioned in Division 2 of Part 3;”;

by deleting the words “costs and fees of such proceedings” in subsection (2)(f) and substituting the words “the costs (including disbursements) and fees of any civil proceedings under this Act”;

by deleting the comma at the end of paragraph (f) of subsection (2) and substituting a semi‑colon, and by inserting immediately thereafter the following paragraph:“(g)to prescribe anything that this Act requires or permits to be prescribed by Rules of Court.”;

by deleting the words “and section 80 of the Supreme Court of Judicature Act shall apply to the making of these Rules of Court.” in subsection (2); and

by inserting, immediately after subsection (2), the following subsection:“(2A) Without affecting subsections (1) and (2), Rules of Court may be made, in relation to a Protection from Harassment Court, for the following purposes:

to provide for any civil proceedings in that Court to be conducted in an informal manner;

to provide for the adoption of a judge‑led approach in any civil proceedings in that Court;

to provide that that Court is not bound by the rules of evidence in the conduct of any civil proceedings, and may inform itself on any matter in such manner as it thinks fit;

to prescribe the persons who may act for a party to any civil proceedings in that Court;

to expressly empower that Court to do any of the following things in any civil proceedings in that Court, where that Court thinks it fit to do so in the interest of justice, safety or propriety:

to order the redaction of any information (including the name of a party) contained in any document filed in those civil proceedings;

to order that those civil proceedings be heard in private; (iii)to order any person to do any act or refrain from any conduct, so as to prevent the identification of any witness or party in those civil proceedings;

to expressly empower that Court to decide any matter in the absence of any party to any civil proceedings in that Court, if that party fails without reasonable excuse to attend any civil proceedings in that Court, even if the interests of that party are prejudicially affected by that decision;

to provide for the costs (including disbursements) and fees of any civil proceedings in that Court, and for any such costs or fees not to apply except in certain specified circumstances.”.