I once caused some consternation at a law librarians’ conference by predicting that the authorised law reports would fade away in the near future. They seem to be held in reverence by some.
The Federal Court has now announced that it will allow medium neutral citations (MNCs) in identifying cases; authorised report citations need not be provided if this is not possible. Medium neutral citation paragraph numbers of a judgment can be cited rather than page numbers. See Notice to the Profession.
The background to MNCs is provided by the Federal Court here: Judgments FAQ
These changes are said to respond to access to justice concerns raised by the profession, particularly in relation to the availability of authorised reports to litigants in person, sole practitioners, and small firms.
This is very welcome. To the extent permitted by publishers, I have always used AustlII and its MNCs, for the access to justice reasons given by the court and for easier identification of cases.
AustlII also has more prompt, or immediate, case reporting. Back in the day, a superior court might decide a matter unaware of a recent as yet unreported decision of relevance.
All courts now adopt a standard referencing of [2025] FCA/VSC/NSWCA 123.
Headnotes
One benefit of official reporting was the headnote, summarising the decision. The one [?] court that provides a very good headnote is the NSW Court of Appeal.
It would help if all courts were to provide headnotes of that quality, as a further access to justice issue.
