Registrar’s note for civil applications and appeals - guidance for parties

Aug 30, 2026

Registrar’s note published for parties to guide the management of civil applications and appeals in the Court of Appeal. It outlines the note’s purpose, key definitions, and the Registrar’s responsibilities, including assessment of filings, procedural orders, settlement of application books, and decisions on leave-related motions. It explains consequences for missing deadlines and non-compliance, then details usual directions, coordination expectations, and a secure approach to electronic materials using the Court’s document exchange site instead of external sharing services.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatDOCX

Pages35

Reading Time12 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Definitions

The Registrar

Usual Directions

Electronic Material and the Supreme Court Document Exchange Site

Supreme Court of Victoria – Court of Appeal Registrar’s note for civil applications and appeals INTRODUCTION This is a note for the guidance of parties on the management of civil applications and appeals in the Court of Appeal, published by the Registrar of the Court of Appeal under r 64.24 of the Supreme Court (General Civil Procedure) Rules 2015 with the approval of the President of the Court of Appeal. It replaces all previous Registrar’s notes and applies to all civil proceedings in the Court of Appeal, whenever commenced. This note must be read together with the Rules (in particular Order 64) and Practice Note SC CA 3. The primary purposes of this note are to: inform parties of the usual directions given by the Registrar and other requirements to be complied with in each proceeding; and assist parties by providing them with practical information on processes and procedures. DEFINITIONS In this note, unless the context otherwise requires: leave application book means an application book relating to an application for leave to appeal or an appeal book; lower court means the court or tribunal from which the application for leave to appeal or appeal is brought; Registrar has the same meaning as in Rule 1.13(1); and Rule or Rules refers to the Supreme Court (General Civil Procedure) Rules 2015. CONTENTS The remaining sections of this note and annexures are: THE REGISTRAR The Registrar is responsible for ensuring the efficient and expeditious despatch of applications and appeals to the Court of Appeal. This includes: assessing documents submitted for filing; making procedural orders and giving directions; making orders by consent of all the parties; settling the contents of an application book; determining an application for leave to amend an application (including an application for leave to appeal), a notice of appeal or a written case; determining an application by a solicitor for leave to file a notice of ceasing to act; referring applications and appeals to one or more Judges of Appeal for consideration; and listing applications and appeals for hearing. Parties must comply with directions given and orders made by the Registrar. Pursuant to Rule 64.45, an application for leave to appeal or appeal will be taken to be abandoned in certain circumstances, including when the applicant fails to deliver a leave application book by a due date, or otherwise fails to comply with a Registrar’s direction or order within 30 days of a due date (eg. a direction that a document be filed by a particular date). USUAL DIRECTIONS Annexure 1 to this note contains the usual directions given by the Registrar in relation to all civil applications for leave to appeal and appeals. Those directions can be altered to suit the requirements of the case. Directions may be given by order or in another written form, such as by email or letter. All parties are responsible for ensuring they comply with the Registrar’s directions without prompting by the registry in advance of any due dates. Parties are reminded that they are bound by the overarching obligations in the Civil Procedure Act 2010 (Vic), noting that a number of the usual directions require parties to cooperate with each other. If a party seeks a variation to any directions given, they must: confer with all other parties before approaching the Court; then, by email to the registry and other parties: advise of each party’s position on the proposed variation and provide a brief explanation of the reason for seeking it; and if seeking a variation to an order, provide a minute of proposed order, signed on behalf of all parties who consent. ELECTRONIC MATERIAL AND THE SUPREME COURT DOCUMENT EXCHANGE SITE USB flash drives and external file sharing systems For cybersecurity reasons, the Court of Appeal does not accept any electronic material sought to be provided by: a USB flash drive; or a file sharing system external to the Court, such as Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud Drive. Supreme Court document ex

FAQs

What is the purpose of the Registrar’s note for civil applications and appeals?

The note guides parties on managing civil applications and appeals by setting out usual directions and practical process information for each proceeding.

What happens if an applicant fails to meet a Registrar’s direction or deadline?

Under Rule 64.45, an application for leave to appeal or appeal may be taken to be abandoned in certain circumstances, including failing to deliver a leave application book by the due date or failing to comply with a direction or order within 30 days of a due date.

How should parties submit electronic application materials to the Court of Appeal?

The Court of Appeal does not accept electronic material via USB flash drives or external file sharing systems. Instead, it uses a Supreme Court document exchange site accessed through a registry email link with verification during login.

Aug 30, 2026

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