Commonwealth Numbered Regulations - Explanatory Statements

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HIGH COURT AMENDMENT RULES 2000 (NO. 1) 2000 NO. 274

STATUTORY RULES 2000 No. 274

Issued by the authority of the Justices of the High Court of Australia

AMENDMENTS TO THE HIGH COURT RULES

The Second Schedule to the High Court Rules specifies the amount which solicitors, who are entitled to practise in the High Court, may charge and be allowed on taxation of costs by the Taxing Officer of the Court in respect of proceedings in the Court.

The amounts in the Schedule were last varied by Statutory Rule No. 197 of 1999 made on 1 September 1999 and which came into operation on 1 October 1999.

The Federal Costs Advisory Committee, in its report to the Justices dated June 2000, recommended an increase of 3% to the solicitors' costs as set out in the Second Schedule. In a further report to the Justices dated June 2000 the Federal Costs Advisory Committee reported on the impact of the Goods and Services Tax on Solicitors' Scales of Costs.

Acting on the advice of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission which outlined an increase in the range of 9.5% to 9.8% to take into account the impact of the Goods and Services Tax, the Federal Costs Advisory Committee recommended that any single adjustment to the scale not exceed 9.8%.

The Court has agreed to the recommendations of the Committee and after making an adjustment of 3%, has then applied to that figure an adjustment of 9.5% to take into account the impact of the Goods and Services Tax.

The increase, which is to come into operation upon gazettal will apply to all work done and services performed by solicitors from the date of gazettal.