Admission to Courts Act 1916
An Act to control and regulate admission to courts
Whereas it is desirable that, while the general principles of the common law relating to the trial of causes in open court should be maintained, power should nevertheless exist to control and regulate admission to courts for the purpose of securing public order and safety in the courts and in the interests of the public morals and decency:
Be it therefore enacted by His Excellency the Governor of Tasmania, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and House of Assembly, in Parliament assembled, as follows:
This Act may be cited as the Admission to Courts Act 1916 .
In this Act –authorized officer, in relation to a court, means a member of the police force, within the meaning of the Police Regulation Act 1898 , and, in relation to a particular court, means a person who is appointed under section 1B to be an authorized officer of that court;court includes the premises occupied in connection with the operations of a court and the precincts of those premises;registrar means –(a) in the case of the Supreme Court, the Registrar of that Court; or(b) in the case of a "lower court", within the meaning of the Magistrates Court Act 1987 , the Administrator of the Magistrates Court.
1B. Appointment of authorized officer
A registrar of a court may appoint a person to be an authorized officer of that court for the purposes of this Act.
(1) The Governor may, on the recommendation of the judges, make regulations for or with respect to the following matters:(a) the admission of persons to any court;(b) the conduct of persons in any court;(c) the control of persons in any court;(d) any other matter that is necessary or convenient for securing public order and safety in any court.(2) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1) , regulations made under this section may confer power on an authorized officer to –(a) require any person who is in a court to state the person's name and address; and(b) require any person entering, or in, a court to submit to a search; and(c) seize and detain anything found on a person searched that the authorized officer considers to be dangerous; and(d) remove, or cause to be removed, from a court any person behaving in an unlawful or disorderly manner.(3) Regulations made under this section may be made so as to apply differently according to matters, limitations or restrictions whether as to time, circumstance or otherwise, specified in the regulations.(4) Regulations made under this section may provide that it is an offence for a person to contravene or fail to comply with any of the regulations and may provide in respect of any such offence for the imposition of a fine not exceeding 10 penalty units or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or both.
4. Offences punishable summarily by judge, &c.
An offence under the regulations may be punished summarily by the judge or other person presiding in the court in relation to which the offence is committed, at any time, whether the court has ceased to sit or not.
5. Formal charge not necessary
A formal charge of any offence under the regulations is not required, and the judge or other person presiding in a court may be satisfied as to the facts in such manner as the judge or person thinks fit.
Any person aggrieved by the imposition of any penalty may appeal to the Supreme Court upon law and facts by giving 3 days' notice of appeal to the clerk of the court, stating the grounds of the appeal. Nothing further shall be necessary to properly constitute the appeal.