The Planning and Environment (P and E) Court registry no longer files orders or final orders, i.e. signed by a registrar and stamped with the court seal, unless ordered by a judge or requested by a party (see rule 661, Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999).
What happens now?
On the day of the review or hearing, provide a copy of your proposed draft order to the presiding judge who will, if they agree, initial it and write either ‘order as per draft’ (OAPD) or ‘order as per amended draft’ (OAPAD) on the draft order.
The registry will scan the document to the court’s eSearch facility and place it on the court file.
Unless you or another party specifically requests, no signed or sealed copies will be placed on the court file or scanned to the court’s eSearch facility.
What do I do if I need a sealed copy?
A sealed order is usually only needed when:
- The order is a FINAL order that brings the matter to a close.
- The judge’s initials, notations or amendments are hard to read.
- A party needs a sealed order to enforce it.
- A verbal order is made by the judge and a party wants a written record.
In situations 1 to 3, where the order is only a few pages, you can send an email request and an electronic copy to the List Manager. If it is a long order, such as a final order, you will need to deliver a hardcopy to the registry. The List Manager will arrange for it to be signed and sealed, and make it available for collection, placed on the court file and scanned to the court’s eSearch facility.
If the order was verbal and only noted on the court file by the associate, a party can search the file to get a copy or request a transcript of the hearing. You can then type up the order and email it to the List Manager.
For matters filed in Brisbane, you can contact the P and E List Manager via: DC-PEListManager@justice.qld.gov.au. For matters filed in other registries, use that registry’s contact details.
