Evidence of official records
(1) Evidence of a Commonwealth record or of a public record of a State or Territory may be adduced by producing a document that: (a) purports to be such a record and to be signed or sealed by: (i) a Minister, or a Minister of the State or Territory, as the case requires; or (ii) a person who might reasonably be supposed to have custody of the record; or (b) purports to be a copy of or extract from the record that is certified to be a true copy or extract by: (i) a Minister, or a Minister of the State or Territory, as the case requires; or (ii) a person who might reasonably be supposed to have custody of the record. (2) If such a document is produced, it is presumed, unless evidence that is sufficient to raise doubt about the presumption is adduced, that: (a) the document is the record, copy or extract that it purports to be; and (b) the Minister, Minister of the State or Territory or person: (i) signed or sealed the record; or (ii) certified the copy or extract as a true copy or extract; as the case requires. Note: Section 5 extends the application of this section to proceedings in all Australian courts.
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 22 May 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au. Verify the current text against the official source before relying on it.
BriefBridge searches Australian caselaw by meaning — every answer cited to the paragraph.
Try BriefBridge free