The Supreme Court’s Public Information Officer (PIO) is the principal media spokesperson for the Supreme Court and remaining superior courts in NSW, including the Land and Environment Court.

The PIO provides the media with information about court proceedings in the NSW Supreme and District Courts, the Land and Environment Court and the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW. The PIO works with the media to ensure that judicial decisions are correctly interpreted and alerts media outlets to any suppression orders issued in proceedings. It is critical that media are aware of and familiar with the terms and impacts of these orders. Failure to acknowledge them in their coverage could compromise proceedings.

If you have any media enquiries, please contact the PIO on:

Ph: (02) 9230 8190
Fx: (02) 9230 8667
Mob: 0428 110 682 (Mon-Wed) or 0411 235 740 (Thurs-Fri)
Email: media@courts.nsw.gov.au

Other requests by the media and/or other organisations or individuals for access to LEC records and information, subject to the final approval by the Registrar, will be dealt with as follows:

Court comment (e.g. requests for interview/ comments on Government or Court policy)	These requests must be put in writing identifying (via letterhead/email letterhead) the media outlet or organisation and a background to the request. These requests may be in the form of an email (lecourt@agd.nsw.gov.au) and should be addressed to the office of the Chief Judge.
Information on the administration of the Court (e.g. information on how many days the Court sat last year)	These requests must be put in writing identifying (via letterhead/email letterhead) the media outlet or organisation and a background to the request.These requests may be in the form of an email (lecourt@agd.nsw.gov.au) and should be addressed to the office of the Registrar.
Information on the application of departmental policies (e.g. information on the number of overseas trips by judicial officers)	These request must be put in writing and addressed to the Attorney General's Department's Media Unit. These requests may be in the form of an email to media_ess@agd.nsw.gov.au - for further information, contact the Media Unit by telephone (02) 9228 7331.
Information on the use of technology at the LEC (e.g. eCourt, eCallover)	These requests must be put in writing identifying (via letterhead/email letterhead) the media outlet or organisation and a background to the request.These requests may be in the form of an email (lecourt@agd.nsw.gov.au) and should be addressed to the office of the Registrar.
Information on types or classes of matters (e.g. information on how many Class 4 applications involve illegal brothels, how many appeals have White Waters Council had overturned in the Court this year?)	The Court reports on an annual basis on this type of information in it's Annual Reviews. For further information of this nature, you are recommended to conduct your own search from the various sources of Court judgments or to contact the local council in question if the enquiry is location-specific. Requests from organisations seeking statistical information outside of the scope of the Court's Annual Reviews must be put in writing identifying (via letterhead/email letterhead) the media outlet or organisation and a background to the request.These requests may be in the form of an email and should be addressed to the Associate of the Chief Judge.
Information on applicants/ respondents (eg information on all the matters Ted Smith of Drummoyne has been involved in)	The registry office of the Court has a limited capacity to provide information such as this. If the request is of a more general nature, you may be asked to forward a written request.
Due diligence searches (eg we act for A Bloggs Pty Ltd. It is purchasing J Smith and Sons Pty Ltd. We want to know what court cases J Smith and Sons is involved in)	The registry office can conduct limited due diligence searches upon the receipt of a written request and this service is subject to final approval by the Registrar. The Court advises that information may not be comprehensive due to limitations of existing software. Such searches may attract a fee.
Information about an individual case before the Court (eg information about an individual case)	For a non-party (including media), the case must be easily identifiable (matter number or address of subject property). Only the following information can be given: Name of matter File number Subject of matter (eg deemed refusal re 2 Smith Street Blacktown) Name of any presiding judge or commissioner allocated by the Chief Judge Past or future listing Orders/ directions of the Court (including final orders).
Request for judgments / transcript	Non-party (including media) – may purchase judgments or transcripts. Fees may apply. Many of the Court's judgments are available on-line.
Requests to access court records	Access to material in any proceedings is restricted to parties, except with the leave of the Registrar. Applications for access by non-parties (including the media) to court records should: Complete an Application for Non-Party Access request form; Submit the completed application form to the registry office for referral to a registrar, either in person or by email/facsimile. Court contact details. An application must be made at least 1 day prior to inspection, and in some cases a longer period will be required; If your application for access to court records is successful, the Court may require payment of certain fees (e.g. photocopying, re-production of published material). An application form may be completed for any Request for Waiver, Postponement or Remission of Fees (the Attorney-General's guidelines for fee waiver and postponement apply to these applications). With respect to applications for access by media organisations, access will generally be granted to recent court records on the basis of public interest in the fair and accurate reporting of current court proceedings. When the media seeks access to records which may not be considered recent, then some question arises as to whether the public interest exists in the access to court records. In this instance the media should provide additional reasons as to why there is still public interest in the proceedings. Members of the media may exercise access subject to office convenience and to the necessity of performing office functions. Please note: The Government Information (Public Acces) Actdoes not apply to court files. Any application for documentation under the Act must be made through the Legal Services Branch of the Attorney General's Department.