Attending a CPD session last week about the Bail Act 1977 since the commencement on 1 Jan 2011 of the Bail Amendment Act 2010 motivated me to finally update my Bail Act aide mémoire.

It’s intended to highlight the major parts of the Act that an advocate needs to refer to in Court. I emphasised the division between shall-refuse, show-case and unacceptable-risk categories, and highlighted the provisions that (in my experience) often crop up in bail applications.

Feel free to use it as a guide, but remember to refer to the primary source to ensure accuracy.

We discussed the Bill last year here, and one of our readers helpfully posted the link to the DoJ fact sheets.

The changes are more evolutionary than revolutionary and we’re still yet to see many of the VLRC recommendations for change to the Bail Act. Do any of our readers know what’s happening to the proposals since the change of government?