Technology Resources: GPN-eBOOKS
As an accompaniment to the eBooks Practice Note (GPN-eBOOKS), the following “Technical guide to the provision of eBooks” has been developed by the Court to assist any person required to file or provide an eBook.
Technical guide to the provision and filing of eBooks
1. Terminology
(a) An absolute hyperlink is a hyperlink containing a full uniform resource locator (URL), which includes all the information needed to find a particular site, page or document or other addressable item on the Internet.
(b) A relative hyperlink is a hyperlink that contains an address that is relative to the address of the destination file.
(c) For the purpose of Format 1 in GPN-eBOOKS (refer to paragraph 4.3(b)(1) of that practice note), where a PDF index is used, “file attachment” is the intended meaning, as distinguished from a “file that can be opened from a link”. Whereas linked documents may be stored in different locations, file attachments are always saved within the PDF index. If the PDF index is moved to a new storage location, the attachments move with it. PDFs and other types of files can be attached to a PDF index.
2. Practical Guidance on Filing eBooks Based on File Size in Megabytes
2.1 The Court’s eLodgment portal (the portal) for the filing of documents imposes a maximum file size limit of 30MB for electronic document uploads by external parties.
2.2 Where appropriate to enable filing via the portal, parties should take steps to reduce the file size of an eBook to the extent possible, including by:
(a) selecting lower resolution, colour and quality settings for scanned documents; and
(b) reducing the file size when saving the eBook as a PDF.
2.3 If an eBook has a file size less than 30MB:
(a) Parties should electronically lodge for filing the eBook in a single volume, in accordance with the eBooks Practice Note (GPN-eBOOKS).
(b) After the eBook has been filed, a sealed single-volume copy of the eBook will become available to both parties through the Commonwealth Courts Portal.
2.4 If an eBook has a file size greater than 30MB and less than 50MB:
(a) Parties should provide the eBook to the relevant District Registry of the Court to be electronically lodged for filing by the Registry on behalf of the providing party. Parties should provide the eBook in a single volume, in accordance with the eBooks Practice Note (GPN-eBOOKS), by:
(1) providing a hyperlink to a secure file sharing platform containing the eBook to the relevant District Registry of the Court (this is the Court’s preferred method); or
(2) if (1) is not reasonably practicable, delivering a USB containing the eBook to the relevant District Registry of the Court.
(b) After the eBook has been filed by the Registry on behalf of the providing party, a sealed single-volume copy of the eBook will become available to both parties through the Commonwealth Courts Portal.
2.5 If an eBook has a file size greater than 50MB:
(a) Parties should provide the eBook to the relevant District Registry of the Court to be electronically lodged for filing by the Registry on behalf of the providing party. Parties should provide the eBook in a single volume, in accordance with this practice note, by:
(1) providing a hyperlink to a secure file sharing platform containing the eBook to the relevant District Registry of the Court (this is the Court’s preferred method); or
(2) if (1) is not reasonably practicable, delivering a USB containing the eBook to the relevant District Registry of the Court.
(b) After the eBook has been filed by the Registry on behalf of the providing party, a copy of the eBook split into several sealed parts (with each part being less than 50MB) will become available to both parties through the Commonwealth Courts Portal.
(c) For references to documents in preparation for and during a hearing, parties and the Court should rely upon the unsealed single volume copy of the eBook which was originally provided to the Court in a format which accords with the eBooks Practice Note (GPN-eBOOKS).
At 17 August 2022
