Notice to the Profession

Full Court and Appellate sitting periods for 2025

22 February 2024

1. The Federal Court of Australia recently published two Notices to the Profession in relation to Full Court and Appellate sitting periods.
   
2. A Notice to the Profession was published on 12 October 2023 (October Notice) amending the February sitting period for 2024. A further Notice to the Profession was published on 17 November 2023 (November Notice) regarding a proposal to amend the timing of the Full Court and Appellate sitting periods in 2025 by moving to three sitting periods.
3. As set out in the November Notice, the main reasons for the proposal to move to three sitting periods are as follows:
   

   a. the profession and parties will not be required to prepare for appeals in January, when many take leave;
   
   b. it will give judges substantial blocks of time to list more matters and lengthier cases in the original jurisdiction, providing parties and practitioners with greater flexibility in listing trials; and
   
   c. it is anticipated that the realignment of judges' workload will have a positive impact on the time between the filing of appeals and the delivery of judgment.

4. The November Notice invited the profession to provide feedback on the proposal by 15 December 2023. The feedback received unanimously supported the proposal. 
   
5. The consultation process in relation to moving to three sitting periods for 2025 has now been finalised, and I have reached a final decision to implement the proposal to move to three sitting periods in 2025. 
   
6. The Full Court sitting periods for 2025 are as follows: 

   a. 3 to 28 March 2025;
   b. 28 July to 29 August 2025; and
   c. 3 to 28 November 2025.

7. Consistently with existing practice, where appropriate, Full Court matters requiring expedition may be listed outside the Full Court periods. 
   
8. The Court's usual practice has been to communicate with practitioners as to their available dates before listing Full Court and Appellate matters. This practice will continue. In relation to Full Court sitting periods in 2025, practitioners can expect to be contacted as follows:

   a. for the March list, practitioners will be contacted in November, and the list for March will be finalised by the end of November;
   
   b. for the August list, practitioners will be contacted in late April/early May, and the list for August will be finalised by mid-May; and
   
   c. for the November list, parties will be contacted in August, and the list for November will be finalised by the end of August.