Australia to accede to Hague Convention on Service Abroad

On 25 June 2009, the Commonwealth Attorney General tabled the Hague Convention on Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters 1965 in Parliament.  This is the first step to Australia’s becoming a party to the Convention.  In anticipation of that, there have been amendments to the rules of the Federal Court and those of the State Supreme Courts (see eg Victoria) relating to service under the Convention, which will commence on the day the Convention enters force in Australia.