Dickinson on Harmonisation of Forum Non Conveniens Test in Australian and Trans-Tasman Proceedings

Andrew Dickison (University of Sydney) has posted Harmonisation of the Forum Conveniens Tests in Australian and Trans-Tasman Proceedings: A Discussion Paper  on SSRN.

This discussion paper, written as part of the ongoing consultation by the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department in relation to the possible reform of Australia’s private international law rules (and available also on the consultation website), considers whether the statutory tests applied by Australian courts in deciding whether decline jurisdiction in favour of another Australian court on what may broadly be described as “appropriate forum” (forum conveniens) grounds, should be harmonised with the newly adopted regime in Part 3 of the Trans-Tasman Proceedings Act 2010 (Cth) governing decisions to decline jurisdiction in favour of a court in New Zealand. The creation of a harmonised forum conveniens regime for all Australian and Trans-Tasman cases has been put forward as one element of the broader review of rules of jurisdiction, choice of court and choice of law rules mandated by the Standing Committee on Law and Justice in its meeting held on 12-13 April 2012.