Consolidated practice directions

Case management directions 
18. 
A case management direction is any direction that in the court's 
opinion it is just to make in a case to facilitate the attainment of the 
overriding objective of criminal case management (see par 2). The 
court may give any direction and take any step necessary or 
convenient to actively manage a case. Without limiting the generality 
of the foregoing, the court may make a direction: 
(a) 
that any person attends a case management conference, 
including directions as to the manner, time and place of the 
attendance; 
(b) 
specifying the time within which any party or participant is to 
take a step in the case; 
(c) 
that the parties confer on a 'without prejudice' basis or take 
other measures before trial to try to identify those facts and 
issues in the case that are agreed between them and those that 
will be in issue at the trial of the case; 
(d) 
that the parties do anything that in the court's opinion will or 
may facilitate the case being conducted and concluded 
efficiently, economically and expeditiously; 
(e) 
that two or more witnesses who are to give expert opinion 
evidence, whether for the prosecutor or the accused, and whose 
evidence has been disclosed are: 
(i) 
to confer on a without prejudice basis before trial in order 
to identify the differences between them and to resolve as 
many of them as possible; and 
(ii) 
to each provide a report to the court that explains which 
aspects of the evidence to be given by the other are 
disputed and why; 
(f) 
that the prosecutor provide to the court and to the defence by a 
specified date, a written summary of the prosecutor's opening 
on the facts and law, together with notice of any pre-trial 
admissions sought from the defence; 

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5. General Division - Criminal 
 
PD 5.8 
Supreme Court of Western Australia 
Consolidated Practice Direction
(g) 
that an accused provide to the prosecutor and the court a 
written response to the summary of the prosecutor's opening 
and notice of pre-trial admissions sought by a specified date;
(h) 
that a case management conference or any part of a conference 
not be conducted in open court; 
(i) 
which is ancillary to another direction and made for the 
purpose of carrying out that other direction; and 
(j) 
to vary or revoke a direction. 
19. 
If a party fails to comply with a direction, the court may fix, postpone, 
bring forward, extend, cancel or adjourn a hearing; and may impose 
such other sanction as may be appropriate. 
Applications for case management directions
20. 
The case manager may give a direction on his or her own initiative or 
on application by a party. 
21. 
An application for a case management direction may be made by letter 
to the case manager. 
Conferral 
22. 
Any party who applies for a case management direction must, before 
applying, confer with any other party who might be affected by the 
direction sought. In this paragraph, conferral means oral 
communication between the lawyers responsible for the conduct of the 
cases of the relevant parties, either by telephone, or preferably, by 
meeting. 
Case management directions made 'on the papers' 
23. 
The case manager may make a case management direction without 
holding a case management conference. 

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5. General Division - Criminal 
 
PD 5.8 
Supreme Court of Western Australia 
Consolidated Practice Direction
24. 
If a case management direction is made on the basis of the documents 
filed without requiring the parties to attend a hearing (the provisional 
decision), the court must serve the parties with written notice of the 
provisional decision. 
25. 
If a party wants a hearing of the matter that gave rise to the provisional 
decision, the party must send a written request for a hearing to the 
case manager within five (5) working days after the date on which the