Uniform Evidence Resources

Bench Book

Uniform Evidence Manual – produced by the Judicial College of Victoria

The Uniform Evidence Manual is divided into Parts, following the structure of the Evidence Act 2008 with all major topics covered, including competence, witnesses, relevance, hearsay, opinion, tendency and coincidence, privileges, discretions and warnings.

Case notes

• Hughes v The Queen [2017] HCA 20 - a significant decision for the development of evidence law in Victoria. In this decision, by a 4-3 split, the High Court held that close similarity between events is not essential for tendency evidence to be admissible.

Quizzes

These knowledge tests will assist your understanding of key aspects of the Evidence Act 2008, including relevance, hearsay, opinion and discretionary exclusion of evidence.

• Evidence Knowledge Test No 1
• Evidence Knowledge Test No 2
• Evidence Knowledge Test No 3

Flowcharts

• Admissibility of Evidence
• Hearsay Overview
• Hearsay in Civil Proceedings
• Hearsay in Criminal Proceedings
• Opinion
• Opinion Evidence 
• Admissions
• Tendency
• Coincidence
• Credibility Evidence
• Identification Evidence - Visual
• Identification Evidence - Picture
• Client Legal Privilege
• Privilege Against Self-incrimination

Further reading

Resources from the Australian, NSW and Victorian Law Reform Commissions

• ALRC, Evidence (Interim), Report 26, 1985 (ALRC Report 26)
• ALRC, Evidence (Final), Report 38, 1987 (ALRC Report 38)
• ALRC, NSWLRC and VLRC, Review of the Evidence Act 1995, ALRC Discussion Paper 69, NSWLRC Discussion Paper 47 and VLRC Discussion Paper (2005) (Joint Discussion Paper)
• ALRC, NSWLRC and VLRC, Uniform Evidence Law, ALRC Report 102, NSWLRC Report 112 and VLRC Final Report (2005) (Joint Report)
• Pocket Evidence Law - prepared by Justice Christopher Beale, Supreme Court of Victoria