I recently published a tweet thread, which I thought I might copy and past here, for anyone interested.
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I have long thought that the 20 working days allowed to appeal a refusal to make a suppression order is too long, when the law requires the court appealed from to make an interim suppression order for that period.
The law did not used to require this. There was no automatic right for interim suppression, which used to be a matter of discretion. A defence lawyer could tell a judge of the intention to appeal, and ask for interim suppression.
The judge might ask: will two days (a week/whatever) be enough to appeal? The lawyer might respond: I've a trial tomorrow and Thursday, I'd appreciate if I could have until Friday. And the judge could agree. It didn't always work. But it also didn't mean an automatic 20 days.
The new law treats an appeal from a refusal to make a suppression order the same as any other appeal - allowing 20 working days to file the notice of appeal, and automatically extending an interim suppression order.
Usually, delaying filing an appeal will be bad for a defendant (if you wait 20 days to appeal a refusal of bail, that means you've spent 4 weeks extra in prison), but this is one time where it doesn't.
It also unreasonably affects the public and news media who wish to report on matters of public importance, and which a judge has ruled it is unreasonable to prohibit them from doing so. In light of this, 20 working days is excessive.
So I have drafted a bill, the Criminal Procedure (Interim Suppression Pending Appeal) Amendment Bill, which would reduce the 20 working days allowed to appeal a refusal to make a suppression order to 5 working days.
If anyone knows an MP whom they think would like to propose it as a member's bill, feel free to direct them to it, over at the Progressive Bills Wiki.