An anomaly in the ACT's laws on hearing video evidence from overseas in court will soon be clarified, after it was highlighted last year during hearings into the death of Norma Cheryl Woutersz.
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Justice Hilary Penfold highlighted the ambiguity of the laws around courts receiving evidence via video link during the high profile court case last year.
The vague nature of the laws were highlighted during the trial of Gabrielle Woutersz last year, who was charged with murder after her mother was found dead in the backyard of her Dunlop home in October 2014.
Woutersz had pleaded not guilty by way of mental impairment in a trial that ended in a hung jury, and a retrial was set to go ahead when she pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter with diminished responsibility.
She was sentenced on Wednesday to serve nine years and nine months, with a non-parole period of five years, leaving Woutersz, who has significant time already served, to be eligible for release from October next year.
During hearings of the case last year, the anomaly in the territory's laws was revealed when a psychiatrist called to give evidence would not submit to return from Canada to give evidence, but was willing to provide evidence via video link.
In a decision published last August, Justice Penfold said there were questions surrounding whether such evidence could be taken under oath without the judge or witness breaching foreign law, as well as potential problems regarding immunity for the judge, counsel and witness.
While that specific issue did not arise in the Woutersz matter, Justice Penfold called on territory legislators to clarify the issue to "save the judicial and other time and energy...devoted to this somewhat sterile, albeit practically important, question."
ACT Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay last week introduced a bill to change the wording of the Evidence Act, to allow the courts to take such evidence from "another place", rather than only a "place other than a participating state" which had similar laws to the ACT.
The bill also proposes several changes to the Juries Act, including creating an updated list of potentially disqualified people "based on their own actions, or exempt or able to claim exemption before of other personal circumstances".
It also would allow for extra support for some jurors, such as those from a non-English-speaking background or with a disability, and moves to streamline jury empanelling and summons processes.
Mr Ramsay's bill also proposes some changes to the Coroners Act including giving coroners specific powers to obtain medical records in any reportable death, not just those where post-mortems are made.
If passed, the bill would also allow a coroner to authorise the collection of samples of blood, bone, tissues or hair [subject to minimising distress or offence due to cultural beliefs] and given certain coronial investigation scene orders to specified people, not only police.
Debate on the bill in the Legislative Assembly was adjourned for a future sitting week.
