Problem guide · Last reviewed 12 October 2026
Court and tribunal records
Court records, and copies of them on other websites, can follow people long after a matter is finished. Courts rarely change published judgments. Copies on other websites are a different matter: you can ask the site owner to remove or anonymise them, and in some places a spent-conviction scheme or a non-publication order may apply.
The short version
Ask the site that copied the record to remove or anonymise it. The court, or the site that copied it. The free check gives you the plan for your situation and your country, with a letter you can edit.
Start this plan About two minutes · Free · Nothing you type is sent to us
Who decides
The court decides its own records. A site that copied a record decides its copy. Google decides what shows in search.
Time
About 30 minutes of your time. Allow 2 to 6 weeks for replies.
Check the rules that apply to you before you write. Whether a spent-conviction scheme or a non-publication order applies is a question for a lawyer or Legal Aid, and it can change what you ask for.
The plan, in outline
Save your evidence
- The link, headline and date
- A screenshot with today’s date showing
- The words you searched when you found it
- The case outcome, if you have it
Check whether a rule protects you
In Australia each state and territory has a spent-convictions scheme, and some cases have non-publication orders. If either applies, say so in your letter. Legal Aid or a community legal centre can tell you for free.
Legal Aid (Australia) (opens in a new tab)Community legal centres (Australia) (opens in a new tab)
Decide what to ask for
- Remove or change my name
- Stop the page showing in search engines
- Take it down
- Add an update about what happened next
Send your letter to the site
Wait, then follow up
If there’s no reply after 14 days, send a short follow-up.
Once the page changes, ask Google to refresh it
Paste the same link so Google rechecks the page.
Google’s Refresh Outdated Content tool (opens in a new tab)How Google’s refresh tool works (opens in a new tab)
If the answer is no
- If a spent-conviction scheme or a non-publication order applies and the site still won’t act, get legal advice about what you can do next.
- If the page shows your home address or phone number, Google may remove those results even if the site won’t. Google: remove contact details and personal info (opens in a new tab)
- Write down what they said and the date. A “no” is still an outcome, and it tells you what to try next.
Official links last checked 12 October 2026.