[43] Determination of an application for preliminary discovery under UCPR r 5.3 does not involve determination of the merits of any claim for relief an applicant might propound: O’Connor v O’Connor [2018] NSWCA 214 at [76]. Such applications are summary in nature and not mini-trials, and the use of such applications as dress rehearsals for a trial have rightly been deprecated: Pfizer Island Pharmaceuticals v Samsung Bioepis AU Pty Ltd (2017) 257 FCR62; [2017] FCAFC 193 at [2] and [126]. For the purposes of applications for leave to appeal, decisions in relation to applications for preliminary discoveryare characterised not as involving any substantive rights but merely as matters of practice and procedure: Press v iSam Securities (UK) Ltd [2024] NSWCA 260 at [22].

Illawarra Basketball Club Pty Ltd v National Basketball League Pty Ltd [2026] NSWCA 182