The Dietrich principle requiring courts to stay serious criminal proceedings until legal representation is available does not extend to civil judicial review proceedings. The ICCPR is not part of Victorian domestic law and cannot be directly relied upon, though equivalent rights may be available through the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic) if properly invoked. A self-represented litigant's misunderstanding of the legal effect of a finding of guilt without conviction is not 'out of the ordinary' and does not, without more, constitute a special circumstance justifying extension of time for judicial review.
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