Former federal Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann has made a brief appearance in the Federal Court as he acts for himself in his lawsuit against the Commonwealth.

Lehrmann is seeking access to Commonwealth funding to cover his legal representation in two investigations by the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

“From my understanding this is the first [case] of its kind in terms of the NACC Act being tested, in a way,” he told the court in Sydney via audiovisual link from a courtroom in Tasmania.

In a bid to secure legal funding, Lehrmann launched Federal Court proceedings this month against the NACC and the Commonwealth. He has asked the court to make a declaration that he is eligible for the financial assistance.

But he has now been given more time by the court to reformulate his claim and potentially change the respondents to the court case.

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Justice Brigitte Markovic told the parties during today’s preliminary hearing that the court would set up a public file in the matter to enable documents in the case to be accessed online.

Lehrmann said that, in his view, “everything should be made available to the media in this matter, and the public”.

Markovic said that a critical issue in the proceedings at this early stage was whether Lehrmann had named the correct respondents to his court challenge.

The court heard that Lehrmann’s applications for funding had been made to the Special Minister of State, who is named as the first respondent to the court challenge, and the federal attorney-general.

Bora Kaplan, acting for the Commonwealth, said the position of NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton, who is named as the second respondent to the court case, “is that on no view could it be said that he is a proper party to the proceedings”.

Lehrmann said in response that he believed the head of the federal corruption watchdog should be a party to the proceedings. “It’s my contention that I sought the services of senior counsel, Mr [Guy] Reynolds, SC, and Ms [Zali] Burrows because of the advice on multiple occasions of officers of the NACC and the commissioner himself,” he said.

“It was on that basis … that I sought legal representation and [believed] that I would be given legal funding. I accept, however, the attorney-general may be a respondent.”

The parties return to court on October 15.