Case Law Updates

Federal Court (Full Court). Does the Tribunal’s place in an administrative decision-making continuum necessarily mean that "the issues which emerge for its consideration will be shaped not just by the criteria specified in or with respect to the statutory power it is exercising afresh but also by the way in which those issues have been developed at anterior stages of the continuum"?

Federal Court. Can it be said that the Tribunal's conclusions that the applicant's crimes against other road users, strangers and members of the public going about their daily lives were crimes against vulnerable members of the community for the purposes of para 8.1.1(1)(b)(ii) of Direction No. 90 were not obvious, with the result that procedural fairness required the Tribunal to put those conclusions to the applicant?

According to the majority, jurisdictional error consists of a material breach of a condition of the exercise of a decision-making power. ‘Ordinarily... breach of a condition cannot be material unless compliance with the condition could have resulted in the making of a different decision'.

Federal Court. Is there uncertainty in the interaction between SAAP and Hossain? In determining, pursuant to s 120(1)(a) of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth), whether a fact adverted to by the delegate in the Decision Record constituted “part of the reason” for the delegate’s decision to cancel the appellant’s visa, was it is necessary to have regard to the form (including its pre-populated questions) and content of the Decision Record?

Federal Court. Does the "fact that a witness may find answering questions about unpleasant topics distressing and evince an unwillingness to answer ... mean that the witness is not in a fit state to give evidence"? Is the Tribunal "entitled to expect that a legal representative for a party will assist it in avoiding error"? Is the Tribunal: "bound to receive evidence of little probative value"; entitled "to be selective about the quality and quantity of material it will consider in any case"?

Federal Court. In circumstances where the Tribunal accepted that the applicant was suffering from a medical or psychological condition in relation to substance abuse and addiction that required clinical treatment and supervision, did it fail to complete the exercise of its jurisdiction, as para 9.2(1)(a) of Direction 99 require it to consider the applicant’s health issues relating to alcohol abuse and drug addiction, which it failed to do?

Federal Court. Can it be said that, "since the appellant’s migration agent was told in no uncertain terms during the [Tribunal] review hearing that she was not entitled to speak, there can be no objection to upholding [a ground of review of apprehension of bias] on the basis of waiver"?

Federal Court (Full Court). Does the decision to be made as to whether to revoke a visa cancellation under s 501CA(4) of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) require "each of the factors that are listed in s 8.4(4) [of Direction 99] to be taken into account as part of the final weighing exercise to be undertaken in order to comply with the direction"?

Federal Court (Full Court). Does s 198AH(1A) create jurisdictional facts, in the sense of facts that a court can and should determine for itself? In determining pursuant to s 198AH(1A)(c) whether a transitory person "no longer needs to be in Australia for the temporary purpose", should the temporary purpose merely reflect the statutory language of the now repealed s 198C, namely being brought to Australia for "the temporary purpose of medical or psychiatric assessment or treatment", or should the purpose be more specifically identified?

Federal Court. How should the 35 days referred to in s 477(1) of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) be counted? Was the date of the "migration decision" the date when the Tribunal issued a corrigendum to its decision?