Consideration
29 In SAAP v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (2005) 228 CLR 294 (SAAP), the High Court considered the application of s 424A(1) of the Act, which at the time required the former Refugee Review Tribunal to give an applicant particulars in writing of any information that the Tribunal considered would be the reason, or a part of the reason, for affirming the decision that was under review, to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, that the applicant understood why it was relevant, and to invite the applicant to comment on it. The information and invitation was required to be given by a prescribed method, involving handing, or sending, to the applicant, by post or other specified form of communication, a document (s 424A(2)). On the facts before the High Court, the first appellant applied to the Tribunal for review of an unfavourable decision by a delegate. A Tribunal Member took evidence from the first appellant's daughter in the absence of the first appellant. After the daughter's evidence was given, the Tribunal Member raised with the first appellant, for her comment, three particular matters about which the daughter had given evidence. Those matters were potentially adverse to the first appellant's case. The Tribunal subsequently affirmed the delegate's decision. The Tribunal's alleged failure to comply with s 424A arose from the circumstance that the Tribunal Member did not give the first appellant written notification of the three matters on which he invited comment, but dealt with the matter orally at the hearing. A majority of the High Court (McHugh, Kirby and Hayne JJ) held that the Tribunal Member's failure to comply with s 424A constituted jurisdictional error and rendered its decision invalid.
30 Justice McHugh relevantly held (at [77]):
It is not to the point that the Tribunal may have given the applicant particulars of the adverse information orally. It is also not to the point that in some cases it might seem unnecessary to give the applicant written particulars of adverse information (for example, if the applicant is present when the Tribunal receives the adverse information as evidence from another person and the Tribunal there and then invites the applicant orally to comment on it). If the requirement to give written particulars is mandatory, then failure to comply means that the Tribunal has not discharged its statutory function.
31 Justice Hayne held (at [208]):
Where the Act prescribes steps that the Tribunal must take in conducting its review and those steps are directed to informing the applicant for review (among other things) of the relevance to the review of the information that is conveyed, both the language of the Act and its scope and objects point inexorably to the conclusion that want of compliance with s 424A renders the decision invalid. Whether those steps would be judged to be necessary or even desirable in the circumstances of a particular case, to give procedural fairness to that applicant, is not to the point. The Act prescribes what is to be done in every case.
32 Justice Kirby held (at [173]):
Because of the mandatory language of s 424A (must) and the provisions of Pt 7, Div 4, I agree with Hayne J that the breach is sufficient to constitute jurisdictional error, as that opaque expression has been interpreted. An imperative obligation for the conduct of a review by the Tribunal has not been complied with. The will of the Parliament must be obeyed. The resulting decision of the Tribunal is not, therefore, one protected by the Act from judicial review in the Federal Court.
33 In Hossain v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2018) 264 CLR 123 (Hossain), a plurality of the judges (Kiefel CJ, Gageler and Keane JJ) stated (at [29]-[30]) that:
Ordinarily, a statute which impliedly requires that condition or another condition to be observed in the course of a decision-making process is not to be interpreted as denying legal force and effect to every decision that might be made in breach of the condition. The statute is ordinarily to be interpreted as incorporating a threshold of materiality in the event of noncompliance.
Whilst a statute on its proper construction might set a higher or lower threshold of materiality, the threshold of materiality would not ordinarily be met in the event of a failure to comply with a condition if complying with the condition could have made no difference to the decision that was made in the circumstances in which that decision was made. (Emphasis added).
34 The footnote to the bolded text above in the plurality's judgment reads: "cf SAAP v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (2005) 228 CLR 294". It is therefore apparent that Kiefel CJ, Gageler and Keane JJ were alive to the High Court's reasons in SAAP. However, their Honours' citation to SAAP did not identify the passages in SAAP on which the plurality relied. There is, therefore, some uncertainty as to the interaction of the plurality's reasons in Hossain at [29]-[30] and the reasons of the majority in SAAP at [77], [173] and [208]. In short, a question arises whether the effect of the plurality's reasons in Hossain is to qualify or overrule the majority's reasons in SAAP, by introducing a materiality threshold that must be satisfied to establish jurisdictional error even in the context of mandatory procedural requirements in the Act.
35 In Naikar v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2019] FCA 502 at [27], O'Callaghan J held that the relevant test for establishing jurisdictional error was as set out by the plurality in Hossain.
36 In the present case, the respondent concedes that, if the Alleged Relevant Information - that is, that the Order extended to the appellant's children - constituted "relevant information" within the meaning of s 120(1) of the Act, the delegate's failure to put that information to the appellant would constitute a material error. It follows that the only issue in dispute between the parties is whether the Alleged Relevant Information constituted "relevant information". There is, therefore, no need to resolve the question of the interaction between the plurality's reasons in Hossain at [29]-[30] and the reasons of the majority in SAAP at [77], [173] and [208].
37 I accept the appellant's submissions that the Alleged Relevant Information constituted "relevant information" within the meaning of s 120(1) of the Act. More particularly, I accept the appellant's submissions that the Alleged Relevant Information formed "part of the reason" for the delegate's decision to cancel the appellant's visa, within the meaning of sub-s 120(1)(a) of the Act. There is no controversy that sub-ss 120(1)(b)-(d) of the Act are satisfied in this case.
38 It is undoubtedly correct, as the respondent submits, that, as a general proposition, a decision-maker will be confronted with issues of varying importance and relevance to the decision-maker's decision and the reasoning in support of that decision. While a decision-maker's reasoning may advert to, and express views on, such issues, not every issue adverted to will necessarily constitute part of the decision-maker's reasons: see VAF v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (2004) 236 FCR 549 at [33].
39 However, in this case, to assess whether or not a fact adverted to by the delegate in the Decision Record constitutes "part of the reason" for the delegate's decision to cancel the appellant's visa, it is necessary to have regard to the form and content of the Decision Record. The Decision Record was contained in a form with pre-populated questions. Question 9 on the form required the delegate to set out its assessment of "the reasons the visa should not be cancelled". The form then identified five sub-issues relevant to Question 9. A box appeared under each sub-issue, which was to be filled-in by the delegate. The sub-issue of relevance in this case concerns hardship. The form identified that sub-issue in the following terms: "The degree of hardship which may be caused to the visa holder, their family members and others, if the visa is cancelled. Where applicable, the best interests of a child in Australia under 18 years must be considered in accordance with Australia's obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child".
40 In response to this sub-issue, the delegate set out seven brief dot-points. One of those dot-points contained the reference to the Alleged Relevant Information. The dot-point relevantly stated: "I am aware that the visa holder has two (2) children, and that a decision to cancel his visa will separate him from them. However, I do note that the visa holder is prevented from making contact with his children due to a family violence restraining order."
41 Two matters are apparent from the above structure and content of the Decision Record. First, the form containing the Decision Record required the delegate to consider the best interests of a child under 18 years. The delegate's reference to the application of the Order to the appellant's children was directly responsive to the requirement stipulated on the form. Secondly, the delegate's reasoning referring to the Alleged Relevant Information appeared within a series of brief dot-points, all of which were ultimately responsive to the form's requirement that the delegate set out its "assessment of the reasons the visa should be cancelled". Seen in this context, the delegate's reference to the Alleged Relevant Information can only be construed as evidencing that that information was weighing on the delegate's mind. Although the delegate did not expressly state that the delegate was giving weight to the Alleged Relevant Information in deciding to cancel the appellant's visa, it is evident that the delegate's reference to the Alleged Relevant Information was more than just a passing reference. In these circumstances, it is my opinion that the Alleged Relevant Information formed part of the reasons for the delegate's decision to cancel the appellant's visa, and constituted "relevant information" within the meaning of s 120(1) of the Act.
42 It follows that, in my view, the delegate was required, by s 120(2) of the Act to: give particulars of the Alleged Relevant Information to the appellant; ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, that the appellant understood why it was relevant to the cancellation; and invite the appellant to comment on it. In circumstances where the respondent has conceded the materiality of the delegate's failure to put the Alleged Relevant Information to the appellant, the delegate's failure to do so must have constituted jurisdictional error.
43 For the above reasons, appeal ground 1 must be allowed.