JUDGEMENT AT FIRST INSTANCE
9 The first instance judgment set out a comprehensive chronology of the background facts, most of which can be briefly summarised for the purpose of these reasons.
10 The appellant is a citizen of Thailand and claims to be the victim of a property dispute fraudulently brought against her resulting in the loss of her property and a criminal conviction for which she has been sentenced to four years imprisonment. She entered Australia in May 2023 with a view to transiting to Qatar in order to access the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC) on the basis that her property claim could be revisited there and resolved in her favour.
11 The appellant was, however, not permitted to board her flight to Doha and, as she did not have a visa for entry into Australia, was, on 17 May 2023, refused immigration clearance pursuant to subparagraph 172(1)(a)(ii) of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) as she could not present a visa in effect and held by her in accordance with s 166(1)(a) of the Migration Act. The appellant was therefore detained under s 198 of the Migration Act and transferred to immigration detention.
12 Before the appellant could be removed to Thailand, she made an application for a Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHEV) on 23 May 2023. The delegate refused to grant that visa and that decision was affirmed by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (the Tribunal) on 16 November 2023. The appellant has consistently maintained that she does not seek review of the Tribunal's decision and, according to the McKenzie friend in this application, that position has not changed. Thereafter, the following ensued.
13 On 13 December 2023, the appellant wrote to the embassy of Qatar in Canberra setting out her legal claims in considerable detail and stating, "I respectfully request that the State of Qatar grant me an appropriate visa, which will allow me to enter Qatar to attend the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre to pursue justice in this case".
14 On 22 December 2023, the appellant obtained a 30-day tourist visa permitting entry into Qatar. The visa was issued electronically.
15 On 29 December 2023, the Acting Inspector Removals in the Australian Border Force sent an email to the appellant which stated:
Good afternoon Ms. [REDACTED].
As discussed on 28/12/2023, we have sought information from the State of Qatar about your proposed entry into Qatar upon being removed from Australia on a tourist visa. No information has been received from the Qatar Government approving your movement into Doha as of 29.12.2023 and, as such, your departure on 30.12.2023 will not occur.
As per your and Ms Matilda Gee's email, "The returns framework supports non-citizens who choose to return to their country of origin or to a country where they have the right of entry and long-term stay but require assistance to do so."
A 30 day tourist visa for Qatar does not constitute a right of residency or long-term stay. Accordingly, it is essential for the department to inform the Qatari authorities of your circumstances and seek their response in order to confirm whether your proposed removal to Qatar under s.198 of the Migration Act 1958 *the Act) is reasonably practicable.
I note the below claims: [the applicant] has a genuine concern for her safety and wellbeing if she were to return to Thailand to the extent that she fears persecution and physical harm would be imminent upon her arrival to Thailand.
Your claims have been assessed under the protection visa application process. A delegate found that there were no protection obligations owed in respect to Thailand and this finding was affirmed by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (the Tribunal) on 16 November 2023. The tribunal found that it was "not satisfied that there were substantial grounds for believing that, as a necessary and foreseeable consequence of the applicant's removal from Australia to Thailand, there is a real risk the applicant will suffer significant harm as defined in the Act."
You continue to be liable for removal to your country of citizenship, Thailand, under s 198 of the Act.
You will be notified in due course when arrangements are in place to effect your removal to Thailand.
Please refrain from booking any further flights unless you have been advised by the department of a possible departure date for Thailand.
Kind regards.
(official notice of the decision-making officer, dated 29 December 2023)
(emphasis in original)
16 Also on 29 December 2023, Ms Hedges, a Supervisor of the Consular Engagement and Liaison Team of the Australian Border Force emailed the Qatar Embassy seeking advice as follows:
Good morning Consular Services,
Thank you for confirming the requirement for Thai national, Ms [REDACTED], to obtain a visa prior to arrival into Qatar.
Ms [REDACTED] has obtained a 30-day tourist visa for entry prior to 21.03.2024 (please find attached).
Ms [REDACTED] has a flight booking to depart Doha on 26 January 2024 for Bangkok. However, we would like to seek legal assistance in Qatar. A letter from Ms. [REDACTED] outlining her details was sent to your office earlier this month, please find attached.
Ms [REDACTED] has also booked hotel accommodation at the Green Garden Hotel, although the check-in date will need to be amended.
Could you please confirm if Ms [REDACTED] will be allowed to be removed from Australia to Qatar with this tourist visa, given it is only valid for 30 days? Ms [REDACTED] faces a possible three-year exclusion from Australia due to her method of arrival.
Appreciate if you can advise whether Ms [REDACTED]'s removal to Qatar will be accepted by Qatari authorities so that travel arrangements can be made to depart Australia.
Kind regards
17 Attached to that email was the electronic visa to enter Qatar, issued on 22 December 2023, in favour of the appellant and bearing the number TH663......42.
18 On 31 January 2024, the Consular Engagement and Liaison Team of the Australian Border Force received an email from the Qatar Embassy in Canberra which referred to the attachments to Ms Hedges' email of 29 December 2023, including visa TH663......42. That email states:
Good Afternoon Rebecca,
Thank you for contact us regards of Ms [REDACTED].
We are still waiting to hear from the Ministry of the State of Qatar when we have any response
I'll contact you
Thank you again for your patience.
19 On 5 February 2024, the Qatar Embassy in Canberra emailed the Consular Engagement and Liaison Team of the Australian Border Force referring to "Enquiry re entry requirements for Qatar" and stating:
Good Afternoon Rebecca
We received letter from the Ministry regards your question about Ms [REDACTED]
The entry permit issued by Hayya has cancelled and she isn't allowed to enter Qatar
Thanks & regards
20 On 14 February 2024, the appellant received a "Notice of Intention to Remove from Australia" from the Australian Border Force. The notice provided that the appellant was to be removed pursuant to s 198 of the Migration Act from Australia to Thailand on or after 29 February 2024.
21 At the hearing at first instance, the appellant tendered an email dated 4 February 2024 which rejected a tourist visa application made by the appellant but bore no reference to visa TH663......42. The appellant's McKenzie friend made submissions that the absence of a specific visa number on the email from the Qatar Embassy in Canberra to the Consular Engagement and Liaison Team of the Australian Border Force on 5 February 2024 and the absence of reasons as to why the appellant could not enter Qatar indicated that it was not conclusive that the appellant could not enter Qatar. Therefore, he said she should be allowed to stay in Australia in order to fully explore whether she could obtain a visa for Qatar and accordingly wished for a stay on her removal from Australia.
22 At first instance, Collier J made the following findings at paragraphs [31] and [32]:
In the present case, it is not in dispute that the applicant is an unlawful non-citizen within the meaning of the Migration Act, and is subject to removal pursuant to s 198 of the Migration Act.
Second, in the present case, no protection finding was made by the tribunal in respect of the applicant, including in relation to her claimed fear to be removed to Thailand.
23 Further, at [51] - [60]:
As of December 2023 when the applicant was seeking visas to enter Qatar, she was in migration detention in Australia as an unlawful non-citizen. Section 198 of the Migration Act was enlivened to require her removal from Australia as soon as reasonably practicable. The applicant claimed that she had visa TH663......42 which would have permitted her removal from Australia to Qatar on 30 December 2023. However, as the official notice of the decision-making officer, dated 29 December 2023 explained, a 30-day tourist visa for Qatar did not constitute a right of residency or long-term stay such that Australian Border Force could be satisfied that removal from Australia to Qatar on the basis of that visa was reasonably practicable. The official notice of the decision-making officer, dated 29 December 2023, explained that the department considered it essential to confirm that the applicant would be granted entry into Qatar before she was removed there from Australia. Seeking such confirmation is consistent with reasonable conduct on the part of the Commonwealth, as explained by Wigney J in BHL19 (No 2) at 171.
Given that the only possible basis for removal of the applicant to Qatar in December 2023 was a 30-day tourist visa, I am satisfied that there was evidence before the decision-maker that, unless Australian Border Force received confirmation that the applicant's 30-day tourist visa would permit her removal from Australia to Qatar, it was not reasonably practicable for her to be so removed on 30 December 2023. The reasons provided by the decision-maker in the official notice of the decision-making officer, dated 29 December 2023, explained this - namely the applicant had a 30-day tourist visa with no right of residency or long-term stay in Qatar.
The McKenzie friend at the hearing repeatedly submitted that the purposes of the applicant travelling to Qatar was to commence legal proceedings in the QICDRC and that this was disclosed in the applicant's visa application and communication with the Qatar Embassy prior to the issue to the applicant of visa TH663......42. It may well be that a visa was originally granted to the applicant to enter Qatar on the basis that she intended to commence litigation there. However, it appears that, once questions had been put by Australian Border Force to Qatar consular services regarding the removal of the applicant to Qatar, the view of the Qatar consular services changed such that the applicant was then denied entry to Qatar.
This refusal of Qatar to permit the removal of the applicant from Australia to Qatar provided a conclusion to the inquiry by Australian Border Force into the reasonable practicability of removing the applicant to Qatar. In other words, it was plainly not reasonably practicable to do so after 5 February 2024. The only reasonably practicable removal of the applicant from Australia was to her country of citizenship, as stated in the notice of intention to remove from Australia.
Fourth, to the extent that the applicant has now sought an extension of time to allow for additional steps that she could undertake for the purpose of satisfying a decision-making officer of the Commonwealth that the applicant's removal to Qatar was reasonably practicable, both the email of 5 February 2024 and the email of 4 February 2024 in exhibit 1A strongly suggest that further time granted to the applicant for that purpose would be of no utility. The requirement by the decision-maker of a response from the Qatar Embassy indicating whether the applicant would be permitted to be removed to Doha in Qatar has now been fulfilled and a negative response has been given. No explanation has been provided by the applicant as to how further time given to the applicant would result in a different response from the Qatar authorities, given that her visa has been cancelled and she no longer has a right of entry to Qatar.
Fifth, to the extent that the applicant seeks a temporary stay on her removal from Australia to Thailand, no arguments of substance have been advanced by the applicant. This temporary stay appears to relate to the notice of intention to remove from Australia, dated 14 February 2024, informing the applicant that she was scheduled to be removed from Australia to Thailand on or after 29 February 2024. The McKenzie friend made extensive submissions to the effect that the applicant was fearful of being removed to Thailand because of her claims in Thailand concerning alleged fraudulent land deals and appropriations in Thailand and because she had allegedly offended powerful people in Thailand.
The McKenzie friend was unable to articulate how lengthy the temporary stay on the applicant's removal would be, other than it being open-ended. When I asked him at the case management hearing on 22 February 2024, the McKenzie friend replied:
"I'm sorry, your Honour. We would be asking for a stay until the proceedings are completed in total."
(transcript p 5 ll 16-17)
The order sought by the applicant is in the nature of an injunction to maintain the status quo while the applicant - whilst the applicant seeks substantial relief. See, for example, ABAR15 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2016] FCA 363. However, the applicant in the present case seeks no other substantive relief for which the status quo could be maintained. She has specifically not sought judicial review of a decision of the tribunal where the tribunal rejected her claims of fears of persecution by "powerful people". The only position the applicant seeks maintained is that she remain in Australia while continuing to explore possible avenues for her voluntary removal to Qatar and potentially to adduce further material by way of unspecified discovery orders - to endeavour to persuade Australian Border Force to remove her to Qatar. As I have already observed however, additional time to do so would not appear to be of any utility.
The applicant made submissions concerning the conduct of judicial proceedings involving her both at first instance and on appeal in Thailand. However, the fact that the applicant has been convicted of crimes in Thailand and sentenced to a term of imprisonment which may be enforced if she were to return to Thailand does not constitute a reason for her to claim any form of persecution within the meaning of the Refugee Convention, the ICCPR or the CAT. Clearly the fact that a person may be required to spend time in prison as penalty following conviction for an offence will be the result of non-discriminatory enforcement of a law of general application and does not give rise to persecution under the Refugee Convention because it does not systematic and persecutory conduct pursuant to 91R(1)(c) of the Migration Act. As I have already observed, I am not empowered to revisit the findings of the tribunal concerning events in Thailand of which the applicant complains or of the applicant's alleged fear of persecution should she be removed to Thailand.
Finally, in submissions the applicant has sought an order that the Court "allow her to be removed voluntarily to the State of Qatar where she intends to pursue important legal matters in the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre, (QICDRC)". The reality, of course, is that this Court can make no such order where, as is plain from the evidence before the Court, the State of Qatar has refused entry to the applicant.
(emphasis in original)
24 On those bases, the application was dismissed at first instance.