AVS Group of Companies Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Police, New South Wales Police Force

AVS Group of Companies Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Police, New South Wales Police Force - [2009] NSWCA 49 - NSWCA 2009 case summary — Zoe

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Relevant Legislation 17 The following provisions are relevant. Sections which will be referred to in detail are noted in bold italics. a) SI Act 15 Restrictions on granting licence - general suitability criteria (1) The Commissioner must refuse to grant an application for a licence if the Commissioner is satisfied that the applicant: (a) is not a fit and proper person to hold the class of licence sought by the applicant, or (b) is not of or above the age of 18, or (c) in the case of application for a licence other than a provisional licence - does not have the competencies and experience prescribed by the regulations in respect of the class of licence sought by the applicant, or (d) is not competent to carry on the security activity to which the proposed licence relates, or (e) is not an Australian citizen or a permanent Australian resident. (2) The Commissioner may refuse to grant an application for a licence if the Commissioner is satisfied that the applicant: (a) in the case of an application for a class 1 licence: (i) has not, for at least 12 months, held a provisional licence authorising the applicant to carry on the security activity to which the proposed licence relates, or (ii) has not previously been authorised by a licence (other than a provisional licence) to carry on the security activity to which the proposed licence relates, or (b) in the case of an application for a provisional licence - has not completed, to the satisfaction of the Commissioner, an approved security industry training course that is relevant to the class of licence sought, or (c) in the case of an application for a class 1 licence where the applicant has previously been authorised by a licence to carry on the security activity to which the proposed licence relates: (i) has failed to demonstrate active participation or employment in the security industry for a significant period of the previous licence, after taking into account any actual experience or offered work or contracts, or (ii) has not been engaged in the security activity authorised by the previous licence for a significant period, or (iii) has failed to demonstrate continuing knowledge and competency in relation to the security activity authorised by the previous licence. (3) The Commissioner may refuse to grant an application for a licence if the Commissioner considers that the grant of the licence would be contrary to the public interest. (4) The regulations may provide additional mandatory or discretionary grounds for refusing the granting of an application for a licence. (5) Except as provided by the regulations, a reference in this section to an applicant includes, in the case of an application for a master licence, a reference to each close associate of the applicant. (6) For the purpose of determining whether an applicant is a fit and proper person to hold the class of licence sought by the applicant, the Commissioner may have regard to any criminal intelligence report or other criminal information held in relation to the applicant that: (a) is relevant to the activities carried out under the class of licence sought by the applicant, or (b) causes the Commissioner to conclude that improper conduct is likely to occur if the applicant were granted the licence, or (c) causes the Commissioner not to have confidence that improper conduct will not occur if the applicant were granted the licence. (7) The Commissioner is not, under this or any other Act or law, required to give any reasons for not granting a licence if the giving of those reasons would disclose the existence or content of any criminal intelligence report or other criminal information as referred to in subsection (6). 26 Revocation of licence (1) A licence may be revoked: (a) (Repealed) (b) if the licensee: (i) supplied information that was (to the licensee's knowledge) false or misleading in a material particular in, or in connection with, the application for the licence, or (ii) contravenes any provision of this Act or the regulations, whether or not the licensee has been convicted of an offence for the contravention, or (iii) contravenes any condition of the licence, or (c) (Repealed) (d) for any other reason prescribed by the regulations. (1A) The Commissioner must revoke a licence where the Commissioner is satisfied that, if the licensee were applying for a new licence, the application would be required by this Act to be refused. (2) The Commissioner may revoke a licence by serving on the licensee, personally or by post, a notice stating that the licence is revoked and the reasons for revoking it. (3) The revocation of a licence by such a notice takes effect when the notice is served or on a later date specified in the notice. Note. Section 31 requires the licensee to immediately surrender the licence if the licence is revoked. (4) The Commissioner may, by serving a further notice on the holder of a licence, cancel a notice revoking a licence before the notice takes effect.

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29 Right to seek review from Administrative Decisions Tribunal (1) A person may apply to the Administrative Decisions Tribunal for a review of the following decisions: (a) the refusal or failure by the Commissioner to grant a licence to the person (other than by operation of section 24 (3)), (b) a condition imposed by the Commissioner on a licence granted to the person, (c) the revocation or suspension of a licence granted to the person. (2) For the purposes of this section, an application for the grant of a licence is taken to have been refused if the licence is not granted within 60 days after the application is made in accordance with this Act. Note. Under the Administrative Decisions Tribunal Act 1997, if the ADT has reviewed a "reviewable decision" (such as a decision referred to in the above section), a party to the proceedings may appeal to an Appeal Panel of the ADT. An appeal on a question of law may then lie to the Supreme Court. (3) In determining an application for a review of any decision to refuse to grant a licence or to revoke a licence that was made on the ground of the applicant not being a fit and proper person, the Administrative Decisions Tribunal: (a) is to ensure that it does not, in the reasons for its decision or otherwise, disclose the existence or content of any criminal intelligence report or other criminal information referred to in section 15 (6) without the approval of the Commissioner, and (b) in order to prevent the disclosure of any such report or other criminal information, is to receive evidence and hear argument in the absence of the public, the applicant for review, the applicant's representative and any other interested party, unless the Commissioner approves otherwise. Note. Section 15 (7) of this Act provides that the Commissioner is not, under this or any other Act or law, required to give any reasons for not granting a licence if the giving of those reasons would disclose the existence or content of any criminal intelligence report or other criminal information referred to in section 15 (6). Accordingly, Part 2 of Chapter 5 of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal Act 1997 does not apply to any decision to refuse to grant a licence based on such information to the extent that it would require disclosure of the existence or content of any criminal intelligence report or other criminal information. a) ADT Act. 49 Duty of administrator to give reasons on request (1) If an administrator makes a reviewable decision, an interested person may make a written request to the administrator for the reasons for the decision. (2) As soon as practicable (and in any event within 28 days) after receiving such a request, the administrator is to prepare a written statement of reasons for the decision and provide it to the person who requested the reasons. (3) The statement of reasons is to set out the following: (a) the findings on material questions of fact, referring to the evidence or other material on which those findings were based, (b) the administrator's understanding of the applicable law, (c) the reasoning processes that led the administrator to the conclusions the administrator made. (4) The regulations may: (a) exclude any class of reviewable decisions from the application of this section, or (b) alter the period within which a statement of reasons under this section must be given. 58 Duty of administrator to lodge material documents with Tribunal where decision reviewed

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(1) An administrator whose reviewable decision is the subject of an application for review to the Tribunal must, within 28 days after receiving notice of the application, lodge with the Tribunal: (a) a copy of any statement of reasons given to the applicant under section 49 (or, if no such statement was given to the applicant, a statement of reasons setting out the matters referred to in section 49 (3)) , and (a1) a copy of any statement of reasons for a decision in an internal review conducted in respect of the reviewable decision, and (b) a copy of every document or part of a document that is in the possession, or under the control, of the administrator that the administrator considers to be relevant to the determination of the application by the Tribunal. (2) If the applicant has not been given a statement of reasons under section 49, the Tribunal may direct that a copy of the statement of reasons lodged with the Tribunal under subsection (1) (a) be given to the applicant within such period or periods as the Tribunal directs. (3) If the Tribunal or President considers that a party to the proceedings would or might suffer hardship if the period of 28 days provided by subsection (1) is not shortened or extended, the Tribunal or President may, at the request of the party, make an order directing that the copies referred to in that subsection be lodged with the Tribunal within such shorter or extended period as is specified in the order. (4) If the Tribunal or President considers that other particular documents (or that other documents included in a particular class of documents) may be relevant to the determination of the application, it may cause a notice in writing to be served on the administrator: (a) stating that the Tribunal or President is of that opinion, and (b) directing the administrator concerned to lodge with the Tribunal, before a date specified in the notice, a copy of each of those other documents that is in the possession, or under the control, of the administrator. (5) The Registrar of the Tribunal is to grant reasonable access to the applicant in the proceedings to any copy of a document lodged under this section by an administrator. Reasonable access includes, but is not limited to, enabling the applicant to make a photocopy of a document during ordinary business hours. (6) If a party to proceedings before the Tribunal seeks a summons under section 84 against an administrator for the production of any document and a copy of that document has been lodged with the Tribunal under subsection (1) or (4), the Tribunal may (on such conditions as it considers appropriate) direct the Registrar to grant the party access to its copy of the document instead of issuing a summons if access to the document could lawfully be required by the issue of a summons. (7) Nothing in this section requires the disclosure of, or the granting of access to, any document (or a copy of a document) in contravention of any of the following: (a) an order made under section 59 (Objections to lodgement), (b) an order made under section 75 (Proceedings on hearing to be conducted in public), (c) section 124 (Application of Act to exempt documents under Freedom of Information Act 1989) , (d) section 125 (Privileged documents). (8) For the purposes of this section, a reference to a document in the possession of an administrator includes a reference to a document to which the administrator has an immediate right of access. 73 Procedure of the Tribunal generally (1) The Tribunal may, subject to this Act and the rules of the Tribunal, determine its own procedure. (2) The Tribunal is not bound by the rules of evidence and may inquire into and inform itself on any matter in such manner as it thinks fit, subject to the rules of natural justice. (3) The Tribunal is to act with as little formality as the circumstances of the case permit and according to equity, good conscience and the substantial merits of the case without regard to technicalities or legal forms. (4) The Tribunal is to take such measures as are reasonably practicable: (a) to ensure that the parties to the proceedings before it understand the nature of the assertions made in the proceedings and the legal implications of those assertions, and (b) if requested to do so - to explain to the parties any aspect of the procedure of the Tribunal, or any decision or ruling made by the Tribunal, that relates to the proceedings, and (c) to ensure that the parties have the fullest opportunity practicable to be heard or otherwise have their submissions considered in the proceedings. ....

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