[2025] FCA 510
General information, not legal advice.
Federal Court of Australia
2025-05-21
Hill J
Original judgment source is linked above.
Ali v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs [2022] FCAFC 140
ALM22 v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2024] FCAFC 7
BCW16 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2021] FCA 1086
Chetcuti v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2019] FCAFC 112; (2019) 270 FCR 335
COS16 v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2020] FCA 112
DKN20 v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2020] FCA 1158
Hossain v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2018] HCA 34; (2018) 264 CLR 123
Katoa v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2022] HCA 28; (2022) 276 CLR 579
LPDT v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2024] HCA 12; (2024) 98 ALJR 610
Minister for Immigration and Border Protection v Tesic [2017] FCAFC 93; (2017) 251 FCR 23
MZAGE v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2016] FCA 630
MZXHY v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2007] FCA 622
NWQR v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2021] FCAFC 30
Plaintiff M1/2021 v Minister for Home Affairs [2022] HCA 17; (2022) 275 CLR 582
Quach v RU [2024] FCAFC 32
Singh v Minister for Immigration, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2023] FCA 978
SZRUR v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2013] FCAFC 146; (2013) 216 FCR 445
Wahed v Minister for Home Affairs [2019] FCA 247
Administrative and Constitutional Law and Human Rights
MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION AND MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
Note: Entry of orders is dealt with in Rule 39.32 of the Federal Court Rules 2011.
Appeal to the Immigration Department's decision refusal: Returning back to Vietnam, highly risky of daily personal life. Relate to section 36(2) of the Immigration Act.
Appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal's decision: Refusal, possible of judgment error.
The untranslated documents
- The issue around the untranslated documents is not new ground for appeal. I have raised the matter before the Tribunal and the previous Court. The judge has not considered my appeal ground on whether the Tribunal was wrong to consider my evidence in Vietnamese in their decision in paragraph 18 from e to j. The previous Court rejected my ground because the Judge considered my translated letter as new evidence.
- The letters are not new evidence. The letters were given to the Tribunal in Vietnamese. The Tribunal member made the decision based on the Vietnamese version of the letters. The Tribunal should have allowed me more time to provide an English translation. This is legally incorrect procedure.
- The English translations were provided to the previous Court and accompany by the Vietnamese version. The translation is to assist the Court to understand exactly the content of the letters and to determine whether the Tribunal has made an error to assess the letters in Vietnamese. The translations are not new evidence. The letters are existing evidence, but they were presented in different language to assist the Court. This is procedural fairness. I was not allowed this opportunity by the Tribunal and the previous Court.
- For example ...
- For another example, a recording of an interview is the same evidence as the transcript. They are only written in different format and form. The transcript is not new evidence.
- My witnesses are Vietnamese, and they cannot write English. It is unfair for me because both the Tribunal and the previous Court did not allow me an opportunity to provide a translated English documents and made decision on the presumption of what the decision makers think is right.
- I am self-[re]presented. I am sorry to the Court that I don't know how to present my case as good as the lawyers. The delay in lodging the appeal would not cause any disadvantage to the Minister apart from costs, but would cause huge problems to my life if I were returned to Vietnam. I asked the Court to consider my above explanation. (emphasis added)
Courts have an overriding duty to ensure that a trial is fair to all parties. In the context of an unrepresented litigant, that duty requires the Court to take appropriate steps to ensure that the unrepresented litigant has sufficient information about the practice and procedure of the Court, so far as is reasonably practicable for the purpose of ensuring a fair trial. The application of that principle will vary depending upon the circumstances of the case ... However, there is no statutory right to legal representation. Nor is there any absolute right to legal representation at common law ... In civil proceedings, procedural fairness does not require that a party be provided with legal representation, no matter how serious the consequences of the proceedings might be ...
I certify that the preceding forty-two (42) numbered paragraphs are a true copy of the Reasons for Judgment of the Honourable Justice Hill.
AYJ22
Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs [2025] FCA 510
(2024) 98 ALJR 610
(2019) 270 FCR 335
(2017) 251 FCR 23
(2022) 275 CLR 582
(2013) 216 FCR 445
(2018) 264 CLR 123
(2022) 276 CLR 579