austlii:cth/FedCFamC2G/2025/1304
General information, not legal advice.
FedCFamC2G
2025-08-15
Original judgment source is linked above.
FEDERAL CIRCUIT AND FAMILY COURT OF AUSTRALIA (DIVISION 2)
Note: The form of the order is subject to the entry in the Court's records.
Note: The Court may vary or set aside a judgment or order to remedy minor typographical or grammatical errors (r 17.05(2)(g) Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) (General Federal Law) Rules 2021 (Cth)), or to record a variation to the order pursuant to r 17.05 Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) (General Federal Law) Rules 2021 (Cth).
(1) he left Malaysia as he couldn't pay the debts he owed to loan sharks. He was blackmailed and threatened by the loan sharks and was scared to leave his home;
(2) when the Applicant failed to pay, the violence escalated, resulting in the Applicant being beaten and hurt badly. The loan sharks also tried to chop off the Applicant's hand;
(3) he couldn't live peacefully and was living in fear in Malaysia and therefore came to Australia;
(4) the Applicant sought help from his local community, but they did not want to get involved with his loan shark problems. He also sought assistance from the local police who couldn't assist him;
(5) the loan sharks continued to look for the Applicant (e.g. visited his previous workplaces with guns and knives) even after he had arrived in Australia;
(6) if he returned to Malaysia the loan sharks would find him, and he would be subjected to violence so that he would return the money; and he could not relocate within Malaysia as he was warned that if he did so, he would be found and killed by the loan sharks associates, which he were told were present in every Malaysian state.
(1) that the Applicant made vague claims that lacked detail and provided little or no supporting evidence to substantiate them; this caused the Delegate to question the authenticity of his claims. For instance:
(a) he claimed he reported the incident to police but had no evidence of this;
(b) he claimed he was beaten but was unable ot provide a medical report as proof; did not provide a medical report;
(c) he claimed the loan sharks attempted to locate him at multiple workplaces, but only listed one;
(2) the genuineness of his stated fear of persecution in Malaysia was doubtful given the Applicant's significant delay in applying for the Protection Visa;
(3) country information indicated that the Malaysian authorities - including the police and judiciary - are reasonably effective in combating illegal money lending;
(4) that there are effective protection measures available to the Applicant, and thus, that he does not have a well-founded fear of persecution;
(5) that the Applicant could obtain, from an authority of the country, protection such that there would not be a real risk that the Applicant would suffer significant harm.
(1) a statutory declaration made by his father; and
(2) a copy of the Applicant's marriage certificate.
12. The Tribunal identified a number of inconsistencies in the applicant's evidence that in its view suggested that his claims "were not credible or genuine".
13. The Tribunal found the evidence given by the applicant's brother that he was paying the applicant's debt by instalments using money sent to him by the applicant was inconsistent with the applicant's claim that he was unable to repay the debt, and it rejected the applicant's explanation that he was unaware the remittances were being used to repay the debt as "implausible, in the sense of being fanciful".
14. The Tribunal also found the applicant's failure to mention at the hearing a claim until he was prompted to do so by the Tribunal indicated that the claim had been fabricated. The particular claim was included in the applicant's Protection visa application that his friend had seen loan sharks armed with a knife and a gun visiting his previous workplace looking for the applicant.
15. The Tribunal recorded that the applicant claimed at the Tribunal hearing that he did not go to hospital after he was beaten with a baseball bat in 2013 for "financial reasons" and then after it was put to him that there were public hospitals in Malaysia, he changed his evidence and said that he did not require hospitalisation because his injuries only hurt for a few days. The Tribunal found this claim was far-fetched and undermined by the applicant's inconsistent testimony.
16. The Tribunal did not accept that the applicant's brother had been subjected to death threats by the loan sharks. It found the claim that his brother did not seek police protection after receiving a death threat was "unconvincing given he did not personally owe the debt and the seriousness of the threat conveyed". It also noted the written statement from the applicant's father claimed that the threats were "conveyed to him and not to his brother" and concluded that the applicant's oral evidence and his father's written evidence were "mutually unsupportive".
17. In addition, the Tribunal rejected the applicant's claim that he attempted to evade the loan sharks by relocating to Pahang and but was recognised there by a Chinese man as "far-fetched and contrived for the purpose of augmenting the applicant's otherwise weak claims for protection".
18. The Tribunal identified that it was entitled take into account the applicant's delay in applying for protection as a relevant factor when assessing the genuineness or depth of his claimed fear of persecution and credibility.1 It found that despite his claim that he had travelled to Australia for the purpose of seeking protection, the applicant delayed making his Protection applicant's explanation that he delayed making his application until a friend told him about it and because his English was weak because the applicant had indicated he was able to speak and read English and had access to information about protection visas on the internet. It found that if he had a genuine fear of harm, he would have sought protection earlier and the delay indicated his claims were "not genuine" .
19. On the basis of what it identified as "the applicant's substantial delay in applying for protection, his limited and vague written claims and his generally vague, inconsistent and far-fetched oral testimony", the Tribunal did not accept that the applicant had: accrued debts to a loan shark; been threatened with harm by loan sharks, beaten or forced to relocate for this reason.
20. The Tribunal also did not accept that the applicant's brother or his father had been threatened by loan sharks because of the inconsistencies it identified between the oral evidence of the applicant and his brother at the Tribunal hearing and because it found that the written claims made by the applicant's father were not reliable or consistent with the applicant's oral evidence.
21. With "particular emphasis on the applicant's substantial delay in applying for a protection visa", the Tribunal found that the applicant's claims were "contrived" and that he: was not a reliable or credible witness; did not have any genuine personally held fears of persecution; and did not face a real chance of serious harm for the reasons claimed. Accordingly, the Tribunal concluded that the applicant was not a refugee as defined in section 5H and he therefore did not meet paragraph 36(2)(a) of the Act.
22. In undertaking its complementary protection assessment, the Tribunal had regard to its anterior factual findings in relation to its assessment of the applicant's claims against the refugee criterion, particularly its "extensive adverse credibility findings in relation to critical or dispositive aspects of the applicant's claims", and also found the applicant did not face a real risk of significant harm.
23. The Tribunal affirmed the decision to refuse the applicant's a protection visa.
(1) Applicant to file any amended application with proper particulars, written submissions and further evidence by 1 November 2024; and
(2) Minister to file any written submissions and further evidence in reply by 15 November 2024.
(1) the application for judicial review filed 24 May 2019;
(2) a Court Book numbering 134 pages filed 18 September 2019, (marked as Exhibit R1);
(3) an outline of written submissions filed by the Minister on 5 June 2025; and
(4) an Affidavit of Service of Anthony Robert Gardner affirmed 11 June 2025
(1) allocated to, and listed for hearing by, the Court as presently constituted on 24 April 2025; and
(2) heard on 8 August 2025 in person at the Court's Melbourne Registry.
477 Time limits on applications to the Federal Circuit Court
(1) An application to the Federal Circuit Court for a remedy to be granted in exercise of the court's original jurisdiction under section 476 in relation to a migration decision must be made to the court within 35 days of the date of the migration decision.
(2) The Federal Circuit Court may, by order, extend that 35-day period as the Federal Circuit Court considers appropriate if:
(a) an application for that order has been made in writing to the Federal Circuit Court specifying why the applicant considers that it is necessary in the interests of the administration of justice to make the order; and
(b) the Federal Circuit Court is satisfied that it is necessary in the interests of the administration of justice to make the order
s 477(2)(a) - Application in writing specifying reasons
s 477(2)(b) - Necessary in the interests of justice
(a) the length of the delay;
(b) the explanation for the delay;
(c) whether the respondent (or any third parties) would suffer any prejudice due to the delay;
(d) the impact on the applicant; and
(e) whether the proposed substantive application for judicial review has "merit".
[I]f the delay is lengthy and unexplained, the applicant may be required to show that the case is strong or even "exceptional". In such a case, a proper exercise of the power conferred by s 477A(2) will not require the judge to confine their consideration of the merits to an assessment of what is "reasonably arguable" or some similar standard. In other cases, the proposed ground of review may be hopeless, but it may be necessary to examine the proposed application in some detail to reach that conclusion.
It is an applicant's responsibility to make proper inquiries to determine the time by which an appeal must be lodged: see SZLIH v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2009] FCA 108 at [33]. There is no evidence before me to suggest that the applicant made any inquiries or took any appropriate steps to determine the appeal period in her case.
*** the decision made by AAT on 8 June 2018 is refused to grant a protection visa. Hence, I would like to reappeal to FCC to reopen case.**
*** I decided to move Australia due to having a danger threats towards my life. Back in Malaysia, I will facing genuine risk of my life if I staying in Malaysia because a lot of people look for myself due I can't get done all my debt previously I loan. Some of them had threaten to do something bad to me and I received threats by them everyday.**
*** AAT has not threatened the family when refused to accept my application and AAT was fully aware of the facts that I've lodged my application for protection visa as for having genuine risk of my life if I'm going back to Malaysia due to the information. As stated on statement of decision and reasons record.**
(1) was invited to a hearing on 1 May 2017;
(2) attended the hearing on 2 June 2017, where oral evidence from himself and his brother was furnished; and
(3) was invited to make post-hearing submissions.
*** AAT fully aware my safety can't be granted if I'm back in Malaysia because legal justice can't protect me at all time but AAT still not accept my application even explanation given to them during the hearing. AAT member has not used his discretion as this is clearly unfair decision to myself.**
*** Since my last application is got refused by the AAT, I would like to reappeal my application to get the change of decision by the FCC due to the facts my life is having danger threats if I'm back to Malysia. This are the facts that they did not take in consideration,**
I would like to inform you that last year on 7/5/2024 I still received threats from the LOAN SHARK. Among the evidence I obtained from my younger sister is as follows: they also distributed pictures of the identity cards of all family members to the public and sent voice messages to my younger sister's Whatsapp.
I certify that the preceding eighty-nine (89) numbered paragraphs are a true copy of the Reasons for Judgment of Judge Johns.
[1] EDO19 v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs [2023] FedCFamC2G 826, [64].
[2] Migration Act 1958 (Cth) s 477(2).
[20] [2022] HCA 28, [12].
[21] MZABP v Minister for Immigration & Border Protection [2015] FCA 1392.
[22] MZAIB v Minister for Immigration & Border Protection [2015] FCA 1391 ('MZAIB').
[23] [2022] HCA 28, [18].
[24] SZLIH v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2009] FCA 108, [33].
[25] (2025) FCA 453, [16].
[27] Randhawa v Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs [1994] FCA 1253, 451.
CCH19
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2025] FedCFamC2G 1304
(2022) 276 CLR 579
(1984) 3 FCR 344
(1994) 52 FCR 437