[2020] AATA 5077
General information, not legal advice.
Administrative Appeals Tribunal of Australia
2020-12-14
Original judgment source is linked above.
in so far as it reviews and confirms the decision of a delegate of the Chief Executive Officer of the respondent to approve the statement of participant supports made on 22 May 2020, it has jurisdiction to review the decision made on 14 July 2020 by the reviewer under s 100(6) of the National Disability Insurance Act 2013.
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NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME - identification of decision under review - may be more than one request for review of a reviewable decision - jurisdiction to review decision to approve statement of participant supports.
Collector of Customs (NSW) v Brian Lawlor Pty Ltd [1979] FCA 21; (1979) 24 ALR 307; 41 FLR 338; 2 ALD 1
Mcleish v Faure [1979] FCA 38; (1979) 40 FLR 462
Plaintiff M174/2016 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2018] HCA 16; (2018) 264 CLR 217; 353 ALR 600
R v Moodie; Ex parte Mithen (1977) 17 ALR 219
Re QMCT and National Disability Insurance Agency [2019] AATA 6111
Re ZKTN and National Disability Insurance Agency [2017] AATA 744
"I am writing to let you know the outcome of your request that the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) review Kayla-Marie's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan. This is referred to as a section 48 review under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act).
After careful consideration, the NDIA has decided not to review Kayla-Marie's plan at this time."[3]
"I have reviewed your request and I am not satisfied that your request for a shelter over your ramp is related to your disability, as detailed in the National Disability Insurance [Supports for Participants] Rules 2013 Part 5.1.b. Your Occupational Therapist ... in her report dated 23 October 2019 has stated that you have installed a rear access wheelchair ramp at your home.
Your Occupational Therapist states that the request for a shelter will allow you to use the ramp to access outdoors in all types of weather. I acknowledge that a shelter would be beneficial to your comfort whilst accessing outdoors, unfortunately this is not related to your specific needs. An individual can choose when they access outdoors, such as, waiting until it stops raining or not leaving the home in extreme weather conditions. NDIS is unable to fund supports which are not related to your disability specific needs."
"I am writing to acknowledge that we have received your request for an internal review under section 100 of the National Disability Scheme Insurance Act 2013 (NDIS Act).
The decision you would like us to review was made on 25 June 2020 and relates to the supports that are funded in your plan (a decision made under section 33) of the NDIS Act)."
"I am writing in response to your request received on 25 June 2020, that we review our earlier decision (under section 100 of the NDIS Act) made on 25 May 2020 not to review your plan (under section 48 of the NDIS Act).
I have reviewed your plan review request and the information available at the time of this review. After careful consideration, I have decided to confirm the earlier decision. This means that we will not review your plan to include the requested home modifications."[4]
"In your request, you have asked for funding for the construction of an overhead shelter over an existing ramp. However, this support cannot be provided because Rule 5.1 of the NDIS (Supports for Participants) Rules 2013 prevents the funding of this support. I have decided the following rules apply:
∙ Support is not related to the participant's disability - Rule 5.1(b)
NDIS is unable to fund a support that is not related to a participant's disability.
∙ Support relates to day-to-day living costs - Rule 5.1(d)
NDIS is unable to provide a support that relates to day-to-day living costs that are not attributable to disability support needs.
Your request for the overhead shelter is to protect Kayla-Marie in adverse weather. Weather conditions are a concern for all individuals and not a disability related concern and therefore considered a day-to-day living cost/home owner responsibility."[5]
"(a) the general supports (if any) that will be provided to, or in relation to, the participant; and
(b) the reasonable and necessary supports (if any) that will be funded under the National Disability Insurance Scheme; and
(c) the date by which, or the circumstances in which, the Agency must review the plan under Division 4; and
(d) the management of the funding for supports under the plan (see also Division 3); and
(e) the management of other aspects of the plan."[11]
14. In deciding whether or not to approve a statement of participant supports, the CEO must:
"(a) have regard to the participant's statement of goals and aspirations; and
(b) have regard to the relevant assessments conducted in relation to the participant; and
(c) be satisfied as mentioned in section 34 in relation to the reasonable and necessary supports that will be funded and the general supports that will be provided; and
(d) apply the National Disability Insurance Scheme rules (if any) made for the purpose of section 35; and
(e) have regard to the principle that a participant should manage his or her plan to the extent that he or she wishes to do so; and
(f) have regard to the operation and effectiveness of any previous plans of the participant."
"17. It is apparent that the decision made on 25 May 2020 on its face purports to be a decision to decline a request to conduct a review of the applicant's plan, under subsection 48(2) of the Act. That is, the decision-maker who made the decision on 25 May 2020 treated the applicant's request for review made following the decision to approve the applicant's statement of participant supports on 22 May 2020 to be a request for a plan review under subsection 48(2) of the Act.
"... The Act is clearly intended to give a person whose interests are affected by an administrative decision an effective appeal, free of technicalities, against that decision on questions of fact and of law: see ss 25, 27, 28, 31, 33, 42 and 44. ..."[31]
"... It is a feature of administrative decisions that once made, even if unlawful, they have consequences which may adversely affect citizens, until such time as they are withdrawn due to a change of mind on the part of the administrative official himself or are set aside by the determination of a court or tribunal. It appears to me that the Act is designed to give a simple remedy in all such cases. I would reject interpretation (a)."[34]
" Interpretation (c) appears to me to be consistent with the context in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act. The Acts committed to the administration of each Minister and his Department are set forth in the Administrative Arrangements Orders published from time to time in the Gazette. There might be a rare case where a decision appeared to have no relationship to one of the Acts committed to the administration of the Minister or Department concerned. However, in the ordinary course, it would be reasonably clear from the objective facts under which enactment or in the exercise of which statutory powers an official had purported to act. The adoption of this view would mean that the Administrative Appeals Tribunal would have jurisdiction to entertain an appeal from a decision in fact made, which purported to be made in the exercise of powers under an enactment. It could then proceed to determine whether the decision was properly made in fact and in law. There is nothing unusual in holding that an administrative decision which is legally ineffective or void is susceptible of appeal: see Calvin v Carr (1979) 22 ALR 417 . I would adopt interpretation (c)."[35]
" In my opinion, adopting what I have called a liberal construction of the relevant expressions in ss 25 and 26 and the Schedule to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act which is appropriate to the nature and object of that Act, the necessary conclusion is that those decisions are reviewable which are made by an administrator in purported or assumed pursuance of the relevant statutory provision. ..."[36]
"... as a 'landmark decision' in the early history of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal .... The Full Court of the Federal Court there construed the reference in s 25 of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 (Cth) to a 'decision' in respect of which an enactment might provide for review by that Tribunal as a reference to nothing more than 'a decision in fact made, regardless of whether or not it is a legally effective decision' .... The fundamental reason for adopting that construction was fulfilment of the evident legislative purpose of the conferral of jurisdiction on the Tribunal 'to promote good government by those carrying out the actual practical task of administering Acts of Parliament and making decisions incidental to that task': '[i]f administrative decisions are to be subjected to review in the course of good government exclusion from review of decisions made without power would remove from review those decisions most in need of review' and 'technicality would be introduced at the outset' .... In the context of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, that construction has not since been doubted."[38]
No record of oral or written request or terms of any such request but accept that it must have been made.
Agency advised outcome of Ms Farrall's request for an unscheduled plan review i.e. not to review her plan under s 48 of the NDIS Act.
The Agency recorded that Ms Farrall requested "... review of decision under s. 100 NDIS Act Internal Notes". The "Core issues associated with review request" were recorded as "Participant would like to request for core, CB, AT, CBHW".
An Agency reviewer advised Ms Farrall that she had reviewed her participant's plan and the information available at that time. She decided that "... After careful consideration, I have decided to confirm the earlier decision."
Ms Farrall lodged an application in the Tribunal for review of the delegate's decision dated 14 July 2020. She explained that she was "... seeking a review for the rejection to fund a shelter over an existing ramp because we believe it is related to the participant's disability. The ramp is for safety reasons and not a day to day living cost."
I certify that the preceding thirty eight (38) paragraphs are a true copy of the reasons for the decision herein of Deputy President S A Forgie
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[1] Mcleish v Faure [1979] FCA 38; (1979) 40 FLR 462 at [9]; 467; Sweeney, Evatt and Northrop JJ and see also It is no different in the Tribunal: R v Moodie; Ex parte Mithen (1977) 17 ALR 219 at 225; Stephen, Murphy and Aickin JJ
[2] Documents lodged under s 37 of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 (T documents); T6 at 19-20
[24] NDIS Act; s 99(1) and Items 6 and 4
[28] [2017] AATA 744; Deputy President McDermott
[29] [2019] AATA 6111; Deputy President Constance
[30] [1979] FCA 21; (1979) 24 ALR 307; 41 FLR 338; 2 ALD 1; Bowen CJ and Smithers J; Deane J dissenting
[31] [1979] FCA 21; (1979) 24 ALR 307; 41 FLR 338; 2 ALD 1 at 314; 343; 4
[32] [1979] FCA 21; (1979) 24 ALR 307; 41 FLR 338; 2 ALD 1 at 314; 343; 4
[33] [1979] FCA 21; (1979) 24 ALR 307; 41 FLR 338; 2 ALD 1 at 314; 343; 4
[34] [1979] FCA 21; (1979) 24 ALR 307; 41 FLR 338; 2 ALD 1 at 314; 343; 5
[35] [1979] FCA 21; (1979) 24 ALR 307; 41 FLR 338; 2 ALD 1 at 315; 344; 5
[36] [1979] FCA 21; (1979) 24 ALR 307; 41 FLR 338; 2 ALD 1 at 339; 373; 27
[37] [2018] HCA 16; (2018) 264 CLR 217; 353 ALR 600; Gageler, Keane, Nettle, Gordon and Edelman JJ
[38] [2018] HCA 16; (2018) 264 CLR 217; 353 ALR 600 at [39]; 232-233; 611 (citations omitted)
(1979) 24 ALR 307
(1979) 40 FLR 462
(2018) 264 CLR 217
(1977) 17 ALR 219
(1979) 22 ALR 417