Jurisdictional error.
26 The circumstances in which certiorari, or an order in the nature of certiorari (s69 Supreme Court Act 1970), is available were identified by the High Court in Craig v State of New South Wales (1994-95) 184 CLR 163 at 175. They include jurisdictional error, or an error on the face of the record. The record includes the initiating process (Craig at 182) as well as the reasons expressed by the Court or Tribunal (s69(4) of the Supreme Court Act; cf Victims' Compensation Fund Corporation v GM [2004] NSWCA 185, per McColl JA at paras 31-35).
27 Here, two matters emerged in argument. First, it was said that the learned Magistrate asked herself the wrong question in the short reasons that she provided. There was therefore error on the face of the record. The Act and the Rules required her not to sign the court attendance notice if she formed the opinion "that the proceedings (were) frivolous, vexatious, without substance or have no reasonable prospects of success". Instead, she said this: (T21)
"... but it is quite clear that I must be satisfied that there is some substance and that there is a prospect of success and I am not so satisfied and the application is refused."
28 Counsel for the defendants acknowledged that her Honour, in this passage, did not formulate the test in the words of the Rule. However, it was plain, according to the defendants, that she had the correct test in the forefront of her mind. Immediately before that passage, her Honour said this: (T21)
"... Both court attendance notices have been properly filled out and signed and it is an issue now as to whether or not I am of the opinion that they are not frivolous, vexatious, without substance or having no reasonable prospect of success."
29 The reformulation, which is the subject of criticism, involved, according to the defendants, a distinction without a difference. If the Magistrate could not find that something had substance, or a reasonable prospect of success, then, according to the defendants, that is the same as the finding required by Rule 57, namely, the application is "without substance or has no reasonable prospects of success".
30 I accept the defendants' arguments. There was no error on the face of the record.
31 The second matter to emerge in argument is that her Honour, in the course of Mr Potier's submission, was offered the evidentiary material, or some of it, upon which he would ultimately rely, were the matter to proceed. The transcript of argument included the following submission by Mr Potier: (T20)
"All I have to do is present an indictment that has to be properly constituted. Should your Worship wish to look at all the relevant documentation I'm well in a position to hand it up to your Worship but I don't believe that you should necessarily go to that extent. If you wish to I can do that readily here and now. This matter is very simple and it is very clear. Despite the identities of the informant and the offender that should not be a prejudice to this motion in any way, shape or form and I really can see no argument to the contrary on such a matter but if your Worship wishes to examine the facts that is readily available."
32 In the result, Mr Potier did not seek to place any additional material before her Honour. Her Honour then gave the judgment set out above. Since that judgment plainly reveals her Honour's misgivings concerning Mr Potier's application, she should have accepted his invitation to examine the material he intended to rely on to see whether it dispelled her misgivings.
33 However, there are a number of difficulties with that submission. First, the transcript is not part of "the record" for the purposes of certiorari (Craig at 181), so that the error, if there was one, could not be characterised as an error on the face of the record. Secondly, dealing with jurisdictional error, a similar submission was made by Mr Potier before Bell J in the companion application to commence a private prosecution against Inspector Laidlaw. In that context her Honour made the following comment, with which I agree: (para 24)
"24. ... It was not his Honour's function to decide whether the plaintiff's application would be improved by further or other evidence."
34 The plaintiff submitted, in effect, that there was a constructive failure to exercise jurisdiction by the learned Magistrate in that there was no evidence that was capable of satisfying the test in Rule 57. In Saffron v The Director of Public Prosecutions (1989) 16 NSWLR 397, Gleeson CJ said this in respect of such an assertion: (at 399)
"As was observed by Glass JA in Wentworth v Rogers [1984] 2 NSWLR 422 at 433, the distinction between a real and an ostensible performance of duty, or between an actual and a constructive failure to exercise jurisdiction, is, in a context such as the present, easier to state than to apply. A magistrate, engaged upon the performance of the tasks imposed upon him by s41, might be alleged by the prosecution or the defence to have fallen into various kinds of error of fact or of law. It might be claimed that he has misunderstood the evidence, or given too much or too little weight to particular parts of it, or misapprehended the law relating to the charge in question. Errors of this kind, however, would ordinarily constitute errors within jurisdiction rather than failures to exercise jurisdiction. By contrast, the error of the magistrate which resulted in the granting of relief in Wentworth v Rogers was described ((1984) 2 NSWLR 422 at 433) as 'a misunderstanding on his part as to the circumstances in which he had power to discharge (the defendant) under s41(6)(a)'. In that case the magistrate's error was an error as to the nature of his powers and duties under s41 rather than an error either of fact or law in the exercise of those powers or the performance of those duties."
35 Does an examination of the material before the learned Magistrate suggest that she was in error as to the nature of her duties and powers, such that there was a constructive failure to exercise jurisdiction? Is there an absence of material capable of supporting an opinion that Mr Potier's application was "frivolous, vexatious, without substance or having no reasonable prospect of success", such that it should be inferred that the learned Magistrate misunderstood the nature of her duties and powers?
36 The "case" by Mr Potier against each defendant involved "suppression" or "concealment" of a fact for a period of five or six weeks before it was revealed. It was based upon the following assertions:
· First, that the prosecution case against him substantially depended upon the testimony of the witness Ms Deborah Lee Conway.
· Second, during the time that Ms Conway alleges that she was dealing and conversing with Mr Potier, she had a "close ongoing friendship with then Detective Superintendent John Draffin of the Federal Police Force".
· Third, that on 31 July 2001, Messrs Barr and Stainer learned of the existence of the person Draffin.
· Fourth, that on 10 September 2001, during a voir dire examination, a further statement was signed by Ms Conway disclosing the existence of Draffin.
· Fifth, that on 12 September 2001, that statement was served upon lawyers for Mr Potier.
· Sixth, that the suppression or concealment relied upon by Mr Potier was an alleged suppression or concealment by Messrs Barr and Staines from him and his lawyers between 31 July 2001 and 12 September 2001, not of a statement by Inspector Draffin, but of knowledge of his existence and friendship with Ms Conway.
· Seventh, that it is asserted that such concealment from him and his lawyers was with intent to mislead "a judicial tribunal in judicial proceedings".
· Eighth, that the evidence against Messrs Barr and Stainer of intent to mislead a judicial tribunal in judicial proceedings was that they were officers of the Court and would "immediately know that they had an obligation to disclose to the defence as soon as they knew of the existence of Draffin and his detailed relationship with Conway".
37 The material before the learned Magistrate and her judgment do not suggest that she was mistaken as to the nature of her duties and powers. Ms Huber addressed the issue raised by Rule 57 and formed an opinion. There was material before her upon the basis of which she could have formed that opinion. In my view there was no jurisdictional error, and specifically no constructive failure to exercise jurisdiction.