SZTUR v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection
[2017] FCA 1570
At a glance
Source factsCourt
Federal Court of Australia
Decision date
2017-12-19
Before
Greenwood J
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Judgment (6 paragraphs)
- The applicant's application for an extension of time and leave to appeal filed on 15 September 2016 is dismissed.
- The applicant pay the costs of the first respondent of and incidental to the application to be taxed or as agreed.
- Pursuant to s 23 and s 37P of the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth), rule 1.32 and rule 1.36 of the Federal Court Rules 2011, these orders and the reasons for judgment in support of these orders are made and published from Chambers. Note: Entry of orders is dealt with in Rule 39.32 of the Federal Court Rules 2011.
GREENWOOD J: 1 These proceedings are concerned with an application for an extension of time and leave to appeal from a judgment and orders of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia (the "Federal Circuit Court") made on 17 August 2016 ("the primary judgment"): SZTUR v Minister for Immigration & Anor [2016] FCCA 2529. 2 The procedural history of the matter is this. 3 On 22 January 2014, the applicant commenced proceedings in the Federal Circuit Court in which she sought judicial review of a decision of the Refugee Review Tribunal (the "RRT") affirming a decision made by the Minister's delegate to refuse her a protection visa under the provisions of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) (the "Act"). The application was listed for first review before the Federal Circuit Court on 24 February 2014 and adjourned to a callover on 26 June 2014. The applicant attended the Federal Circuit Court on the callover date and the matter was listed for hearing on 18 August 2015. However, on 27 April 2015, the Court wrote to the applicant at an address initially advised by her to the Court and informed her that the hearing date had been changed from 18 August 2015 to 10 June 2015. There was no appearance by the applicant on 10 June 2015 and the matter was stood over to 16 June 2015. There was no appearance by the applicant on 16 June 2015 and on that date the Minister's representative applied for an order dismissing the judicial review application. The proceeding was dismissed pursuant to r 13.03C(1)(c) of the Federal Circuit Court Rules 2001 (Cth) (the "Rules") on 16 June 2015. 4 On 16 June 2015, the applicant filed an application under r 16.05(2)(a) of the Rules (a "reinstatement application") by which she sought an order setting aside the order of 16 June 2015 by which her judicial review application had been dismissed. 5 In support of her reinstatement application, the applicant relied upon her affidavit affirmed on 9 June 2016 in which she said this at para 2 of her affidavit: I failed to attend the hearing scheduled in June 2015 before Federal Circuit Court Judge Cameron because I did not receive any letter from the court for a hearing which was re-scheduled at a later date which I didn't know after I had moved to other place and forgot to advise the court of my new address. I didn't know what to do and I was too scared to go to the court after I failed to attend the hearing because I thought that Judge [Cameron] would order the Immigration to send me back to Nepal at that time. I have been suffering from depression which affects me a lot and I am having difficulty in my daily life. 6 In her affidavit at para 3, the applicant re-asserts her claim of jurisdictional error on the part of the Tribunal. 7 It ought to be noted that despite the statutory review of the decision of the Minister's delegate being conducted before the RRT, the functions of the Tribunal later became functions to be discharged by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (the "AAT"). The AAT was the second respondent in the proceedings in the Federal Circuit Court and is the second respondent to the present appeal. A reference in these reasons to the "Tribunal" is a reference to both the RRT and the AAT. 8 As to the factual contentions asserted by the applicant at para 2 of her affidavit as quoted at [5] of these reasons, the primary judge made these observations at [7] and [8] of the primary judgment: 7. The applicant was cross-examined on her affidavit and also questioned by the Court on an apparent inconsistency. The inconsistency was that on 11 June 2015 the Court wrote by express post to the applicant at her then - new and current address, advising her of the 16 June 2015 hearing date. The Minister's solicitors also wrote to the applicant at that address on that date, advising her of the new hearing date. In her oral evidence the applicant conceded that she was living at the address in question on the date the letters were sent. 8. The applicant's submission and evidence was that she did not receive either of the letters of 11 June 2015. When, at the hearing, the applicant's explanation of her claim to not have received written advice of the new hearing date was shown not to be plausible, the fundamental position she pressed was that she simply had not received either letter. On balance, however, I find that the two letters were, notwithstanding the applicant's evidence, received by her. I do not accept the applicant's evidence that she did not receive at least one of the letters sent on 11 June 2015. It follows from that conclusion that I find the applicant was aware of the hearing date on 16 June 2015 and, for reasons which have not been explained, failed to attend. I find that the applicant has not provided a satisfactory explanation of her failure to attend the hearing on 16 June 2015. 9 Thus, for the reasons indicated, the primary judge found that the applicant had not provided a satisfactory explanation for her failure to attend the hearing on 16 June 2015. 10 Notwithstanding that finding, the primary judge nevertheless examined the question of whether the applicant had demonstrated any reasonable prospects of success should the judicial review proceeding be reinstated, as sought. The primary judge found that the applicant had failed to demonstrate any reasonable prospects of demonstrating that the Tribunal had fallen into jurisdictional error in the exercise of the statutory review function. 11 In the course of addressing the application to this Court for an extension of time and leave to appeal, I will address, later in these reasons, aspects of the relevant background facts, the Tribunal's findings and the findings of the primary judge. 12 The applicant requires leave to appeal from the judgment and orders of Judge Cameron of 17 August 2016 because the judgment is interlocutory in nature: s 24(1A), Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) (the "FCA Act"); Baig v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2014] FCA 855 at [3]. Rule 35.13 of the Federal Court Rules 2011 (Cth) provides that an application for leave to appeal must be filed within 14 days after the date on which the judgment was pronounced or the order was made. The orders were made and the judgment pronounced on 17 August 2016. The application for leave to appeal was required to be filed by 31 August 2016. The application for leave to appeal was filed on 15 September 2016 and thus the application is 15 days out of time. 13 In determining whether an extension of time to seek leave to appeal ought to be granted, the Court will have regard to three factors. First, whether the applicant has provided an acceptable reason for the delay in filing the application for leave to appeal within time. Second, whether the respondent will suffer any prejudice should an extension of time be granted. Third, whether the applicant has demonstrated that the grounds she seeks to agitate on appeal have any demonstrated merit. 14 As to the extension of time, the Minister concedes that no prejudice can be identified should an extension of time, in this case, be granted. 15 In determining whether the Court ought to grant leave to appeal (should the Court be satisfied about the extension of time question), the Court will consider whether the applicant has shown sufficient doubt about the correctness of the primary judgment in dismissing the reinstatement application so as to warrant review, and the Court will consider whether substantial injustice would be suffered by the applicant if leave to appeal were refused, assuming the primary judgment reflects error. As to these principles, see the thorough discussion in Samsung Electronics Company Ltd v Apple Inc (2011) 217 FCR 238 at [25]-[37], Dowsett, Foster and Yates JJ. 16 As to the principles governing an application for reinstatement before the Federal Circuit Court, the following observations of Ryan J in MZYEZ v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2010] FCA 530 at [7]-[10], ought to be noted: 7 In circumstances where, as in the present case, a proceeding has been dismissed in a party's absence and reinstatement is sought, a discretion falls to be exercised by the court before which the application for reinstatement is returnable. That discretion requires the consideration of three factors, and whether, on balance, they tend for or against the reinstatement. Those factors are: (a) whether there was a reasonable excuse for the party's absence from the hearing in which the proceeding was struck out; (b) the existence and nature of any prejudice which might flow to the other party from the reinstatement, and the extent, if any, to which that prejudice can be assuaged by an adjournment, an order for costs or other relief which the court is empowered to grant; (c) whether the applicant has a reasonably arguable prospect of success on the substantive application. As North J said in MZKAJ v Minister for Immigration and Multi-Cultural and Indigenous Affairs [2005] FCA 1066 at [18]: The decision whether to reinstate the appeal depends, however, not only on the existence of a reasonable explanation for the need to adjourn the appeal, but also whether the appeal, if reinstated, has a reasonable chance of success. If not, there is no purpose in reinstatement (emphasis added) 8 In this connection, a party's absence is analogous to a party's failure to file an originating document or notice of appeal, in that, even where a reasonable excuse for that delay or failure exists, the Court will not exercise its discretion in the party's favour where there is little or no prospect of that party's succeeding on the substantive claim: see Gallo v Dawson (No 2) (1992) 109 ALR 319 per Mason CJ, Brennan, Deane, Toohey and Gaudron JJ, at 319- 320. 9 It should also be observed that the principles controlling a discretion whether or not to reinstate a proceeding are not identical to the principles going to whether leave to appeal from an interlocutory judgment ought to be granted. However, I do not perceive that the application of those requirements - first, that the decision in question be attended by sufficient doubt to warrant its reconsideration, and, secondly, that substantial injustice would flow were leave not granted (see Décor Corporation Pty Ltd v Dart Industries Inc (1991) 33 FCR 397, per Sheppard, Burchett and Heerey JJ, at 398) - would result in any different outcome in this case. … 10 It follows from what I have said that the decision whether or not to reinstate a proceeding is essentially discretionary, and so attracts the application of the principles stated as follows by Dixon, Evatt and McTiernan JJ in House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499, at 504 to 505, where their Honours said: But the judgment complained of, namely, sentence to a term of imprisonment depends upon the exercise of a judicial discretion by the court imposing it. The manner in which an appeal against an exercise of discretion should be determined is governed by established principles. It is not enough that the judges composing the appellate court consider that, if they had been in the position of the primary judge, they would have taken a different course. It must appear that some error has been made in exercising the discretion. If the judge acts upon a wrong principle, if he allows extraneous or irrelevant matters to guide or affect him, if he mistakes the facts, if he does not take into account some material consideration, then his determination should be reviewed and the appellate court may exercise its own discretion in substitution for his if it has the materials for doing so. It may not appear how the primary judge has reached the result embodied in his order, but if, upon the facts, it is unreasonable or plainly unjust, the appellate court may infer that, in some way, there has been a failure properly to exercise the discretion which the law reposes in the court at first instance.