WAFV of 2002 v Minister for Immigration & Multicultural & Indigenous Affairs
[2003] FCAFC 240
At a glance
Source factsCourt
Federal Court of Australia (Full Court)
Decision date
2003-10-31
Before
Carr J, Nicholson JJ
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Judgment (13 paragraphs)
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT LEE and RD NICHOLSON JJ: 1 We are indebted to Carr J for the provision of his reasons in draft in this appeal. Those reasons fully set out the factual and procedural background, the content of the prior decisions of the Tribunal and the primary judge and identify the issues in the appeal. We agree with him that the primary judge was correct to find there had been a breach of procedural fairness on the part of the Tribunal. 2 Our concern lies, firstly, in respect of whether the breach of procedural fairness could not have made any difference to the decision because of the alternative basis on which it was held the appellant could not have a well-founded fear of persecution by reason of overthrow of the Taliban regime. Secondly, we are concerned about the issue raised by the fifth ground of appeal, namely, the effect of the breach of procedural fairness on the present and future administrative treatment of the appellant. 3 As to the first of those issues, it raises the question of the nature of the appellant's claim. In his statutory declaration attached to his application declared by him on 20 September 2001 he said he could not return to Afghanistan because of a fear for his life 'as a Hazara and Shi'ite Muslim from the Taliban there'. He went on to say that 'if they catch me they will kill me as they did my late father three years ago'. At the hearing before the Tribunal, the appellant stated that, as a Hazara and a Shi'a, 'there was no difference for him between the Taliban and Pashtuns'. He said that Hazaras as Shi'as have suffered discrimination and pressure for many years at the hands of the Pashtuns, and said he was not sure it would be safe for him, a Hazara and Shi'a, to return. He had also stated that there were no Pashtuns residing near his village. Nevertheless he stated that Hazaras could not leave their area otherwise Pashtuns would 'pressure' them. He claimed Jaghuri was still not safe, that being the place identified by him in his initial statement as the place where he had been born. The Tribunal put to him that it was having fewer doubts about the safety of Hazaras in the district. He stated to the Tribunal that things had not changed for Hazaras and Shi'as, who had no security. His evidence was that Hazaras had been persecuted for years by the Pashtuns. Moreover, he said the Taliban were still in the country, and he assumed they would still return to power. 4 After consideration also of country information the Tribunal in its reasoning turned to the alternative question of what the position would be if the Tribunal were satisfied that the appellant was a citizen of Afghanistan. It noted that the situation had changed significantly in Afghanistan since the appellant had left the country and arrived in Australia. It stated it was beyond question that, under Taliban rule, Hazaras in general faced at least some degree of risk of arbitrary adverse attention by the Taliban by reason of their ethnicity and religion (as Hazaras and Shi'as). However, it said the Taliban no longer ruled. Further, it said that there was nothing in the current material to persuade it that Pashtuns and Taliban are interchangeable terms or that Pashtuns generally are engaged in ongoing persecution of Hazaras. It was unable to identify any report or suggestion of any persecution of Hazaras since the fall of the Taliban. It concluded that the defeat and elimination of the Taliban constituted a fundamental change in circumstances such that the appellant could not have a well-founded fear of persecution for a Convention reason if he were to return to Afghanistan. It did not accept that there was a real chance that the appellant would be persecuted now by the Taliban, or by Pashtuns generally, whether by reason of his ethnicity or religion or any other Convention reason. It did not accept that there was a real chance the Taliban would return to power in Afghanistan in the reasonably foreseeable future. It should be noted that in its reasoning the Tribunal extended the appellant's original claim from a well-founded Convention based fear derivative from the Taliban to consider also the position of the Pashtuns as a source of that fear, even though the Pashtuns were not considered by the Tribunal to be interchangeable terms with the Taliban. 5 We are unable to agree with Carr J that the foundations of the reasoning of the Tribunal on this alternative basis involved the Tribunal's refusal to accept the credibility of the appellant's claims. In our view, a fair reading of its reasons shows that the reasoning on the alternative ground stands alone. This is not an instance where an issue of credibility could have affected the resolution of each of the bases of contention: cf Re Refugee Review Tribunal; Ex parte Aala (2000) 204 CLR 82 at 89 per Gleeson CJ, at 116 per Gaudron and Gummow JJ and at 155 per Callinan J. In our view this is a case, perhaps one of the rare cases, where the Court can be confident that the breach could not have affected the outcome: Aala at 122 per McHugh J and at 130 - 131 per Kirby J. There does not appear to us to be any proper basis for inferring that the Tribunal's understanding of the country information before it was in some way viewed wrongly by it because of its prior adverse conclusion on the appellant's claimed country of origin. Indeed, it commenced its consideration of the alternative basis by assuming the appellant was from Afghanistan and then fairly dealt with the country information. 6 In our opinion it follows that the primary judge was correct to conclude the finding of absence of a well-founded Convention based fear was open to the Tribunal on the alternative basis considered by it. The appeal therefore cannot succeed and should be dismissed. 7 However, we share with Carr J the concern regarding the effect of the finding reached by the Tribunal in breach of procedural fairness in its potential impact on the appellant's detention and future administrative treatment. Although this appeal will be dismissed, it should be well understood by those responsible for such administration that the finding adverse to the appellant's claims to be from Afghanistan is not a finding properly made in law. I certify that the preceding seven (7) numbered paragraphs are a true copy of the Reasons for Judgment herein of the Honourable Justices Lee and RD Nicholson.