Hoffman v Chief of Army [2004] FCAFC 148

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Hoffman v Chief of Army [2004] FCAFC 148

DEFENCE FORCES — Defence Force Discipline Act 1982 (Cth) — service offences — civil offences — Territory offences — assault provisions

STATUTORY INTERPRETATION — inconsistency between specific and general provisions — expressum facit cessare tacitum — generalia specialibus non derogant

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE — abuse of process — whether constituted by laying of charge under general provision to avoid time-bar on specific charge — whether constituted by delay in bringing charge — whether constituted by pressure upon applicant to plead guilty — whether stay of proceedings should have been granted

CONSTITUTION — validity of Defence Force Discipline Act 1982 (Cth) s 61 — defence power (s 51(vi)) — judicial power — military law

Defence Force Discipline Act 1982 (Cth) ss 3(1), 33, 34(1), 61, 96(1) and (4) Defence Act 1903 (Cth) ss 4, 55 Defence Force Discipline Appeals Act 1955 (Cth) Crimes Act 1900 (ACT) s 26 Clyde Engineering Co Ltd v Cowburn (1926) 37 CLR 466 discussed The Danube II [1921] P 183 discussed Hoffman v Chief of Army [2003] ADFDAT 4 reversing Lawson v Gault (2002) 125 FCR 1 distinguished McWaters v Day (1989) 168 CLR 289 discussed Re Nolan; Ex parte Young (1991) 172 CLR 460 discussed Re Tracey; Ex parte Ryan (1989) 166 CLR 518 discussed Re Tyler; Ex parte Foley (1994) 181 CLR 18 discussed Saraswati v The Queen (1991) 172 CLR 1 discussed F A R Bennion, Statutory Interpretation 4th ed, Butterworths, London, 2002 H Broom, A Selection of Legal Maxims, 10th ed, Sweet & Maxwell, London, 1939 Defence Force Disciplinary Code: Report of the 1973 Working Party (1974) Parliamentary Paper No. 48, Canberra, 1974 D Pearce and R Geddes, Statutory Interpretation in Australia 5th ed, Butterworths, Sydney, 2001 Craies on Statute Law 7th ed, Sweet & Maxwell, London, 1971 MICHAEL WILLIAM HOFFMAN v CHIEF OF ARMY N 1485 OF 2003 BLACK CJ, BEAUMONT, WILCOX, LINDGREN AND GYLES JJ 31 MAY 2004 SYDNEY