DPI17 v Minister for Home Affairs [2019] FCAFC 43

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

DPI17 v Minister for Home Affairs [2019] FCAFC 43 Appeal from: DPI17 v Minister for Home Affairs [2018] FCCA 2039

File number: VID 976 of 2018

Judges: GRIFFITHS, MORTIMER AND STEWARD JJ

Date of judgment: 15 March 2019

Catchwords: MIGRATION – appeal from judgment of Federal Circuit Court affirming decision of Immigration Assessment Authority (IAA) to refuse protection visa – where delegate assured the appellant during interview that discrepancies in the appellant's statements were "not major" – where delegate's assessment of demeanour at the interview was part of the reason she accepted the appellant had been sexually assaulted and tortured – where subsequently the IAA relied upon inconsistencies in a statutory declaration provided by the appellant and the record of interview to conclude that the sexual assaults did not take place – whether IAA erred by unreasonably failing to consider whether to exercise discretion under s 473DC of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) ADMINISTRATIVE LAW – the relationship between procedural fairness and legal unreasonableness – materiality of error in giving rise to jurisdictional error

Legislation: Migration Act 1958 (Cth) ss 46A, 473BA, 473CB, 473DA, 473DB, 473DC, 473DD, 473DE, 473FA, 473GA, 473GB

Cases cited: Applicant VEAL of 2002 v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs [2005] HCA 72; 225 CLR 88 ASB17 v Minister for Home Affairs [2019] FCAFC 38 CCQ17 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2018] FCA 1641 Attorney-General (NSW) v Quin [1990] HCA 21; 170 CLR 1 Australian Broadcasting Tribunal v Bond (1990) 170 CLR 321 AVQ15 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2018] FCAFC 133; 361 ALR 227 DFW16 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2018] FCA 746 DGZ16 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2018] FCAFC 12; 258 FCR 551 DKX17 v Federal Circuit Court of Australia [2019] FCAFC 10 DPI17 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2018] FCCA 2039 EVS17 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2019] FCAFC 20 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499 Fox v Percy [2003] HCA 22; 214 CLR 118 Hossain v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2018] HCA 34; 92 ALJR 780 Kruse v Johnson [1898] 2 QB 91 Minister for Immigration and Border Protection v CRY16 [2017] FCAFC 210 Minister for Immigration and Border Protection v Haq [2019] FCAFC 7 Minister for Immigration and Border Protection v Singh [2014] FCAFC 1; 231 FCR 437 Minister for Immigration and Border Protection v Stretton [2016] FCAFC 11; 237 FCR 1 Minister for Immigration and Border Protection v SZMTA [2019] HCA 3 Minister for Immigration and Border Protection v SZVFW [2018] HCA 30; 353 ALR 408 Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v Li [2013] HCA 18; 249 CLR 332 Muin v Refugee Review Tribunal [2002] HCA 30; 68 ALD 257 Nobarani v Mariconte [2018] HCA 36; 359 ALR 31 Plaintiff M174/2016 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2018] HCA 16; 353 ALR 600 Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority [1998] HCA 28; 194 CLR 355 Re Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs; Ex parte Applicant S20/2002 (2003) 77 ALJR 1165 Re Refugee Review Tribunal; Ex parte Aala [2000] HCA 57; 204 CLR 82 Secretary of State for Education and Science v Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council [1977] AC 1014 Stead v State Government Insurance Commission [1986] HCA 54; 161 CLR 141 SZBEL v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs [2006] HCA 63; 228 CLR 152 Transport Workers' Union of Australia v Registered Organisations Commissioner (No 2) [2018] FCAFC 203