Bropho v State of Western Australia [2007] FCA 519

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Bropho v State of Western Australia [2007] FCA 519 RACIAL DISCRIMINATION – reserve for the use and benefit of aboriginal inhabitants – vested in aboriginal corporation – vesting revoked – land area of reserve increased and reserve re-vested in the same corporation – vesting transmitted to 1998 management order by legislation – alleged misconduct on the reserve – public inquiries into such conduct – 2002 management order replaces 1998 order – alleged continuance of misconduct on reserve – safety of women and children said to be at issue – enactment of Reserves Act purporting to (1) revoke 2002 management order; (2) place care, control and management of the reserve in the Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority; (3) authorise administrator to take actions with respect to vacating and occupancy of reserve; (4) exclude rules of natural justice in relation to administrator's directions; (5) provide immunity from judicial supervision of decisions of administrator; (6) provide protection from liability – whether 2002 management order invalid for statutory non-compliance – whether any inconsistency of Reserves Act with ss 9 or 10 of the Racial Discrimination Act RACIAL DISCRIMINATION – rights to equality before the law – whether applicants have a right to manage and otherwise exercise statutory ownership rights – whether applicants have a human right of ownership of the reserve under that legislation – was there a lack of enjoyment by the applicants of such rights by reason of their race – – whether rights arbitrarily deprived – whether applicants' right of freedom of movement and residence within the borders of the state deprived – whether any such deprivation arbitrary – whether applicants deprived of right to equal treatment before tribunals – whether applicants deprived of possession – whether applicants deprived of right to participate in public affairs – whether justificatory contentions applicable – whether enactment reasonable, proportionate and legitimate - whether Reserves Act a special measure RACIAL DISCRIMINATION - whether any act done involving a distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race having the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise on an equal footing, of any human right or fundamental freedom in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life – whether any act depriving applicants of right to manage and otherwise exercise ownership rights in relation to the reserve – whether any such deprivation arbitrary – whether any deprivation of applicants' right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of the state– whether any such deprivation arbitrary – whether any act in relation to applicants' right to equal treatment before tribunals or right to participate in public affairs – whether justificatory contentions applicable – whether enactment reasonable, proportionate and legitimate – whether a special measure RACIAL DISCRIMINATION – whether acts of administrator contravened Racial Discrimination Act - whether acts contravened provisions relating to land, housing and accommodation TORT – trespass - whether applicants deprived of possession Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (Imp) ss 92, 109, 117 Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976 (Cth) Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 (Cth) ss 46PH(2) Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) s 6, 6(1)(b) Lands Acquisition Act 1989 (Cth) ss 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 52, 55 Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) ss 8, 8(1), 9, 9(1A), 10, 10(1), 10(2), 10(3), 10(3)(a), 10(3)(b), 12(1)(d) Federal Court Rules O 11 r 10 Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority Act 1972 (WA) ss 4, 15(1), 26, 31, 32 Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA) s 18 Acts Amendment (Land Administration) Act 1987 (WA) s 60(c) Acts Amendment (Reserves) Act 1982 (WA) s 8 Child Welfare Act 1947 (WA) s 29 Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 (WA) s 106 Land Act (Transmission of Interests) Act 1992 (WA) s 4 Land Act 1933 (WA) ss 29, 29(1), 33, 33(1), 33(2), 34B(1), 37 Land Administration Act 1997 (WA) ss 41, 46, 46(1), 46(5), 46(10), 50, 50(1)(a), 50(1)(b), 50(2), 170, 175, 202, 204, 207 to 257, 267, 267(1)(a), 267(2) Land Amendment Act 1948 (WA) s 5 Parks and Reserves Act 1895 (WA) s 8 Public Sector Management Act 1994 (WA) s 11(1) Reserves (Reserve 43131) Act 2003 (WA) ss 2, 4, 4(1), 4(2), 5, 5(1), 5(2), 5(5), 6, 7, 7(2)(a), 7(3), 7(3)(a), 7(3)(b), 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Restraining Orders Act 1997 (WA) s 13 Rottnest Island Authority Act 1987 (WA) ss 48(2)(b), 30 Zoological Parks Authority Act 2001 (WA) s 45(2)(c), 30 Reserves (Reserve 43131) Bill 2003 (WA) International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 7 March 1966, New YorkArts 1(4), 5, 5(a), 5(b), 5(d)(i), 5(d)(v) N Lerner, Group Rights and Discrimination in International Law, International Studies in Human Rights, 2nd edn, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2003 McRae, Nettheim and Beacroft, Indigenous Legal Issues (2nd edn, LBC Information Services, 1997) Pearce DC and Geddes RS Statutory Interpretation in Australia (4th ed, Butterworths, 1996) 'Direct discrimination and a defence of reasonable justification' (2003) 77 ALJ 514 Attorney-General (N.S.W.) v Perpetual Trustee Co. 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Ltd. (1982) 158 CLR 327 Trau v Repatriation Commission (1998) 88 FCR 349 Vanstone v Clark (2005) 147 FCR 299 Western Australia v The Commonwealth Native Title Act Case (1995) 183 CLR 373 Western Australia v Ward (2002) 213 CLR 1 Yanner v Eaton(1999) 201 CLR 351 BELLA BROPHO on behalf of the Members of the Swan Valley Nyungah Community Aboriginal Corporation and Aboriginal inhabitants of Reserve 43131 v STATE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS PLANNING AUTHORITY and BARRY CHARLES JAMESON WAD 157 of 2003