Burt v Commonwealth of Australia [2023] FCA 55

Federal Court of Australia Burt v Commonwealth of Australia [2023] FCA 55 File number: NSD 987 of 2021

Judgment of: KATZMANN J

Date of judgment: 7 February 2023

Catchwords: PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – representative action brought by litigant in person – where respondent complained about deficiencies in the pleading and then filed an interlocutory application seeking orders to strike out and summarily dismiss the proceeding and applicant responded by filing an interlocutory application to strike out the respondent's interlocutory application and for declarations that respondents' lawyers had engaged in professional misconduct – whether respondent's interlocutory application an abuse of process – whether any of the orders sought by applicant should be made

Legislation: Evidence Act 1995 (Cth) s 140 Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) ss 87, 90, 550 Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) Pt IVA Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth) s 51-10 Parliamentary Privileges Act 1987 (Cth) s 16(3) Federal Court Rules 2011 (Cth) rr 16.02, 16.21(1), 16.43(1), 16.51(1) Legal Profession Act 1987 (NSW) Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) s 296

Cases cited: Batistatos v Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales (2006) 226 CLR 256 Briginshaw v Briginshaw (1938) 60 CLR 336 British American Tobacco Australia Services Ltd v Cowell (2002) 7 VR 524 Bruce v Odhams Press Ltd [1936] 1 KB 697 Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union v BHP Coal Pty Ltd [2017] FCAFC 50 Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Kojic (2016) 249 FCR 421 Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union v BHP Coal Ltd (2015) 230 FCR 298 Deputy Commissioner of Taxation v Huang [2021] HCA 43; 96 ALJR 43; 395 ALR 616; 113 ATR 831 Fair Work Ombudsman v Hu [2019] FCAFC 133; (2019) 289 IR 240 Fair Work Ombudsman v South Jin Pty Ltd [2015] FCA 1456 Farah Custodians Pty Limited v Commissioner of Taxation [2018] FCA 1185 Flint v Richard Busuttil & Co Pty Limited (2013) 216 FCR 375 Gould v The Mount Oxide Mines Ltd (in liquidation) (1916) 22 CLR 490 Jackson v Sterling Industries Limited (1987) 162 CLR 612 Lamont v University of Queensland (No 2) [2020] FCA 720 McCabe v British American Tobacco Australia Services Ltd [2002] VSC 73 Rogers v The Queen (1994) 181 CLR 251 Sabapathy v Jetstar Airways (2021) 283 FCR 348 Walton v Gardiner (1993) 177 CLR 378 Wilkinson v Wilson Security Pty Ltd (No 2) [2022] FCA 1161 Wilkinson v Wilson Security Pty Ltd [2022] FCA 756