Age18 v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs

The matter in the Federal Court of Australia involved Age18, an applicant for a protection visa, and the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs. Age18 contested the delegate's decision that relocation within the country would be reasonable for them, which led to the refusal of their application. This case was an appeal from the Federal Circuit Court, where the lower court had upheld the Minister's decision.

The central legal issue in this case was whether the objection to relocation on the basis of the applicant's ability to support their family was sufficiently articulated and considered in the review material. Additionally, it was necessary to determine if the Immigration Assessment Authority had properly evaluated the applicant's capacity to support their family when assessing the reasonableness of relocation. The court had to consider whether the lower court correctly decided these issues.

The court found that the objection to relocation based on the applicant's ability to support their family was indeed present in the review material, even if not explicitly stated. Furthermore, the Immigration Assessment Authority had failed to adequately consider this factor when assessing the reasonableness of relocation. Consequently, the appeal was allowed, and the Federal Circuit Court's orders were set aside. In place of the previous orders, the court quashed the decision of the second respondent and ordered the first respondent to pay the applicant's costs in the Federal Circuit Court. Additionally, the first respondent was to bear the costs of the appeal.

The final orders of the court included allowing the appeal, setting aside the orders of the Federal Circuit Court, quashing the decision of the second respondent, and ordering the first respondent to pay the applicant's costs in both the Federal Circuit Court and the Federal Court. These orders were made in accordance with Rule 39.32 of the Federal Court Rules 2011.