Amjad and Registrar, Administrative Appeals Tribunal

This matter concerned an application for review of a decision by the Registrar of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (the Tribunal) that Ms Amjad was not entitled to a reduction in the prescribed filing fee for her application. Ms Amjad had sought a fee reduction on the grounds of financial hardship. The Tribunal, constituted by a Registrar, reviewed the decision based on the documents lodged by the parties, with their consent.

The primary legal issue before the Tribunal was whether the payment of the full filing fee would cause Ms Amjad financial hardship, thereby justifying a reduction. This required an assessment of her financial circumstances, including her income, expenses, assets, and liabilities, in light of the information she provided.

The Tribunal considered Ms Amjad's Statement of Financial Position, which detailed her and her husband's combined fortnightly income of $4500 and combined expenses of $4605. Despite Ms Amjad's request to focus solely on her personal financial situation and her husband's financial support, the Tribunal noted that their combined income and expenses indicated a fortnightly deficit of $105. However, the Tribunal also took into account Ms Amjad's assertion that her husband was financially supporting her, that she had received a significant loan from her husband and his family for her studies, and that she was pregnant and anticipating increased expenses. The Tribunal concluded that, based on the provided information, payment of the full fee would not cause Ms Amjad undue financial hardship.