Bicket & Ors v Beazley

The applicants, Jeane Bicket and others, sought a waiver of filing fees from the High Court of Australia. The respondents included various government bodies and industry associations. The application was made ex parte under Order 72 rule 12 of the High Court Rules, which allows for the waiver of fees in certain circumstances.

The primary legal issue before the Court was whether the applicants had demonstrated that they lacked sufficient means to pay the required filing fee of $300. The applicants contended that they were all low-income individuals and that any available discretionary income had been directed towards the production of informational materials related to their cause.

His Honour indicated that he had read the relevant documents, including the ex parte summons and affidavit, but not the annexures. The applicants proposed to tender brief affidavits as to their means, or for each plaintiff to affirm their statements in person, as a means of establishing their financial position. His Honour stated he would not receive evidence that was not properly sworn. The applicants' representative explained that "discretionary income" referred to income remaining after essential living expenses such as rent, food, and public transport.