Bond & Ors v Australian Broadcasting Tribunal

The applicants, Bond Corporation Holdings Limited and associated companies, sought an order for expedition from the High Court of Australia concerning an application for special leave to appeal. The respondent was the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal. The core of the dispute revolved around the timing of the special leave application, which the applicants wished to bring forward.

The primary legal issue before the High Court was whether to grant the applicants' request to expedite the hearing of their application for special leave to appeal. This involved considering the grounds put forward by the applicants for expediting the matter and the practicalities of fitting the application into the Court's existing list.

The Court considered the applicants' stated grounds for expedition, which included a submission that the original hearing date would unduly divert the attention of legal representatives from an ongoing inquiry conducted by the Tribunal. However, the Court expressed strong reservations about this particular ground, deeming it "ludicrous" and suggesting that alternative legal representatives could be instructed if such a diversion was a genuine concern. Despite this criticism of the stated grounds, the Court acknowledged the applicants' desire for an earlier hearing. The respondent indicated no objection to an earlier hearing. The Court ultimately decided that it could not accommodate the application for the following Friday due to a full list and a reluctance to displace other parties.

The High Court made an order for expedition, indicating that it expected the application for special leave to appeal to be heard on either 6 or 7 October, towards the end of the first week of the October sittings. The parties were directed to keep in touch with the Registrar to finalise the exact date.