EMC20 v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
[2025] FedCFamC2G 1360
•22 August 2025
FEDERAL CIRCUIT AND FAMILY COURT OF AUSTRALIA
(DIVISION 2)
EMC20 v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2025] FedCFamC2G 1360
File number(s): MLG 3701 of 2020 Judgment of: JUDGE JOHNS Date of judgment: 22 August 2025 Catchwords: MIGRATION – Application for judicial review – decision of the AAT to not grant Protection (Subclass 866) Visa – whether the Tribunal failed to comply with the obligation under s 425(1) of Act– whether the Tribunal failed to consider relevant evidence related to the applicant’s credibility – whether the Tribunal’s decision was unreasonable, illogical or irrational – whether the Tribunal failed to afford procedural fairness – whether the Tribunal relied upon and adopted a decision of a related proceedings that was itself affected by jurisdictional error – no jurisdictional error established – application dismissed Legislation: Migration Act 1958 (Cth) ss 5J(1)(a), 36(2)(a), (36)(2)(aa), 425(1), 476, 476(2)(a) Cases cited: BDW15 v Minister for Immigration & Anor [2017] FCCA 2742
Bhasker v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs [2025] FedCFamC2G 620
Djokovic v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs (2022) 289 FCR 21
LPDT v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs (2024) 418 ALR 152
Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs v Eshetu (1999) 197 CLR 611; [1999] HCA 21
Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs v Yusuf (2001) 2006 CLR 323
MZAPC v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2021) 273 CLR 506
Nathanson v Minister for Home Affairs (2022) 276 CLR 80
Plaintiff S157/2002 v Commonwealth (2003) 211 CLR 476
SZMUF v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2009] FCA 182
Division: Division 2 General Federal Law Number of paragraphs: 67 Date of hearing: 22 May 2025 Place: Melbourne Counsel for the Applicants: Angel Aleksov Solicitor for the Applicants: Farrell Rose Migration Lawyers Counsel for the First Respondent: Laura Mills Solicitor for the First Respondent: Sparke Helmore Second Respondent: Submitting appearance save as to costs. ORDERS
MLG 3701 of 2020 FEDERAL CIRCUIT AND FAMILY COURT OF AUSTRALIA (DIVISION 2)
BETWEEN: EMC20
First Applicant
EMP20
Second Applicant
AND: MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP
First Respondent
ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW TRIBUNAL
Second Respondent
ORDER MADE BY:
JUDGE JOHNS
DATE OF ORDER:
22 AUGUST 2025
THE COURT ORDERS THAT:
1.The application filed on 16 October 2020, as amended on 9 April 2025, is dismissed.
Note: The form of the order is subject to the entry in the Court’s records.
Note: The Court may vary or set aside a judgment or order to remedy minor typographical or grammatical errors (r 17.05(2)(g) Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) (General Federal Law) Rules 2021 (Cth)), or to record a variation to the order pursuant to r 17.05 Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) (General Federal Law) Rules 2021 (Cth).
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT
JUDGE JOHNS
INTRODUCTION
Before this Court is an application for judicial review of a decision of then Administrative Appeals Tribunal (Tribunal). The Tribunal affirmed a decision of a delegate of then Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (Delegate) to refuse the Applicants Protection (subclass 866) visas (Protection Visa).
This proceeding was brought pursuant to s 476 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) (Act). The application was filed within the 35-day time period prescribed under the Act.
This matter was:
(a)allocated to the Court as presently constituted on 19 March 2025; and
(b)heard on 22 May 2025 in conjunction with EJY20 v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (file matter MLG3618/2020) (‘EJY20’) and proceeded in person at the Court’s Melbourne Registry.
To obtain relief from this Court, the Applicants must show that the Tribunal has fallen into jurisdictional error. For the reasons that follow, the Court is not satisfied that either Tribunal decision is affected by jurisdictional error.
The applications for judicial review are, accordingly, dismissed.
BACKGROUND
The background to this matter is derived from the submissions of the parties and, unless otherwise indicated, does not appear to be in dispute.
Issue in dispute
The primary issue is whether the Tribunal committed jurisdictional error when it affirmed the decision of the Delegate who refused the Applicants Protection Visas.
The Application for a Visa
The two Applicants in these proceedings – EMC20 and EMP20 – are citizens of Malaysia. The Applicants arrived in Australia on 4 November 2016 on Electronic Travel Authority (Class UD) visas.[1]
[1] Court Book EMC20: Exhibit R2, 21, 72 (‘R2’).
On 19 December 2016, the Applicants lodged applications for Protection Visas.[2] EMC20 was the Primary Applicant[3], with his wife EMP20 included as a member of the family unit.[4] However, EMP20 was the main protagonist in the matter, and because of the connection with the applicants in EJY20 it is convenient to refer to EMP20 as “the Sister”.
[2] R2 1-66, 71.
[3] At the Tribunal EMC20 said “The reason why I fear of going back to Malaysia because what has my wife is the guarantor to that loan taken from the loan shark….” (Exhibit A2, 33 [923]).). He was not himself attacked or harassed.
[4] R2 38-42.
Separately, on 16 December 2016, EJY20 and EJZ20 (the applicants in EJY20) lodged applications for Protections Visas. EJY20 was the primary applicant that application[5], with his wife EJZ20 included in that application as a member of the family unit.[6] EMP20 is the sister of EJY20[7] Because of the connection between this matter and the applicants in EJY20 it is convenient to refer to EJY20 as “the Brother”.
[5] Court Book EJY20: Exhibit R1, 10-71 (‘R1’).
[6] R1 47-51.
[7] R1 153; R2 113.
The Applicants claimed that in 2011, the Brother took out a loan of RM 300,000 from an unlicenced money lender– referred to as “Ah Long”– to fund a telecommunications infrastructure project in Malaysia.[8] The Sister’s husband, EMC20, and the Brother were involved in the business venture, while the Sister was the guarantor for the loan.[9] The business failed, and the loan could not be repaid.[10]
[8] R1 41; R2 34.
[9] R1 153; R2 113 [23].
[10] Ibid.
The Applicants claimed that following default, agents of the money lender harassed and threatened them. The Brother claimed to have been physically assaulted and threatened with death.[11] The Sister and EMC20 also claimed to have been harassed and threatened, including an incident involving damage to a car and a threatening note.[12] The Applicants submitted that the Malaysian police and authorities were either unwilling or unable to protect them due to an indifference towards disputes involving unlicenced lenders.[13]
[11] R1 42.
[12] R2 32, 115 [24].
[13] R1 43; R2 34.
Decision by the Delegate
On 10 March 2017 the Delegate refused to grant the Applicants Protection Visas. In reaching this decision, the Delegate:
(a)found that the harm feared by the Applicants did not arise for a recognised reason (such as race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion) under s 5J(1)(a) of the Act[14]; and
(b)was not satisfied that the Applicants could not obtain effective state protection and that there were substantial grounds for believing that, as a necessary and foreseeable consequence of being removed to Malaysia, there was a risk that the Applicants will suffer significant harm as outlined in s 36(2)(aa) of the Act.[15]
[14] R2 73.
[15] R2 78.
The Delegate considered that the Applicants’ claims were vague and not supported by corroborating evidence, and that the country information indicated that the Malaysian authorities were generally capable of addressing criminal conduct, including illegal money lending, and providing an adequate level of protection.[16]
[16] Ibid.
By operation of s 476(2)(a) of the Act, this Court has no power to review the decision of the Delegate.
Separately, on the same day, the Delegate also refused the Protection Visa applications made by the applicants in the EJY20 matter.
Application to the Tribunal
On 14 March 2017, the Applicants, along with the applicants in the EJY20 matter (but in a separate application), applied to the Tribunal for review of the Delegate’s decision.[17] In both matters, all four of the applicants were assisted by the same migration agent in the review process.[18]
[17] R2 85-6.
[18] R2 92.
On 23 October 2019, the Applicants were invited to attend a hearing scheduled for 18 November 2019.[19]
[19] R2 94-101.
Prior to the hearing, the Tribunal issued a written invitation to the Applicants to file additional submissions ahead of the hearing by 11 November 2019.[20] The Applicants did not take the opportunity to file any additional material. As a result, the Tribunal member had regard to the oral submissions made by the Applicants at the hearing in addition to the materials filed with the initial Protection Visa applications.
[20] R2 94.
Tribunal Hearing
On 18 November 2018, the hearing went ahead as scheduled with the Applicants and their representative in attendance.[21]
[21] R2 103-5.
The Tribunal considered the review application to be related to the Tribunal hearing in the EJY20 matter. Both matters were heard by the same Tribunal member.
At the hearing, both Applicants gave oral evidence.[22] The Sister stated that she had acted as a guarantor for the loan taken out by the Brother and that the loan documents had been lost when the project office was allegedly ransacked. She also claimed that her car was damaged by the agents of the lender and that they had left a threatening note. While the Sister did not claim to have been physically harmed personally, she gave evidence of her fears of harm if she ever returned to Malaysia.
[22] R2 113-5.
The transcript of the Tribunal hearing on 18 November 2019 (Exhibit A2) reveals that:
(a)the Applicants and their representative were asked to comment on country information;
(b)some oral submissions were made (especially by their representative); and
(c)their representative undertook to provide further written submissions about all matters arising at the Tribunal by Friday, 22 November 2019 (in relation to both the EMC20 matter and EJY20).[23]
[23] Exhibit A2, 38-9 [1074]-[1106].
No post-hearing submissions were filed with the Tribunal.
On 18 September 2020, the Tribunal affirmed the decision of the Delegate to refuse protection visas to the Sister and her husband (EMC20).[24]
[24] R2 109-120.
Previously on 11 September 2020, the Tribunal affirmed the decision of the Delegate to refuse protection visas for the Brother and his wife (EJZ20).
TRIBUNAL’S DECISION
The Tribunal’s decision is 12 pages long and spans 41 paragraphs.
The Tribunal accepted a number of claims made by the Sister and the Brother. In particular, the Tribunal was satisfied that:
(1)The Brother had borrowed a significant amount of money in or about 2011 from a money lender for the purposes of funding a telecommunications infrastructure project;
(2)The Sister, her husband EMC20, her brother and her uncle were involved in that project;
(3)The Sister had acted as guarantor for the loan while the Brother was the primary loan holder;
(4)the business venture ultimately failed because the parties involved were unable to meet contractual deadlines in relation to the project;
(5)The Brother, had made several repayments to partially satisfy the owing debt but, as a result of the failure of the business venture, he was unable to continue repaying the loan; and
(6)demands have been made of the Brother, by the money lender for repayments of the loan.[25]
[25] R2 117-8 [32].
Beyond those findings, the Tribunal did not accept the broader claims of harm or fear of harm.[26] The Tribunal noted that the Protection Visa application stated that EMC20 had suffered “serious injury on [his] whole body” as a result of the attacks by agents of the loan shark, and that the Sister had also been attacked. However, at the hearing before the Tribunal, EMC20 stated that he had not been harassed or attacked, and gave no evidence of suffering any injury.[27] The only specific incident advanced was that by the Sister, where she claimed that her car had been damaged in May 2016 and that a threatening note had been left on the windshield.[28] The Tribunal expressed doubts about this claim and others (including the ransacking of the office with the loan documents) because:
(1)no documents were produced to evidence the loan, the business venture, or the alleged damage to the car;
(2)no attempts were made to make a police report of the alleged harassment, and neither Applicant gave a plausible explanation for why such steps were not taken beyond a general distrust of the police;
(3)the Tribunal found it significant that the written claim in the visa application alleged physical harm, but no such claim was made at the hearing;
(4)the Applicants gave no evidence of having taken any steps to repay the loan, which the Tribunal found to be inconsistent with their fear of reprisal; and
(5)the Sister’s motivation for coming to Australia appeared to be related to employment as opposed to protection needs.[29]
[26] R2 118 [34].
[27] R2 118 [34](h).
[28] Ibid.
[29] R2 118 [34].
In light of the concerns above, the Tribunal was not satisfied that either the Sister or EMC20 had a well-founded fear of persecution of the kind contemplated by s 36(2)(a) of the Act[30] or a real risk of significant harm under s 36(2)(aa) of the Act.[31] Accordingly, they did not meet the refugee criterion nor the complementary protection criterion.
[30] R2 119 [36]
[31] R2 119 [38].
Accordingly, the Tribunal decided to affirm the decision of the Delegate to refuse the Applicants a Protection Visas.
PROCEEDINGS IN THIS COURT
The application
On 16 October 2020, the Applicants filed an application for judicial review of the Tribunal’s decision dated 18 September 2020 (Originating Application). The application is brought pursuant to s 476 of the Act.
On 9 April 2025, the Applicants filed an amended application (Amended Application). The Applicant seeks orders that the decision of the Tribunal be quashed and that it be remitted back to the Tribunal to be determined according to law. The Amended Application lists four grounds of alleged error which are reproduced without alteration below.
Case management
On 28 October 2020, the First Respondent (Minister) filed a response. The Minister opposed the orders sought by the Applicant in his Originating Application on the basis that it failed to establish any jurisdictional error in the Tribunal’s decision.
On 28 November 2024, a Registrar of this Court issued an order (Registrar’s First Order) programming the matter for hearing. The Registrar’s Order directed that:
(a)the Minister file and serve a bundle of relevant documents (Court Book) by 12 December 2024;
(b)the Applicant file any amended application, written submissions and further evidence in support of the application at least 28 days before the scheduled hearing; and
(c)the Minister file and serve any written submissions and additional evidence that the Minister seeks to rely upon at least 14 days before the scheduled hearing.
On 12 December 2024, the Minister filed a Court Book in accordance with the Registrar’s First Order.
On 19 March 2025, a Registrar of this Court issued further orders (Registrar’s Second Order) listing the matter for hearing before this Court on 16 April 2025. The Registrar’s Second Order also directed that:
(a)the Applicant file and serve any amended application, written submissions and further evidence it seeks to rely upon in support of its application by 2 April 2025; and
(b)the Minister file and serve any amended response, written submissions and further evidence it seeks to rely upon by 9 April 2025.
On 9 April 2025, the Applicant filed an amended application and written submissions. The Applicant also filed an Affidavit affirmed by Ms Catherine Farrell of Farrell Rose Migration Lawyers which annexed the:
(c)transcript of the EJY20 and EJZ20 Tribunal hearing held on 14 November 2019; and
(d)transcript of the EMC20 and EMP20 Tribunal hearing held on 18 November 2019.
On 14 April 2025, this Court made orders, by the consent of the parties, to list this matter for hearing on 15 May 2025, to be heard together with the MLG3618/2020 matter. The orders also directed the Minister to file and serve their amended response and written submissions by 15 May 2025.
On 15 May 2025, the Minister filed its written submissions in accordance with this Court’s orders.
Therefore, the materials before the Court are as follows:
(a)the amended application for judicial review filed on 9 April 2025;
(b)a Court Book in respect of this application, numbering 120 pages filed on 12 December 2024 (marked as Exhibit R2);
(c)a Court Book in respect of the MLG3618/2020 application, numbering 162 pages filed on 6 February 2025 (marked as Exhibit R1);
(d)an outline of written submissions filed by the Applicant 9 April 2025;an Affidavit of affirmed by Ms Catherine Farrell of Farrell Rose Migration Lawyers filed on 9 April 2025, which annexed the Tribunal transcript for the
(i)EJY20 Tribunal hearing (marked Exhibit A1);and
(ii)EMC20 Tribunal hearing (marked Exhibit A2).
(e)an outline of written submissions filed by the Minister 15 May 2025
The judicial review hearing
At the hearing on 22 May 2025, the Applicant was represented by Mr Angel Aleksov of Counsel. The Minister was represented by Ms Laura Mills of Counsel.
Before this Court, the Applicant made submissions in support of the grounds set out in their amended application. The Court incorporates (without repetition) paragraphs 47 to 56 of the Applicants’ Submissions. Those submissions are considered below.
The Minister made submissions consistent with the outline of written submissions filed by the Minister on 15 May 2025. The Court incorporates (without repetition) paragraphs 26 to 53 of the Minister’s outline of submissions.
After the Minister made their submissions, the Court invited the Applicants to respond to what the Minister’s representative had said. No further submissions were made.
THE ROLE OF THE COURT IN JUDICIAL REVIEW PROCEEDINGS
In Bhasker v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs[32] his Honour Judge Fary summarised the role of the Court in judicial review proceedings:
48. Section 476 of the Migration Act provides that the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) has the same original jurisdiction in relation to migration decisions as the High Court has under s 75(v) of the Constitution.
49.Section 75(v) of the Constitution provides that the High Court has original jurisdiction in all matters in which a writ of mandamus or prohibition or an injunction is sought against an officer of the Commonwealth. Thus, subject to the statutory exceptions provided for in s 476 of the Migration Act, the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) has original jurisdiction in all matters in which a writ of mandamus or prohibition or an injunction is sought against an officer of the Commonwealth. Further, s 474 of the Migration Act does not preclude judicial review of decisions under the Migration Act where jurisdictional error is alleged.[33]
50.“The task of the Court [in an application for judicial review] is to rule upon the lawfulness or legality of the decision by reference to the complaints made about it.” The court neither consider the merits of the decision nor remakes it.[34]
51.The Court may grant relief if it is satisfied that the decision of the Tribunal is affected by jurisdictional error.[35] Jurisdictional error by a statutory decision maker may manifest itself in a variety of ways. Recognised categories of jurisdictional error include “misunderstanding the applicable law; asking the wrong question; exceeding the bounds of reasonableness; identifying a wrong issue; ignoring relevant material; relying on irrelevant material; in some cases, making an erroneous finding or reaching a mistaken conclusion; or failing to observe some applicable requirement of procedural fairness”.[36] Different kinds of error may overlap.[37] The categories are not closed.[38] The critical question is whether the decision maker has exceeded the authority or power conferred by the statute.[39]
52.In most but not all cases, for an error to be jurisdictional, the error must be material to the decision being challenged. The test is whether there is a “realistic possibility” that the decision that was made “could” have been different, but for the error.[40] This is to be determined as “a matter of reasonable conjecture within the parameters set by the historical facts that have been determined”.[41] It has been described as an “undemanding” standard.[42]
[32] [2025] FedCFamC2G 620.
[33] Plaintiff S157/2002 v Commonwealth (2003) 211 CLR 476.
[34] Djokovic v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs (2022) 289 FCR 21 Allson CJ, Besanko and O’Callaghan JJ at [17].
[35] Plaintiff S157/2002 v Commonwealth (2003) 211 CLR 476.
[36] LPDT v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs (2024) 418 ALR 152, [3] (‘LDPT’).
[37] Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs v Yusuf (2001) 2006 CLR 323, [82].
[38] LPDT, [3].
[39] Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs v Yusuf (2001) 206 CLR 323 at 351, [82].
[40] LPDT, [7].
[41] MZAPC v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2021) 273 CLR 506, [38] (Kiefel CJ, Gageler, Keane and Gleeson JJ).
[42] Nathanson v Minister for Home Affairs (2022) 276 CLR 80, [33] (Kiefel CJ, Keane and Gleeson JJ).
The Court as presently constituted respectfully adopts his Honour’s summary of the task before it.
Further, disagreement with a decision, even emphatic disagreement, does not of itself give rise to jurisdictional error.[43]
[43] Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs v Eshetu [1999] HCA 21, [40]. [40].
CONSIDERATION
The Court will now consider each ground in turn.
Ground 1
1.The Tribunal failed to perform its statutory task by failing to consider important evidence relevant to the applicants’ credibility.
Particulars
a).At [34(h)] of its reasons, the Tribunal identified as the “most significant” factor in its decision that neither EMC20 nor EMP20 gave evidence at hearing of having been physically attacked, despite their initial protection visa applications suggesting otherwise.
b).Evidence was given in the related proceeding of EJY20 and EJZ20, that all four applicants’ initial visa applications were prepared by a person called “Peter,” who acted without full instructions (see EJZ20 Tribunal Reasons at [24] and EJZ20 Transcript T35–36).
c).The Tribunal appears to have accepted this explanation in the EJY20 review, but it failed to consider it in EMC20’s review, despite having treated the claims in both proceedings as interrelated (see EMC20 Reasons at [26], [32]).
d).The failure to consider this evidence, which directly addressed the Tribunal’s central concern regarding the applicants’ credibility, constitutes a constructive failure by the perform in carrying out its statutory task to consider important evidence.
e).This evidence was material to the review as had it been considered; the Tribunal may have reached a different outcome.
By this ground, the Applicants submit that the Tribunal committed a jurisdictional error by failing to consider important evidence that went to the Applicants’ credibility. The relevant paragraph that the Applicants take issue with is paragraph [34](h) of the Tribunal’s decision, which states:
Perhaps most significantly, no evidence was given by either Applicant at the hearing before the Tribunal of the effect that the First Applicant had suffered 'a serious injury on my whole body even [the Second Applicant] also'. Whereas the Applicant's original protection claims suggested that they were physically attacked, nothing of that nature was advanced at the hearing before the Tribunal. Indeed, the First Applicant stated that he was not attacked or harassed at all. The only claim advanced by the Applicants at the hearing related to the Second Applicant's damaged car and the note left on it.[44]
[44] R2 118 [34](h).
The Applicants submit that the Tribunal’s finding (that neither EMC20 nor the Sister gave evidence at hearing of having been physically attacked despite their initial visa application suggesting otherwise) overlooked evidence about how their visa applications were prepared.
The Applicants argue that in the Brother’s proceeding, evidence was given that all four protection visa applications were prepared by a person named “Peter”, who acted without full instructions. It is contended that the Tribunal appears to have accepted that explanation in the Brother’s Tribunal decision.[45] Counsel for the Applicants submitted that this explanation addressed what the Tribunal described as the “most significant” issue undermining the Applicants’ credibility. The Applicants argue that the Tribunal failed to consider whether the written claims were Peter’s embellishments instead of the Applicant’s true intentions, and this failure constituted a jurisdictional error.
[45] R1 153 [24].
In response, the Minister submitted that while the Applicants in the Brother’s Tribunal hearing gave evidence that Peter had prepared their application, neither Applicants in these proceedings suggested that the information in their visa application was inaccurate or did not reflect their true intentions. As such, the Minister argues that there is no failure by the Tribunal to consider a material matter which amounts to a jurisdictional error.
The Court is not convinced that the Tribunal properly considered the evidence about “Peter” and less convinced that the Tribunal accepted it as contended for by Mr Aleksov. The Tribunal decision records the following,
[24] At the hearing before the Tribunal, the First Applicant gave oral evidence about his background that was largely consistent with the details that he had provided in the protection visa application form. However, he stated that he did not fill in the form himself and said that a man by the name of “Peter” had filled it in on the Applicants’ behalf. This would certainly explain some notable discrepancies in the form, including the fact that both the First Applicant and the Second Applicant did not disclose full details of their relationship and marriage in that form. In any event nothing in this case turns on such discrepancies or the fact that the Applicants had someone assist them in filling in their original protection visa application form.
A fairer reading of the Brother’s Tribunal decision has the reader conclude that the issue of “Peter” was left to the side in the Brother’s matter because nothing turned on it. Certainly, it cannot be said that the Tribunal considered the “Peter” issue and determined it with sufficient detail such that it provides an explanation for the discrepancies between:
(a)the Sister’s (and her husband’s) visa applications; compared to
(b)their evidence before the Tribunal.
Further, the Minister correctly submitted that,
“… at no point was it suggested by [the Applicants in either proceeding] or their legal representatives that the visa application submitted by [any of the four Applicants] did not reflect their proper instructions or that the visa application was not accurate because it had been completed by someone else nor that the information in the application was incorrect.”
Having heard the evidence of the Sister and EMC20 at the hearing, the Tribunal was entitled to form the view that it did about the Applicants’ credibility.
Ground One is dismissed.
Ground Two
2.The Tribunal failed to afford the applicants procedural fairness by failing to comply with section 425(1) of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) (the Act), by reason of excessive and unexplained delay, between hearing and decision.
Particulars
a).The applicants’ hearing was conducted on 18 November 2019. The Tribunal did not publish its decision until 18 September 2020, a delay of 10 months.
b).The Tribunal’s decision turned materially on adverse credibility findings, including observations as to the applicants’ demeanour and performance during the hearing.
c).It is unrealistic to expect that the Tribunal could recall how the applicants responded to questioning after such a lengthy delay, or to have preserved any positive impressions they may have made (see BDW15 [2017] FCCA 2742).
d).In these circumstances, the delay resulted in procedural unfairness and the denial of a fair hearing.
Ground Two raises issues identical to those raised in ground 4 of the Brother’s application, concerning whether the delay between hearing and decision amounted to procedural unfairness. For the reasons set out in my consideration of ground 4 in EJY20, the Court is not satisfied that the delay, while significant, constituted a jurisdictional error. The same reasoning applies equally here. The Sister’s demeanour was not an issue before the Tribunal. There was no finding that she was not a witness of truth. This is not a case were there needed to be an assessment of the truthfulness of witnesses across competing versions of events.
Ground Two is dismissed.
Ground Three
3.The Tribunal’s decision is affected by illogicality, irrationality or legal unreasonableness.
Particulars
a).At [32] of its reasons, the Tribunal accepted that a business venture had taken place, that a substantial loan was obtained, and that demands for repayment were made.
b).However, at [34(a)], the Tribunal relied on the lack of documentation (such as loan documents or evidence of the business venture) as a material reason for rejecting the applicants’ claims regarding threats or harm from the moneylender.
c).It was illogical and unreasonable for the Tribunal to accept the existence of the business venture and the loan, both central claims, in the absence of documentation, whilst simultaneously rejecting other related claim due to the lack of that same documentation.
d).The adverse inference drawn from the absence of documents was a material component of the Tribunal’s credibility findings. Had this been approached rationally, Tribunal would not have reached the same conclusion.
Ground Three mirrors the Applicants’ ground 3 in EJY20, alleging that the Tribunal’s decision was affected by illogicality, irrationality, or legal unreasonableness. For the reasons given in my consideration of ground 3 in EJY20, the Court is not satisfied that the Tribunal’s approach was legally unreasonable. The Tribunal accepted the Applicants’ evidence regarding the existence of the loan and business venture despite a lack of corroborating documents because they were general claims. The Tribunal rejected more specific claims because there was a lack of documents. The issue of documents was a matter the Applicants had been put on notice about at the Delegate decision stage.
Ground Three is dismissed.
Ground Four
4.The Tribunal’s decision is affected by jurisdictional error as it relied on and adopted findings in the related proceeding of EJY20 and EJZ20, which are themselves affected by error.
Particulars
a).The Tribunal expressly treated the proceedings of EJY20 and EMC20 as interrelated and relied on the evidence of EJY20 in assessing the credibility and claims of EMC20 and EMP20 (see EMC20 Reasons at [26], [32]).
b).The Tribunal’s assessment of EMC20 was contingent upon the lawfulness of its findings in EJY20. The Tribunal adopted those findings by reference, including the findings regarding credibility, which were adverse to the applicants.
c).If the Tribunal’s decision in EJY20 was affected by jurisdictional error, as contended in that related proceeding, then its incorporation of those findings into EMC20 renders the latter decision infected by the same error.
d).The legal error in EJY20 was material and determinative to the outcome in EMC20, given that EJY20’s evidence was treated as central to the assessment of EMC20 and EMP20’s credibility (see Wei v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2015) 257 CLR 22).
Ground Four is similar to Ground Five in EJY20, in that it is contended that any jurisdictional error in the EJY20 decision infected the EMC20 decision given the Tribunal’s reliance on interrelated findings across both matters.
The Court has not found jurisdictional error in the assessment of the evidence of the Brother or his wife, EJZ20 or the decision of the Tribunal in that matter. Accordingly, the question of whether the Tribunal’s decision in relation to the Sister is affected by jurisdictional error because of the Brother’s Tribunal decision does not arise.
Ground Four is dismissed.
DISPOSITION
For the reasons set out above, this Court is satisfied that the Tribunal’s reasons were not affected by jurisdictional error.
Accordingly, the application for judicial review is dismissed. The Court will hear the parties on costs.
I certify that the preceding sixty-seven (67) numbered paragraphs are a true copy of the Reasons for Judgment of Judge Johns. Associate:
Dated: 22 August 2025
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