Owen and Secretary, Department of Social Services (Social services second review)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) considered applications for review brought by Owen against the Secretary, Department of Social Services. The core of the dispute concerned whether Owen's applications for review had "no reasonable prospect of success," a threshold for dismissal under the relevant legislation.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether it was satisfied that Owen's applications for review lacked any reasonable prospect of success. This involved an assessment of the merits of the applications at an early stage, before a full hearing on the substance of the claims.

The Tribunal's reasoning focused on the evidence before it and the applicable legal tests. It applied the principles governing the dismissal of applications for review where there is no reasonable prospect of success. Having considered the material, the Tribunal concluded that the applications did indeed have no reasonable prospect of success.

Consequently, the Tribunal made orders dismissing Owen's applications for review.