Pedrana and Pedrana & Anor

In the matter of *Pedrana and Pedrana & Anor*, heard by Watts J, the father sought various orders including the disqualification of the mother, leave to reopen a hearing, declarations regarding the Registrar's conduct, and appealed a decision of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal (SSAT). The core of the dispute involved allegations of apprehended bias, procedural fairness, and the proper application of the *Child Support (Assessment) Act*.

The court was required to determine whether apprehended bias was established in relation to the disqualification application, whether the father had waived his right to pursue such an application, and if leave should be granted to reopen the hearing based on new evidence. Further issues included whether the Registrar had acted within jurisdiction in proceeding with a Change of Assessment Application without first taking action under sections 159 and 159A of the *Child Support (Assessment) Act*, and whether the father had been accorded procedural fairness during the SSAT proceedings, particularly concerning the exclusion of a document. The court also considered allegations of inappropriate use of documents by the Registrar in relation to the father's applications for declarations.

Watts J dismissed the father's application for disqualification, finding no apprehended bias and noting that the father had expressly waived any right to press this application. Leave to reopen the hearing was also refused, as the father failed to demonstrate that the proposed new evidence would assist his case or that it was in the interests of justice to do so. The appeal from the SSAT was dismissed, with the court finding no lack of jurisdiction in the Registrar's actions, adequate reasons provided by the SSAT, and no denial of procedural fairness, as the excluded document was irrelevant. The applications for declarations were also dismissed, as there was no evidence of inappropriate use of documents by the Registrar.