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

Case

[2020] AATA 1993

30 June 2020


Petrovski and Secretary, Department of Social Services (Social services second review) [2020] AATA 1993 (30 June 2020)

Division:GENERAL DIVISION

File Number(s):      2019/6492

Re:Diana Petrovski

APPLICANT

AndSecretary, Department of Social Services

RESPONDENT

DECISION

Tribunal:Emeritus Professor P A Fairall, Senior Member

Date:30 June 2020

Place:Sydney

The reviewable decision is set aside, and in substitution, it is decided the applicant satisfies s 94(1) of the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth) and is qualified for disability support pension as at the date of her application, being 28 May 2018.

.........................................[sgd]..........................................................

Emeritus Professor P A Fairall, Senior Member

CATCHWORDS

SOCIAL SECURITY – disability support pension – 20 points or more under single Impairment Table – severe impairment – mental health condition – depression – anxiety – continuing inability to work – whether continuing inability to work arose when applicant was Australian resident – reviewable decision set aside and substituted

LEGISLATION

Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 (Cth) s 37

Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth) sch 2, pt 2, cl 4

Social Security Act 1991 (Cth) s 94

REASONS FOR DECISION

Emeritus Professor P A Fairall, Senior Member

30 June 2020

INTRODUCTION

  1. On 28 May 2018, Ms Diana Petrovski (the applicant) applied for Disability Support Pension (DSP).[1] Her claim was rejected on 8 May 2019 by Services Australia, formerly known as the Department of Human Services (the respondent). On 4 July 2019, the decision to reject her claim was affirmed by an Authorised Review Officer (ARO).[2]

    [1] Section 37 documents (‘T-documents’), T21, p. 172-203.

    [2] Ibid T36, pp. 252-256.

  2. On 23 September 2019, the Social Services and Child Support Division of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT1) affirmed the decision of the ARO (the reviewable decision).[3]

    [3] Ibid T2, p. 5-12.

  3. The AAT1 was satisfied that, within the qualification period, the applicant suffered from physical, intellectual or psychiatric impairments in the form of:

    (a)a cardiac condition, which attracted 5 points under the Impairment Tables; and

    (b)a mental health condition, which attracted 20 points under the Impairment Tables.

  4. As a result of these findings, the AAT1 held that the applicant had a continuing inability to work (CITW), however was not satisfied that this CITW first arose after she became a permanent resident of Australia.

  5. On 10 October 2019, the applicant sought review of the AAT1’s decision before the General Division of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (the Tribunal).

    HEARING

  6. The application was heard by telephone on 18 June 2020. The applicant was self-represented and assisted by a Macedonian interpreter.

  7. The following material was taken into evidence:

    (a)The “T-documents”, provided under s 37 of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 (Cth) (the AAT Act);

    (b)Supplementary T-documents (volumes 1 and 2);

    (c)Supplementary medical reports;

    (d)Reports relating to workplace issues in Macedonia; and

    (e)Photographs of a shop in Skopje, Macedonia.

  8. The applicant gave evidence and was examined by the respondent.

    LEGISLATION

  9. Section 94 of the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth) (the Act) sets out the qualification criteria for payment of DSP. The extracts relevant to this application are set out below:

    94  Qualification for disability support pension

    (1)  A person is qualified for disability support pension if:

    (a)  the person has a physical, intellectual or psychiatric impairment; and

    (b) the person’s impairment is of 20 points or more under the Impairment Tables; and

    (c)  one of the following applies:

    (i)  the person has a continuing inability to work;

    (ii)  the Secretary is satisfied that the person is participating in the program administered by the Commonwealth known as the supported wage system; and

    (e)  the person either:

    (i)  is an Australian resident at the time when the person first satisfies paragraph (c); or

    (ii)  has 10 years qualifying Australian residence, or has a qualifying residence exemption for a disability support pension; or

    (iii)  is born outside Australia and, at the time when the person first satisfies paragraph (c) the person:

    (A)  is not an Australian resident; and

    (B)  is a dependent child of an Australian resident;

    and the person becomes an Australian resident while a dependent child of an Australian resident; and

    Continuing inability to work

    (2)  A person has a continuing inability to work because of an impairment if the Secretary is satisfied that:

    (aa)  in a case where the person’s impairment is not a severe impairment within the meaning of subsection (3B) or the person is a reviewed 2008‑2011 DSP starter who has had an opportunity to participate in a program of support—the person has actively participated in a program of support within the meaning of subsection (3C), and the program of support was wholly or partly funded by the Commonwealth; and

    (a)  in all cases—the impairment is of itself sufficient to prevent the person from doing any work independently of a program of support within the next 2 years; and

    (b)  in all cases—either:

    (i)  the impairment is of itself sufficient to prevent the person from undertaking a training activity during the next 2 years; or

    (ii)  if the impairment does not prevent the person from undertaking a training activity—such activity is unlikely (because of the impairment) to enable the person to do any work independently of a program of support within the next 2 years.

    Severe impairment

    (3B)  A person's impairment is a severe impairment if the person's impairment is of 20 points or more under the Impairment Tables, of which 20 points or more are under a single Impairment Table.

    Other definitions

    (5)  In this section:

    work means work:

    (a)  that is for at least 15 hours per week on wages that are at or above the relevant minimum wage; and

    (b)  that exists in Australia, even if not within the person’s locally accessible labour market.

    (emphasis in original)

  10. The term “Australian resident” is defined in s 7(2) as follows:

    (2)  An Australian resident is a person who:

    (a)  resides in Australia; and

    (b)  is one of the following:

    (i)  an Australian citizen;

    (ii)  the holder of a permanent visa;

    (iii)  a special category visa holder who is a protected SCV holder

    (emphasis in original)

    THE CONTESTED ISSUE

  11. The application was lodged on 28 May 2018.[4] By reason of sch 2, pt 2, cl 4 of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth) (the Administration Act), the claim must be assessed based on her medical condition over the 13-week period commencing on the date of claim (the qualification period).

    [4] Ibid T21, pp. 172-203.

  12. The respondent accepts that during the qualification period the applicant suffered from a severe impairment as such that she had a CITW; and that the issue to determine is whether she was an Australian resident when she first developed a CITW.[5]

    [5] Respondent’s Statement of Facts, Issues and Contentions dated 25 May 2020 (SFIC) [26].

  13. However, the respondent contends that the applicant was not an Australian resident when she first satisfied the requirement of a CITW, and that this CITW arose prior to her return to Australia in November 2015.[6] If that is so, the applicant is not eligible for DSP, by reason of s 94(1)(c)(i) and (e)(i) of the Act.

    [6] Respondent’s SFIC [25].

  14. The question before the Tribunal is therefore simply whether the applicant was an Australian resident when she first satisfied the requirement of having a CITW. By reason of the respondent’s concessions, this is the only matter in contention.

  15. I have reviewed the material before the Tribunal and accept the concessions made by the respondent that the applicant is qualified for DSP but for this outstanding issue. The concessions made by the respondent also reflect the findings made by the AAT1.

  16. For the reasons set out below, I have decided the applicant first experienced a CITW while a permanent resident in Australia. Therefore, in view of the respondent’s acceptance that she satisfies the remaining eligibility criteria, she is entitled to DSP from the date of application.

    FACTS

  17. The applicant was granted a Partner Visa (subclass 100) on 11 September 2009.[7] She arrived in Australia on 1 September 2010, the date she first became an Australian resident.[8]

    [7] Ibid T39, p. 277.

    [8] Ibid p. 275.

  18. On 24 November 2011, she returned to Macedonia with her husband (an Australian of Macedonian descent).

  19. The applicant returned to Australia on 13 November 2015.[9] She re-entered the country on a Resident Return Visa (subclass 155) granted on 29 September 2015.[10] She has lived in Australia ever since.

    [9] Ibid.

    [10] Ibid p. 277.

  20. She has not engaged in paid employment since returning to Australia over four years ago.

  21. She separated from her husband in February 2017.[11] 

    [11] Ibid T31, p. 229.

  22. The applicant’s two children were born in Australia in November 2008 and September 2011.[12]

    EVIDENCE  

    [12] Ibid.

    Medical reports from Macedonian health professionals

  23. The material before the Tribunal shows that the applicant received psychiatric treatment for depression and generalised anxiety disorder since at least 2006 and was seen on a regular basis by Dr Zhaneta Karagoceva, a psychiatrist in Macedonia.[13]

    [13] Ibid T9, p. 120; T19, p. 167.

  24. The applicant provided an undated report from Dr Karagoceva.[14] The report has been translated from Macedonian and was written after November 2015, when the applicant moved back to Sydney.

    [14] Ibid T19, p. 167.

  25. Dr Karagoceva states that the applicant was an outpatient in a psychiatric clinic “Anima” for a period of more than six years. She had strongly expressed anxiety, accompanied by somatic manifestations (tachycardia, dyspnea, gastritis, disturbed appetite and insomnia) as well as irritability, crying, decreased mood, reduced motivation for activities and social isolation.[15] Dr Karagoceva further reported that:

    The situation had its own stages of good and longer remissions, with proper functioning in everyday life.

    But, life circumstances contributed to a worsening and again from 2013 to develop an image of anxiety disorder with similar symptomatology…

    In November 2015, prior to moving to Australia, she was given advice to continue treatment with a specialist in Sydney.

    [15] Ibid.

    Employment history

  26. The applicant arrived back in Australia on 13 November 2015. At hearing, she said that she was functional and capable of working and did in fact work prior to returning to Australia in November 2015. She said she consulted Dr Karagoceva only “for advice”.

  27. She said she worked in a clothing shop owned by her husband in Skopje, Macedonia until her final move back to Australia in November 2015.[16]

    [16] Supplementary section 37 documents (‘supplementary T-documents’), ST4, pp. 312-313.

  28. There are official records from the Pension and Invalid Insurance Fund of Macedonia[17] and the Employment Agency of the Republic of Northern Macedonia[18] showing that the applicant worked from 18 December 2013 to 31 May 2014 for 40 hours per week as a salesperson. The records are in her maiden name.

    [17] Ibid ST4, p. 314.

    [18] Ibid ST5, p. 319.

  29. There is also evidence of employment earnings contained in the applicant’s bank statements, which show she deposited income from her husband’s company from 9 January 2014 until 1 July 2014.[19]

    [19] Ibid ST4, p. 315.

  30. The respondent accepts these documents are verifiable evidence of her employment in Macedonia, at least from 18 December 2013 to 31 May 2014.[20]

    [20] Respondent’s SFIC [41].

  31. However, there is an 18-month gap in her employment record between 31 May 2014 and 13 November 2015, when she returned to Australia. I will refer to this period as the contested period.

  32. The respondent contends that various psychiatric reports show the applicant’s ongoing psychiatric distress during the contested period. Therefore, the respondent contends that it was after the applicant stopped working in the shop, but before she came back to Australia, that she first satisfied the requirement of having a CITW. At hearing, the applicant said that she did in fact work in the shop during this period, but she did not declare her earnings. She gave evidence that she worked in the black (or grey) market. She said it was common to work in this way – everybody did it. It was, she said, the way things were done in Macedonia. She did not think working in this “under the counter” way was dishonest or that she had lied to the Macedonian authorities, a suggestion put to her by the respondent’s solicitor. She was most upset by the suggestion.

  33. The applicant provided considerable material to the Tribunal in support of the proposition that the so-called grey market is thriving and widespread in Macedonia. 

  34. In addition, she provided statements from various third parties, to support her claim that she worked throughout the contested period. These included a supplier;[21] customers;[22] a shopkeeper from across the road;[23] and her babysitter.[24] The statements were all written in March 2020, some five years after the fact, by persons living in Skopje, Macedonia. Her ex-husband provided a statement to like effect.[25]

    [21] Supplementary T-documents, ST7, p. 329.

    [22] Ibid pp. 330 and 328.

    [23] Ibid p. 327.

    [24] Ibid p. 326.

    [25] Ibid ST6, p. 320.

  35. The respondent contends that little credence should be given to these statements as proof that the applicant was working in the contested period. The statements are not in the form of sworn testimony; in any event, the deponents are all beyond the jurisdiction and therefore not amenable to Australian law relating to perjury.

  36. I also note that in her application for DSP dated 28 May 2018, the applicant stated that her most recent employment was in catering from 6 February 2005 to 16 February 2008.[26] This is not consistent with the formal employment record from Macedonia referred to above, which indicates she was employed from 18 December 2013 to at least 31 May 2014. It is unclear why she omitted this significant aspect of her employment history.

    [26] T-documents T21, p. 200.

  37. In essence, the case put by the applicant to the Tribunal is that she continued to work in Macedonia until she and her family returned to Australia, but that things started to unravel after she returned. She points to her marriage breakdown in 2017 with associated financial and accommodation pressures as a pivotal and crushing event.

    Medical reports from Australian health professionals

  38. The applicant has provided various medical reports from health professionals, including a GP, a psychologist and a psychiatrist. The reports from Dr Protulipac, dated 21 May 2019[27] and 3 December 2019;[28] together with Dr Hyde’s reports, dated 23 May 2019[29] and 12 December 2019,[30] support the applicant’s position. Dr Hyde is a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

    [27] Ibid T31, pp. 229-230.

    [28] Supplementary T-documents, ST2, p. 302.

    [29] T-documents, T32, pp. 232-233.

    [30] Supplementary T-documents, ST3, pp. 303-304.

  39. She also received treatment in Sydney from her GP, Dr Cvetkovski, for anxiety and depression.[31]

    [31] T-documents, T19, p. 169.

  40. In a report dated 21 May 2019, Dr Protulipac stated:

    17. Upon returning to Australia permanently in 2015, Mrs Petrovski did not seek any psychiatric treatment until 2016.

    18. Her conditions rapidly deteriorated in 2016, in Australia, and this is when she became dysfunctional and started pursuing treatment from myself and Dr Gordon Hyde, Psychiatrist.

    Despite a long history of psychobiological problems as stated in my original report of 22/05/2018, Mrs Petrovski remained fully functional until 2016. This is evident in the above list of her positions. She was employed on a full-time bases since the age of 18, and until 2015, and was briefly away from the workforce when rearing the newborn children. Most importantly, she ran a successful business immediately prior to migrating permanently to Australia in 2015, which proves that her psychiatric illness did not prevent her from functioning as an employee, business woman, and a mother. 

    Upon arriving to Australia, Mrs Petrovski experienced severe social isolation, lack of support and loss of marriage. She failed to integrate, acquire the language, or obtain gainful employment. The harsh Australian climate also took tall (sic) on her chronic conditions and these factors collectively caused her chronic psychiatric illness to deteriorate to the point of complete loss of functionality. It is therefore fair to assume that her current conditions, which are considered fully diagnosed, treated and stabilised, became the source of her permanent disability in Australia for the purpose of fulfilling the criteria for allocation of Disability Support Pension.[32]

    ….

    [32] Supplementary T-documents, T31, pp. 229-330.

  41. In his report dated 23 May 2019, Dr Hyde stated:

    Diana is under my care since 2017.  From the history obtained it appeared that the symptoms of depression started 2006 when she was seen by a psychiatrist and commenced treatment with the anti-depressant medication. The symptoms of depression became more prominent in the last few years due to multiple psychosocial stressors and poor response to antidepressant medication and psychotherapy.[33]

    [33] T-documents, T32, p. 232.

  42. However, the respondent drew the Tribunal’s attention to earlier 2017 and 2018 reports written by Dr Protulipac, which contain statements at odds with the suggestion that the applicant was capable of working when she returned to Australia in 2015.[34] For example, in a report dated 30 November 2017, Dr Protulipac stated the applicant had been unable to engage in paid employment for the past 12 years, due to chronic physical and mental illness.[35] The implication of this statement is that she left the work force permanently in 2005.

    [34] Ibid T11, pp. 123-133; T35, p. 242.

    [35] Ibid T11, p. 125.

  43. The respondent contends that in assessing whether the applicant had a CITW work during the contested period, the reports written by the Australian health professionals should be treated with caution.[36] Dr Protulipac and Dr Hyde did not see the applicant until November 2017, and rely on the applicant’s self-reporting.[37] Their reports do not assess the nature of her employment in Macedonia, whether she had assistance, or the number of hours worked.[38] As noted above, the respondent also highlighted some internal inconsistencies in the various reports, further undermining the credibility of their assessment relating to the contested period.[39]

    [36] Respondent’s SFIC [37]-[38].

    [37] Ibid [37].

    [38] Ibid [35].

    [39] Ibid [36].

  44. The respondent contends that the evidence of her treating psychiatrist in Macedonia should be preferred over the evidence of her psychologist and psychiatrist in Australia.

  45. There is an additional factor. In the most recent reports provided by Dr Protulipac and Dr Hyde, there is reference to the applicant suffering from post-natal depression, a condition that developed after the birth of her first son in November 2008.[40] Dr Protulipac suggests that this event “solves the puzzle” of her mental illness; and that she did not disclose it at the time due to the stigma associated with mental illness.[41]

    [40] Supplementary T-documents, ST1, p. 298; ST1, p. 300.

    [41] Ibid ST1, p. 300.

  46. Should an originating cause be required, there are other potential candidates. One traumatic event occurred when the applicant was taken as the victim of an armed robbery in Macedonia, reported on by the medical professionals.[42] She was apparently held at gunpoint for 20 minutes. She recognised her assailant but was threatened with harm if she reported him.  She subsequently saw him around the city but felt powerless to do anything about it. This incident apparently occurred before 2006. 

    [42] T-documents, T16, 148.This incident is not referred to in his earlier report contained at T11, p. 123.

  1. Another possible cause occurred when her father died from asthma while she was caring for him.[43]

    [43] Ibid T16, p. 149.

  2. However, these earlier events, relevant though they may be to the origins of her fragile mental condition, do not assist the applicant. The information before the Tribunal is that the applicant was residing in Australia as a permanent resident only from 1 September 2010 to 24 November 2011; and then from 13 November 2015 to the present. If she experienced a CITW as a result of a severe impairment prior to 1 September 2010 (when she first came to Australia as a permanent resident), then she would not be eligible for DSP, by reason of s 94(1)(c)(i) and (e)(i) of the Act.

    CONSIDERATION

  3. The Tribunal must resolve the question as to when the applicant first satisfied the requirements of s 94(1)(c) and (e)(i) of the Act. The respondent accepts, based upon verifiable evidence from the government of Macedonia, that the applicant did have an ability to work 40 hours a week over the first months of 2014. Does the evidence support a finding that she lost the ability to work more than 15 hours per week after 31 May 2014 and before coming to Australia on 13 November 2015?

  4. The respondent asks the Tribunal to make such a finding, for essentially the following reasons:

    (a)the applicant suffered from a long standing and debilitating mental illness, associated with a variety of physical maladies;

    (b)her overall mental condition was at all times fragile and extremely labile, that is prone to extreme fluctuations;

    (c)there is medical evidence of deterioration prior to her final relocation to Australia;

    (d)the psychiatric evidence from the Australian doctors should be treated with caution; and

    (e)according to official records the applicant ceased working in her husband’s shop 31 May 2014, and evidence of informal employment thereafter should be given little weight.

  5. With respect to this last point, the respondent asks the Tribunal to infer that the absence of evidence of the applicant’s paid employment during the contested period points strongly to a conclusion that she had a CITW during this period.

  6. I am disinclined to accept this last point. There are a myriad of reasons why a person may choose to leave the workforce, especially if they have a young family and are planning to migrate to Australia. It is, in my opinion, not safe to infer from the fact (a fact not conceded by the applicant) that she left the workforce from 31 May 2014 and that she did so because she had a CITW. I think it would be unsafe to draw this conclusion in the applicant’s case, given the fluctuating nature of her mental health.

  7. It is important to note that many persons suffering from mental illness have an ability to work. The question as to whether a person has a CITW is not determined simply by finding that the person has a mental illness. Evidence of mental illness may be relevant to the question as to whether a person has a CITW, but it is not determinative. The more chronic the mental dysfunction flowing from an underlying psychiatric disorder, the more likely that a person will have a CITW.

  8. The applicant stated that she did continue working in the shop and was paid under the counter. She provided statements, made in March 2020, from a number of residents of Skopje, Macedonia, who say that knew her in her capacity as a retail assistant in the shop in the period leading up to her departure to Australia.

  9. I accept that these correspondents are desirous of assisting their compatriot in her attempt to secure a DSP in Australia. I am reluctant to dismiss their statements on the basis that they have all agreed to mislead the Tribunal by giving false evidence. But it is hard to place much weight on their recollection of events five years ago; especially when the important issue is whether the applicant was working in the shop after 31 May 2014, and before she came back to Australia in November 2015. It would be very easy to correctly recall that certain things happened four or five years ago, such as a babysitting arrangement, but be mistaken as to when exactly it occurred.

  10. The applicant contends, on the basis of reports provided by her Australian based psychologist and psychiatrist, that she was fully functional and capable of working more than 15 hours a week, prior to returning to Australia, and that her health deteriorated during the breakdown of her marriage in 2016 and 2017.

  11. There is no doubt that when the applicant’s marriage collapsed, she was placed in a very difficult position. She did not speak English, had limited resources, no employment record in Australia, two children to care for and no secure accommodation.

  12. As a matter of lay experience, it may be accepted that during a time of such stress, a person’s psychiatric health may deteriorate dramatically. This is a moment of great testing of mental resilience. If a person has a long-standing history of depression and generalised anxiety, along with other health conditions, it is not difficult to infer that any residual functionality may be rapidly depleted during such as time.

  13. But this does not say anything about this particular case or the initial conditions upon which those stress factors are acting.

  14. In reaching a conclusion in this case, I am not inclined to dismiss the opinions expressed in the 2019 reports by Dr Hyde and Dr Protulipac. I recognise the inherent weakness of the reports. They are based, in nearly all cases, on what doctors are told by the patient. However, the present case involves a series of complex and intermittent mental and physical maladies, and I am reluctant to dismiss their professional views as mere advocacy, rather than professional opinion.

  15. The respondent did not call medical evidence to dispute or contradict the medical reports provided by the applicant.

  16. I was asked to prefer and rely on the report of Dr Karagoceva as to the severity of the applicant’s psychiatric condition and the downward trend prior to the return to Australia. However, I note that she also reported that the applicant’s overall state of health had its own stages of good and longer remissions, with proper functioning in everyday life.[44]

    [44] Ibid T19, p. 167.

  17. In argument, the respondent conceded that this case is finely balanced. Given the nature of the applicant’s illness, with its ups and downs, and lengthy periods of remission, it is especially difficult to associate particular periods with the statutory criteria for DSP, which require an assessment of CITW at a particular time.

  18. There is little doubt that the applicant suffered generalised anxiety and depression for years, and this may have been exacerbated by the birth of her first child in 2008. But there had been periods of employment after that occurrence, including the most recent retail employment in the shop in Skopje, Macedonia. The respondent does not dispute that she worked in the shop until at least 31 May 2014.

  19. I find it highly plausible that the applicant’s last bastions of mental resilience collapsed after she returned to Australia when her marriage failed in 2017; and thereafter she submitted to the severe depression and generalised anxiety that had plagued her since at least 2008. Within this context her other physical disabilities may well have contributed to her mental breakdown.

  20. The case is indeed finely balanced, and perhaps should turn on who carries the onus of proof. In administrative proceedings such as this, there is no onus as such; and the question for the Tribunal is whether it is positively satisfied of the existence of facts which, if true, clearly indicate that the case should be decided in the applicant’s favour. This will coincide with the correct or preferable decision.

  21. I do not think the weight of evidence supports a finding that the applicant first experienced a CITW prior to travelling to Australia in November 2015. I think it more likely that, when she returned in November 2015, she was sufficiently healthy to engage in paid employment exceeding 15 hours per week, as she had done so until at least 31 May 2014, and lost that ability fairly rapidly after her arrival. It may have been that her marriage was already unravelling, that moving was itself a trigger. The fear of becoming a single mother would have pressed upon her. I think that until 2016, one cannot safely and accurately say that she had a CITW. It would have been a bold initiative to come to Australia in a non-functional state. There may have been good reasons for taking such a course, but I think it more likely that her mental health, although very poor, was not as bad or as debilitating as it subsequently became.

  22. This view accords with the professional opinions of Dr Protulipac and Dr Hyde. It is not inconsistent with the views of Dr Karagoceva. It is not incompatible with the applicant’s formal employment record in Macedonia.

  23. I find that she first satisfied the conditions of s 94(1)(c)(i) of the Act while a resident in Australia, and therefore, in view of the respondent’s acceptance that she satisfies the remaining eligibility criteria, she is qualified for payment of DSP.

    DECISION

  24. The reviewable decision is set aside, and in substitution, it is decided the applicant satisfies s 94(1) of the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth) and is qualified for DSP from the date of her application, being 28 May 2018.

I certify that the preceding 71 (seventy-one) paragraphs are a true copy of the reasons for the decision herein of Emeritus Professor P A Fairall, Senior Member

.................................[sgd].......................................

Associate

Dated: 30 June 2020

Date(s) of hearing: 18 June 2020
Applicant: In person
Solicitors for the Respondent: Services Australia

Areas of Law

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  • Statutory Interpretation

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  • Appeal

  • Judicial Review

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