Re the Governor of Western Australia: Ex Parte Keating

The parties involved in the matter of Re the Governor of Western Australia: Ex Parte Keating were the Governor of Western Australia and the applicant, Keating. The dispute revolved around the applicant's repeated attempts to commence proceedings against the Governor without any success. The case was heard in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, which was required to decide whether the applicant, who had been previously declared a vexatious litigant, should be granted leave to commence further proceedings against the Governor. The court was also required to determine whether the applicant's conduct constituted an abuse of process.

The court found that the applicant's repeated applications for leave to commence proceedings against the Governor had no prospects of success and were therefore vexatious. The court held that the applicant's conduct amounted to an abuse of process, as he had made repeated applications without any reasonable cause. The court noted that the applicant had failed to appear in court on multiple occasions, which further demonstrated the vexatious nature of his proceedings. The court held that the applicant's conduct was an abuse of the court's process and that any future applications by the applicant should not be listed for hearing without prior direction of a judge after consideration of the papers.

In light of the above, the court dismissed the applicant's application for leave to commence proceedings against the Governor. The court also gave directions that any future application by the applicant should not be listed for hearing without prior direction of a judge after consideration of the papers. This decision serves as a reminder that the court will not tolerate vexatious proceedings and will take steps to prevent abuse of its process.