Tang, K.T. v Minister for Immigration & Ethnic Affairs

Case

[1986] FCA 275

7 Apr 1986

No judgment structure available for this case.

IfJ THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTFALIA

)

VICTORIA DISTRICT REGISTRY

)

110. G292 of 1985

GENERAL DIVISION

OU APPEAL FROM A SINGLE JUDGE

OF THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

BFITWEEN:

KHOI TRI TANG (a lso known as

CHIT TZO TSENG) and CANDICE

HUI NHI CH0

Appellants

IW&N :

Respondent

CORAM

Evatt,'Davles, Pincus JJ.

DATED

4

July 1986

I

MINUTE OF ORDER

THE COURT ORDERS

THAT:

1. The appeal be allowed.

2 .

In lieu of the order of

Sheppard J of 20 December 1985 there

be substltuted an order that the decisions under review be j e t aslde and that the matter be remltted to the Respondent

for reconslderatlon In accordance with the

law.

-+ps=

CATCHWORDS

.

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW -

judicial review - application for

review of denial of permanent

resident

status

and

consequent deportation order - applicant married to an Australian citizen - temporary entry permit expired -

expectation

that

applicant

return

to

Taiwan

before

I

4

favourable

consideration of application for permanent

entry permit

- failure to consider merits of case

-

policy

inconsistent

with

-

legislative

intent

-

inconsistent with policy statement

of Minister

Administrative

Decisions

(Judicial

Review)

Act

1977

(Cth) - s.5

Misration Act 1958 (Cth) ss.6, 6A, 7, 13, 18

Australian Citizenship Act

1948 (Cth)

Commonwealth Electoral Act

1918 (Cth)

Public Service Reform Act

1984 (Cth)

E v Pbrt of London Authoritv. Ex parte Kvnoch Limited

C19193 1 RB 176

Schmidt v Secretary- of State, Home Affairs

t19693 2 Ch

149

British Oxvsen Company-

v Board of Trade C19713 AC 610

Saqnata Limited

v Norwich Corporation E19713 2 QB 614

Re Drake and Minister for Immisration and Ethnic Affairs

(No.2) (1979) 2 ALD 634

Leqal Sejrvices Commission

v Stephens (1981) 2 NSWLR 697

Kohn Ahsoo v Tuchin (unreported,

30 April 1986)

!

BETWEN : KHOI TRI TANG

i

(also known as CH1 TZO TSENG)

I .

and CANDICE

HUI NHI CH0

I

Appellants

t

AND

THE HONOURABLE

CHRISTOPHEX

JOHN

HURFORD.

MINISTER OF STATE FOR IMMIGRATION

AND

EI'HNIC AFFAIRS

Respondent

No.

V G . 2 9 2 of

1985

I-..

-

: .

. .

CORAM

Evatt,

Davies,

Pincus

JJ

.

.- -.

7,

. P;

4 July 1986

i

i

l

l

S c

-3

I

i

!

!

d.

The respondent pap the appellants' costs of the appeal and of

i

i

the proceedings below.

r .

NOTE :

Settlement and entry of orders 1s dealt w i t h in Order 36

of the Federal Court Rules.

I

1 t

t

I .

IIJ THE FEDERqL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

)

VICTORIA DISTPZIC,T REGISTRY

)

No. G292 of 1985

GENERAL DIVISIQN

ON APPEAL F R O M A SINGLE JUDGE

C)F THE FEDFFAL COURT OF -4USTRALIA

KHOI TRI TANG (also known

as

j

CH1 TZO TSENG) and CANDICE HUI

NHI CH0

!

Appellants

-m:

THE HONOURABLE CHRISTOPHER

i

JOHN

HURFORD,

MINISTFP

OF

l

STATE

FOR

IMMIGRATION

AND

I

AFFAIRS

ETHNIC

i

I

Respondent

CORW:

Evatt. Danes, Pincus JJ.

DATED:

4 July 1986

I

i

REASONS FOR JUM;MENT

I

I

EVATT J:

I agres that the appeal should be allowed with costs

for the reasons qlven by

Davies J. and agree wlth the proposed

I

orders set out therein.

!

I certify that this page is a true copy of the Reasons for Judgment herem of his

Honour Mr Justice Evatt

Assoclate

I

I

. __.

I .

!

i

.

.

\

IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF A U S m I A )

!

)

I

VICTORIA DISTRICT REGISTRY

)

No. VG.292 of 1985

1

GENERAL DIVISION

)

ON AF'PEAL

F R O M A SINGLE JUDGE

OF THE

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

!

BETWEEN

:

KHOI TRI TANG (also known

as CH1 TZO TSENG)

--id CANDICE HUI

NHI CH0

Appellants

AND

THE HONOURABLE CHRISTOPHER

JOHN HURFORD, MINISTER OF

STATE FOR IMMIGRATION AND

ETHNIC AFFAIRS

Respondent

REASONS €OR JUDGMENT

I

CORAM

matt, Davies, Pincus JJ

4 July 1986

DAVIES J : This is an appeal from a decision of a single Judge

of

this Court given on 20 December 1985 which dismissed an

h '

I

application

brought by the appellants

under

s.5 of the

Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 (Cth). The

I'

learned trial Judge described

the application as follows :

i

L

I ,

i

2. I

c

"This is

an application pursuant to

5.5

of the

Administrative

Decisions

(Judicial

Review)

Act

1977 ("the Judicial Review

Act") in which the

applicants

seek

the

review

of

a

number

of

decisions which have led to

a deportation order

being made against the first applicant, Mr. Tang.

Two

of the decisions were made on

11

November

1985. By

them

the

Minister,

by

one

of

his

delegates, determined that he would not grant to

Mr. Tang an entry permit pursuant to s.6A of the

Miqration Act

1958 ("the Act"), and, further, that

he would

order

the

deportation

of

Mr.

Tang

pursuant

to 5.18 of

the

Act.

The

remaining

i

decisions challenged were decisions made

by

the

Minister, again by

one of his delegates, to affirm

his decision made

on 11 November '1985 to refuse

the grant of

a permit pursuant to s.6A of the Act

and

to

affirm

his

decision

to

order

the

deportation of Mr. Tang.

"

The relevant facts which led to the decisions under review

were set out by his Honour thus

:

' I - . .

The February 1957. He entered Australia as a

applicant

was

born

in

Vietnam

on 23

visitor

on 30 March 1983

and was issued with a temporary

entry permit subject to

a condition, 'employment

prohibited without authorized officer'. The permit was valid

written

permission

of

an

for two

weeks from the date of his arrival. On

4

April

1983 Mr.

Tang

was

granted a further temporary

entry permit until

27 May 1983 for the purpose of

tourism.

No further entry permit was issued

to

him. Mr.

Tang did not leave Australia, and

he

became,

after

27 May 1983, a prohibited

non-citizen.

He has had this status for the last

2 1/2 years.

Officers

of

the

Department

of

Immigration discovered

Mr. Tang on 25 October 1985

at his place of employment in Melbourne.

He

was

arrested pursuant to the provisions of

5-38 of the

Act and held

at the Immigration Detention Centre,

Maribyrnong, Victoria.

He has been

in custody

ever since.

!

On 24 September 1985 Mr. Tang married the second

applicant,

Mrs.

Tang.

It

is

accepted

by

the

Minister that the marriage was genuine, not one

of

convenience and not entered into for the purpose

of avoiding Mr. Tang's deportation.

Mr. Tang's mother and father live in Melbourne.

They left Vietnam for Australia in

1979 and landed

I

at Derby, Western Australia, on 12 April of that

year. They came to Melbourne in May

1979 and have

remained there ever since. They arrived with two

3.

younger

children, now 15 and 13 years old

respectively. On

16 February 1982, the father,

mother

and

the

two

younger

children

became

naturalized Australian citizens.

Mr. Tang has an older brother who is

also believed

to be in Australia.

He is said to be living in

Sydney but his whereabouts are

unknown. There is

suspicion

a

that

he may

be

prohibited

a

non-citizen.

On 25 April 1984 Mrs. Tang senior suffered

a

stroke. She has continued to be disabled and to

suffer from ill health since that time. Mrs. Tang

is partially paralyzed and is dependent on others

to look after her.

Mr. Tang senior also suffers from ill health.

He

has

diabetes

and

has recently

developed

a

calcified lymph node on

his neck which requires

treatment. He has

been

told

that

it

may

be

cancerous

and

should

be investigated

by

an

operation.

I'

I

The second-named appellant is an Australian citizen whose

parents and brothers and sisters also reside in Australia.

!

Accordingly, the first-named appellant, Mr K.T.

Tang, is married

to an Australian citizen who, and whose family, lives in this

country. His own parents

and

two

of

his

siblings

live

in

Australia and are Australian citizens. Another brother may also

live

in

Australia

but,

if

so, is

probably a prohibited

non-citizen.

I -

Mr K.T.

Owen, a delegate of the respondent, made decisions

i

on 11 November 1985, refusing to grant resident status to Mr

K.T.

Tang pursuant to the provisions of

s s . 6 and 6A of the Misration

, .

!

&&

1958 (Cth) and ordering his deportation pursuant to s.18

of

the Misration Act

1958

(Cth). On

19 November

1985, Mr Owen

i

supplied the following reasons for

his decisions

:

"13. On the basis of his marriage

to an Australian

I

citizen

the

applicant

was

eligible

for

4.

consideration for the grant of a resident status

under the provisions of Section 6A(l)(b) of the

Act.

14. An opinion was sought from Resident Status Sub-section, who advised that the Migration Act

and

migration

policy

provide

eligibility

for

consideration of the grant

of permanent resident

status for foreign

nationals who have married an

Australian resident but that

eligibility to apply

does not

residence. In taking into account the interests

of the Australian spouse and the resident family

the opinion was given that the history of the

carry

an

automatic

entitlement

to

!

applicant's

dealings

with

the

Department

and

events leading to his status support refusal of

his application.

15. In forming the opinion on the application for

resident

status

the

Resident

Status

section

considered the case in light

of the current policy

announced by the Minister in October

1985. It was

accepted

that

the

applicant

had

married

an

Australian citizen on 24 September

1985 and noted

that a defacto

relationship

had

existed

for

approximately six months prior to the marriage. application for change of status to permanent

resident for over

2

years, despite being fully

aware of

his prohibited non citizen status. In

relation to his parents health problems it

was

felt that the presence

of an older married brother

in Australia would provide the necessary support.

It was recommended that the application be refused

and the a-pplicant be required to leave Australia

and be sponsored for migrant entry through normal

family migration channels.

16. In

considering

his

claims

the

following

factors were taken into account

:

the applicant's marriage to an Australian

citizen

on

24 September 1985 was

not

contested but it was entered into when the

applicant was illegally in Australia and it

L

'

was

not

followed

by

an application

for

change of status until

31 October 1985 after

the applicant's apprehension

as a

prohibited

non-citizen at his place of employment on 25

October 1985.

applicant

the

prohibited

became

a

non-citizen on the expiry of his temporary

entry permit on

27 May 1983 and has breached

I

the conditions of his entry by remaining in

Australia and engaging in employment without

permission.

L

i

i

5.

the illness of his parents

has

occurred

since the applicant’s arrival in Australia

but after the expiration of

his

temporary

entry permit.

I considered that it was not

I

a mitigating circumstance in respect of the

applicant’s

prohibited

non-citizen

status

over two years.

I further considered that

the

presence

of

other

immediate

family

members legally in Australia would provide the support necessary for his mother.

while

deportation

of

the

applicant

will

temporarily disrupt

his

relationship with

his wife and his family it is possible for

him

to

be

sponsored

as

spouse.

a

I

considered that a temporary separation and

the costs arising from return

home-to apply

for migration in the normal manner were not

mitigating

circumstances

to

be accorded

significant weight.

17. After weighing these factors carefully in

light

of

the

Ministers

policy

statement

in

October, I decided to refuse the application for grant of permanent resident status.

18. In addition, I

formed the opinion that it is

in the public interest to ensure that persons

abide by normal migration selection processes and

I .

do not

queue-jump

by

entering

or

remaining

illegally

in

Australia

to

the

prejudice

of

prospective migrants who abide by the procedures.

The presence of such queue-jumpers is inimical to

Government control of immigration programs

as well

as

impacting

upon

job

availability

for legal

residents. I considered

that

prohibited

non-

citizens should expect to face the prospect of

deportation when located unless there are strong

countervailing reasons to allow them to remain.

I

considered that the applicants reasons

for wishing

to

remain

in

compelling to warrant departure from the policy on

deportation of prohibited non-citizens, and I

accordingly decided to deport the applicant from

Australia

are

insufficiently

Australia.

‘l

Those decisions were subsequently affirmed by a delegate of the

Minister but there were

no

separate reasons given for the

affirmation and the matter proceeded before the learned trial review was to be determined by reference to the reasons given by

Mr Owen.

i

. .

6 .

?

Sections 6 ( 2 ) , (3) and ( 6 ) of the Misration Act 1958

(Cth)

provide :

" 6 . ( 2 ) An

officer may, in accordance with this

section and at the request or with the consent of

a non-citizen, grant to the non-citizen

an entry

i

permit.

( 3 ) An entry permit shall be in a

form approved

by the Minister and shall be expressed to permit

.

Australia or to remain in Australia or both.

the

person

to

whom

it

is

granted

to

enter

-

.....

!

(6) An entry permit that is intended to operate

as a temporary entry

*errnit shall be expressed to

authorize the person to whom it relates to remain

in Australia for a specified period only, and such

a permit may be granted subject to conditions."

:

Section 7(3) provides :

" 7 . ( 3 ) Upon the expiration or cancellation

of

a

temporary entry permit, the person

who

was the

holder of the permit becomes a prohibited non-

I

citizen unless a

further entry permit applicable

to him comes into force upon that expiration or

cancellation."

Section 18 provides :

"18. The Minister may order the deportation of

a

person who is

a prohibited non-citizen under any

provision of this Act."

Mr K.T.

Tang entered Australia pursuant to a temporary

entry permit. On the expiration of that temporary entry permit

he became a prohibited

non-citizen.

He was a prohibited

non-citizen when he was located by officers of the Department of

Immigration and Ethnic Affairs on

25 October 1985.

Therefore,

the Minister was authorised to consider his deportation pursuant

to s.18.

Once he had been located, Mr Tang applied for a

temporary

7.

entry permit and for permanent residence, that

in to say, for an

entry permit not limited in time.

The latter application brought

into operation the provisions of s.6A of the Misration Act 1958

(Cth) which read, inter

alia,

"6A.(1) An entry permit shall not be granted to a

non-citizen after his entry into Australia unless

!

more fulfilled in respect of

of

the

following

conditions

is

one

or

him, that is to say

-

(a)

he has been granted, by instrument under the hand of a Minister, territorial asylum in Australia;

,o)

he is the spouse, child or aged parent of an

Australian citizen or of the holder of

an

. entry permit;

l

(c)

he is the holder of a temporary entry permit

which is in force and the Minister

has

determined, by instrument

in writing, that

he has the status

of refugee within the

meamning of

the Convention relating to the

Status of Refugees that was done at Geneva on 28 July 1951 or of the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees that was done at

New York on

31 January 1967;

(d) he

is the holder of a temporary entry permit

which is in

force, is authorized to work in

Australia

not

and

is

a

prescribed

non-citizen;

or

(e) he

which is in force and there are strong

compassionate or humanitarian grounds for

is the holder of a temporary entry permit

the grant of

an entry permit to

him.

.....

(8) In this section,

a

reference to an

entry

permit shall be read as a reference to an entry permit other than a temporary entry permit."

Much of the evidence placed before the learned trial Judge

5

4

and

many

of

the

submissions

put

to

him

concentrated

attention

4 upon the ill-health of the parents of Mr Tang, particularly that

I

of his mother, and

of

circumstances pertaining to Mr Tang and his

I

8 .

I

1 ,

parents and siblings who are in Australia. In a lengthy and

i

careful judqme$t, the learned trial

Judge dealt with all these

I

\

matters and fo4nd no

error in the decision-making process or in

! I

the reasons

f 02'

decision.

I agree with the learned trial Judge that reliance by the

appellants upon-. what were said to be "strong compassionate or

humanitarian grounds" within the meaning of paragraph 6A(l)(e)

was misplaced and this

for two reasons. In the first place, that

L ,

ground does not come into operation unless the applicant for the

permit is the holder of

a valid temporary entry permit, which

MY

Tang was

not..

It is not sufficient that an applicant can

demonstrate that there are strong compassionate or humanitarian

grounds for his being granted an entry permit unlimited in time.

!

Parliament has added

an additional criterion, namely, that the

applicant for the permit

be the holder

of a temporary entry

permit which is

in

force.

Therefore,

proof

of

strong

compassionate or humanitarian grounds is not of itself sufficient

for the application of paragraph (e).

?

It is not necessary

for me in this case to examine the

circumstances in which it may

be proper for the Minister to grant

a temporary entry permit with a view to permitting consideration

of compassionate or humanitarian grounds. That matter may be

left for a case in which it is of importance. It is sufficient

for me to emphasise that proof of those grounds does not bring

paragraph (e) into operation or require the grant

of a temporary

entry permit so

as to satisfy one of the criteria of paragraph

(e).

c--- -

9.

The other reason why reliance upon paragraph

(e)

was

l

! '

misplaced was that Mr Tang satisfied the provisions of paragraph

I

(b) by reason of being the spouse of an Australian citizen. Therefore, it was unnecessary for Mr Tang to establish strong

compassionate br

humanitarian

grounds.

Having

satisfied

the

criteria

of

paragraph

(b),

he was.

entitled

to

have

his

application for permanent residence determined on its merits

whether or not such grounds existed.

Nevertheless, there is one aspect of the matter on which

I

take a view dif€.erent

from that taken

by his Honour and, in this

respect, it is

my

opinion that the decision-makers fell into

error.

! :

!

The reasons given by Mr Owen, set out above, refer to

a

policy that -

'I...

persons abide by normal migration selection

processes and

do not queue-jump by entering or

remaining illegally in Australia to the prejudice

!

of prospective

migrants

who

abide

by

the

procedures.

"

Mr Owen said,

"I considered that prohibited non-citizens should

expect to face the prospect of deportation when

i

?

located

strong

countervailing

unless

are

there

reasons to allow them to remain."

:

i

3

The learned trial Judge took the view that there

was

nothing

!

unlawful about such a policy and said

:

I

'I...

In the absence

of any provision in the statute

to the contrary, it seems to me to be perfectly

proper for the Minister to take into account and,

if he

deems

it

appropriate,

to

put

to

the

forefront of his decision, considerations such as

are mentioned in para.18 of the reasons of

19

November 1985.

. . .

" .

10.

The result of the application of this policy was that

the/

decision-makers anticipated that Mr Tang would return to Taiwan!

II

and there make application

for

entry to Australia. Mr Owen:

I

II

appears to have taken the view that, on such application being/[

I

made, Mr

Tang would be granted

a permanent entry permit

and,

indeed, that that would be granted to him with expedition. Mr

Owen said, in paragraph

16,

-

"16. ... I

considered that a temporary separation

and the costs arising from return home to apply

for migration in the

normal

manner

were

not

mitigating circumstances accorded be to significant weight."

In my opinion,

such a result

and, indeed, the policy or

practice that led to

it,

is inconsistent with the legislative

policy enunciated in s.6A of the Misration Act

1958 (Cth).

The

various paragraphs in s.6A specifically distinguish between those

cases in which the application for the entry permit ought not

to

be considered unless the applicant is the holder of

a temporary

entry permit, and therefore legally in Australia, and those cases

in which the application for an entry permit ought

to

be

considered notwithstanding that the applicant is

a

prohibited

non-citizen. Paragraph

(b)

makes it plain that an entry permit

may be granted to a person who is the spouse of

an

Australian

citizen, notwithstanding that that person is not the holder

of a

temporary entry permit. Paragraphs

(c),

(d) and (e), on the

other hand, stipulate that the applicant

for residency must hold

a temporary entry permit. By providing that

an entry permit nay

be granted to a person who

is

the spouse

of

an

Australian

citizen, notwithstanding that he is not the holder of a permanent

entry permit, ss.6 and

6A

of the Miqration Act 1958 (Cth)

6.

necessarily imply that such a person may make application for

an

entry permit and that that application, once made, should be

considered on its merits.

I

I .

The policy or practice, which was applied in the present

case, of insisting that Mr Tang, the spouse of

an

Australian

citizen, should leave Australia, return to Taiwan and make

his

r

application from that country was, therefore, in

my

opinion,

inconsistent with the intent and operation of ss.6 and

6A of the

Miqration Act

1958

(Leh). Mr Tang satisfied the criteria for

making application for the grant for permanent residence and his

application ought to have been considered on its merits. It is

!

plain from the reasons given by Mr Owen that it was not

SO

considered.

F

!

The decisions were therefore in error and should be set

aside and the matter remitted

for re-consideration.

I do not suggest that, in such re-consideration, Mr Tang's

I

conduct in Australia will not

be a relevant factor to take into

account.

I agree with the observation

of the learned trial Judge

!

l

that the fact

Mr Tang is an illegal immigrant is of importance

and a matter which the Minister may properly take into account

in

dealing with Mr Tang's application. In my opinion, however,

s.6A

i

intends that a person in Mr Tang's situation will be entitled to

, _

make

application

for

permanent

residence

and

to

have

that

application considered on its merits notwithstanding that

he is a

prohibited non-citizen. His conduct in Australia and his failure

to abide by Australia's migration laws are simply matters which

v k

2 ought to be taken into account In that re-consideration.

c

I would add that, although this matter has not affected my

decision, the policy adumbrated by Mr Owen appears to me to be

1 inconsistent with the “Policy on Illegal Immigrants” tabled in the House of Representatives by the Minister for Immigration and

r

Ethnic Affairs in October

1985.

In that policy statement, there

I

appears the following section under the heading

“Marriage” :

“The Migration Act and migration policy provide

i

eligibility concessions for foreign nationals who

have married

an Australian citizen or permanent

resident or who have

an Australian citizen child.

But e-ligibility to

applv for residence does not

carry an automatic entitlement to residence. In

such circumstances, the interests of the resident

fami.ly or child

are taken into account and are

weighed, alons with other factors, in the eventual

decision.

Marriage to an Australian

or the existence of

an

Australian citizen

child do not

confer upon

I

illegal

immigrants

the

right

to

choose

their

country of residence.

Each case will be treated

on its own merits.

Similar considerations apply in respect

of defacto

relationships.

That section states expressly that, where there

is a marriage to

an Australian citizen or permanent resident, the case will be

treated on its

own merits.

It was submitted by Mr Santamaria that the section must be

read with the remainder of the policy statement and therefore is

subject to the general provisions earlier stated

:

“People who wish to remain in Australia should do

so

through the normal migration procedures and

selection process overseas.

.....

People who are in Australia

illegally,

whether

they entered without authorlty

or they overstayed

r

13.

their entry permits, will not readily be given

permanent

residence

while

they

remain

in

Australia.

‘I

I

do not read the policy statement

as

incorporating these

provisions into the consideration of the position of a person

who

is married to

an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

Indeed, to the contrary, the section appearing under the heading

“Marriage“ refers

to the fact that the Act and the policy provide

for

such a person’s concessional

eligibility

to

apply

for

residence.

It therefore appears to me that the policy applied by the

decision-makers in this case was not the policy enunciated by the

Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs and tabled in the

I

House in October 1985.

If I were wrong in this view, however,

and if the policy

as

tabled should be

read as placing persons

married to Australian citizens

or permanent residents in the same

position as all others, then that policy would be inconsistent

with the provisions of

ss.6 and 6A which, as I have said, require

a distinction to be drawn.

For these reasons,

I would allow the appeal with costs and

I would substitute in lieu of the order made by the learned trial

Judge an order that the decisions under review be set aside and

that

the

matter

be remitted

to

the

respondent

for

re-

consideration in accordance with law and an order that the respondent pay the costs of the appeal and of the proceedings below.

I certify that this and the

12

preceding pages ore a true copy of the

reasons for ludgment herein of The Honour-

able Mr. Justice

5, 0 . k v i e s

I

I .,

IN THE TDEFAL COTrPT OF kW?TF?FLIk

)

17G 292 of 1985

!

VICTOPIAN DISTRICT REGISTRY

1

G E I W A L

DIVISION

)

t

ON APPEAL

F R O M THE

~

~~~

~

~~~~~

HONOURABLE MR.

JrJSTICE SHEPPARD OF

THE FEDERAL COURT OF

ATJS'I'RALIA

BETKEEN:

KHOI TRI TANG (Also known as CH1

TZO TSENG)

and CANDICE MJI W 1 CH0

Appellants

i

AND: THE HONOTJRABLE CMISTOPHER JOHN WRFORD,

MINISTER OF STATE FOR IMMIGRATION AND ETHNIC

!

- AFFAIRS

Respondent

FEASONS FOR JUDGMENT

This is an appeal from a decision of

a single judge of

this

Court

In

which

an application

under

s .5

of the

Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977, (A.D.J.R. A c t ) to review certain decisions was dismissed. The subjects of

the application were decisions made by the Minister. through his

i

1 !

I

.

deleqate:

firstly, that th& first-named applicant not be qranted

an entry permit under s.6A of the

Micrration Act 1958: secondly,

L

l

that a deportation order be issued auainst him under 5.18 of the

t

. *

2.

Act: and a subsequent affirmation of these decisions.

There are two appellants:

Mr. Tang who is the subject

of the deportation order. and his wife.

I will, for the sake of

convenience. refer

to

the first-named appellant as simply "the

appellant".

The appellant was born in Vietnam in 1957. and was

I

forced to flee

to Taiwan in 1975.

His parents remained

in

Ilietnam.

In 1979, the parents and a younger brother and sister

left Vietnam and became "boatpeople" and arrived

in Australia as

refuqees.

They were permitted to reside in Australia and became

Australian citizens on the 16 February 1982. Another brother and sister of the appellant remained in Taiwan.

The appellant entered Australia

on 30 March 1983 as

the

holder of

a visitor's visa and was granted

a temporary entry

permit which was valid

€or two weeks and was subject to the

:

condition "employment prohibited without written permission of

an

authorised officer". On 4 April 1983. the appellant was granted

t

I >

a further temporary entry permlt until the 27 May 1983. Since

!

the expiration of this permit, the appellant

has not obtained any

further permit.

After he came to

Australia, the appellant made contact

with his parents and younqer brother and sister. who now reside

in Melbourne. Durinu 1983,

his mother was hospitalised

€or heart

I

I ,

3 .

disease and in 1984

she suffered a stroke

as a result of which

she

remains

partially

paralysed;

she

is

described

as

being

dependent on others to look

after her.

The father suffers

from

diabetes and is also

being treated for a large growth below his

i

,.

right jaw which is suspected of being cancerous.

The applicant's

I

younger siblinqs, who were born in 1970 and 1972 respectively, are both school children and reside with the parents. There is

also an older brother who is believed to live in Sydney, but with

whom the faFi1.y are not in contact.

I

.

The appellant was married to his wife, Candice,

on the

!

24 September '1985 after some months' cohabitation.

They had been

close friends in Vietnam, and Candice left Vietnam in

1978 as a

boatperson.

She

came

to

Australia

in 1980 and

became an

Australian citizen on

4 Map 1984.

The sequence

of

events

leading

to

the

decisions

challenged is

as follows. On the

18 October

1985. a policy

(discussed below) concerninq illegal immigrants was tabled in

I

Parliament. The appellant was arrested as a prohibited

c

non-citizen on the 25 October 1985 at the "Shark Fin Inn". where

he had been working part-time for six months, and

was then held

in custody. On the

31

October 1985 an application was made for

I

resident status to the Department of Immigration and Ethnic

Affairs. On

8 November. there was a recommendation by an officer

of the department against the grant of

an

entry permit to the

appellant and in favour of his deportation. On

11

November.

i

!

I

!

4 .

these recommendations

were adopted, an entry permit was refused

i

and a deportation order signed by a delegate of the Minister.

On

that same day, a stay

of the deportation order was granted in

this Court. On

19 November, a statement

of reasons was provided

to the appellant in response to a request made under s.13 of the

A.D.J.R.

Act.

Also

on that

day,

the

application

under

the

l

same Act was made to

this Court. On the 22 November, there was a

directions hearing in which observations were made concerning the

state of the material: it appears that these observations led to

a reconsideration of the delegate's decision.

On 25 November,

.'

I ,

S

.

the appellant was interviewed

by a departmental officer while in

i

!

custody. On

-the same

day, there was a telephone conversation

between an officer

of

the

department

and

the

appellants'

solicitor in which the solicitor was informed that the interview

had taken place and was asked whether any further submissions

would be made. The solicitor said that there would probably be

no further submissions until the hearing. The matter was then

reconsidered by the department, and

on 27 November. the original

decisions were confirmed. Northrop J. granted a further stay on

28 November 1985 and the substantive hearins took place on

11 and

12 December before Sheppard S.

Judgment was handed down on

20

December 1985 and in his reasons. Sheppard

J. extended the stay

to 10

January 1986;

the department has since agreed that the

appellant will not be deported pending this appeal.

The appellant based his application for an entry permit

on two qrounds: firstly, that

he was married to an

Australian

I

i

S.

!

!

citizen. and secondly, the medical condition

of his parents and

I .

his concern for the welfare of his younger brother and sister.

:

I

The Miaration Act,, s.6(2), provides for the issue

of an

entry permit to

a non-citizen and under

s.6(5). such a permit may

be granted to a non-citizen “subject

t o s.6A after he has entered

Australia

. . . “ .

i

Section 6A(1), so far as is relevant. provides:

“An

entry

permit

shall

not

be

granted

to

a

non-citizen after his

entry into Australia unless

one. or

more

of

the

following

conditions

is

fulfilled in respect

of him, that is to say

-

(a)

he has been granted, by instrument Gnder the

hand of

a

Minister. territorial asylum in

Australia:

(b) he is the spouse, child or aged parent of

an

Australian citizen or of the holder of an entry permit;

...

( e ) he is the holder of

A temporary entry permit

which

is

in

force

and

there

are

strong

compassionate or humanitarian grounds for

the

grant of an entry permit to

him.

It is immediately clear that par.(e) cannot assist

the

appellant since he was not. at the relevant time, a holder of

a

i

I

temporary entry permit:

as mentioned above,

he has not held such

a permit since 27 May 1983.

The only

immediately

relevant

I

provision of s.6A(1), then, is par.(b). Since Candice became

an

Australian citizen and married the appellant before the question

!

l .

6 .

, .

o€ granting an entry permit to the appellant most recently arose,

par.[b) operates to exclude the appellant from the prohibition

i

l

imposed by s.6A(1).

It should be noted that the appellant does

not fall within (b) on the ground of being the child of an Australian citizen: that is so because "child" is so defined in

s.6A(4)

as

to exclude the appellant.' However. that exclusion

does not appear to be of any relevance. It was enouqh that

the

I ,

appellant qualify for grant of an entry permit under par.(b), as

he did: there was no need

for him to qualify twice. Further,

the special definition

of "child" for the purposes of s.6A

does

not have the effect that the appellant is deemed not to have been

a child for any

purpose of the Act; in particular, his being

a

child of Australian citizens was relevant to the exercise

of the

discretion whether

or not to

urant him an entry permit.

The appellant's

case

relates,

firstly,

the

to

implementation

of

policy

in

the

making

of

the

decisions:

i

questions are raised as

to lawfulness and the way

in which policy

was applied. The second claim is that there was a denial of

natural justice.

I

The application of two policies was debated, but

I find

,

it necessary to deal only with one, namely a ministerial policy

on illegal immigrants which

was

tabled in Parliament

on

18

October 1985. one week before the arrest of the appellant.

The

following paragraphs appear in the introduction and form what is

known as

the "queue-jumping policy"

:

I .

7.

"FQr many years the competition

for

migration

to

Australia has been

~ e r v

stronu.

Most people are

prepared to wait overseas and go through the normal selection processes including health and character checks. Unfortunately some people are not prepared

to do this.

They

are

not

entitled

to

abuse

Australia's immiuration policy and laws

at

the

expense of those waitinu overseas or at the expense

of unemployed Australian residents.

It is not open to people from-anywhere

in the world

to decide, of their

own

volition, that they will

live permanently in Australia.

If, in attempting

i

to do so,

they break Australia's laws, they must

expect to face the

consequences.

including

prosecution

and

removal

from

Australia,

by

t

!

deportation if necessary.

...

j

'Overstayed visitors', whatever their reasons. are

unlawfully in Australia. Their status of illegal

immigrants or 'prohibited non-citizens' is of their

own making and it must be recognised

as such.

It is an accepted principle of justice and fairness

that people should

not derive benefit from

an

illegal act immigration is no exception. Illeual immigrants

they

have

committed.

Illegal

'

i

f

simply by having succeeded in entering or remaining

in

Australia do not

earn a riuht

to

special

privilege under migration policy, nor does their

act of being in Australia

illegally

earn

them

special rights of review which are not available to

those who abide

by the rules and wait overseas."

I '

i

The policy

goes on to consider applications that are made to

remain in Australia and Bays:

"The Miqration Act severely limits the circumstances

r

under

which

people

illegally

in

Australia

can

change

their

immigration

status

to

permanent

resident.

These

limited

provisions

are

not

an

invitation for people

to

enter

Australia

as

visitors. then seek permanent residence when they

should

have applied and qualified overseas for

entry as migrants In the usual way.

If a

person illeually

in

Australia

makes

an

application to

remain in Australia,

it

will be

accepted

and processed

specifically

the

on

i

!

!

I

8.

I

t

understanding th+ the policies outlined in this

i '

paper wlll be apqlied ...

If detention is 'iustified, the applicant will not

r

be released simplk because an application has been

Australia.

considerations rezating to custody are to apply.

People who are in Australia illegally, whether they

The

normal

made

to

remain1

in

entered without authority

or they overstayed their

entry permits, will not readily be given permanent

residence while they remain in Australia.

-

Their breaches of immigration law and requirements

will weigh heavily against them

..."

The

policy then lists circumstances which will weigh heavily

against the applicant

if they exist. These include "that the

applicant entered Australia unlawfully: the applicant. although entering Australia lawfully, violated conditions of entry, such

as working without permission: the period

of illegal residence

by

I -

the applicant." The policy continues:

I

"Changed circumstances advanced in support

of

an

application to remain (e.g. development of ties in expiry of an entry permit, normally will be aiven little weight.

l

A temporary separation and the costs arising from return home to apply for migration in the normal manner will not normally be reuarded as mitigating circumstances accorded significant weight.

In the case of applications to remain made after

apprehension, it will be rare indeed that

illegal

immigrants will be granted permission

to remain in

Australia.

"

rJnder the heading "Marriage",

the policy states:

.

9.

"The Micrration

Act

and migration policy provide

eligibility concessions for foreign nationals who

have married an Australian citizen or permanent

resident or who have an Australian citizen child.

But eliuibility to

awl?

for residence does not

carry an automatic entitlement to residence.

In

such circumstances. the interests of the resident family or child are taken into account and are weighed, along with other factors, in the eventual

decision.

Marriaqe to an Australian or

the existence of an

Australian citizen child

do not confer upon illegal

immigrants the

right to choose their country

of

residence.

Each

case will be treated on its

own

merits.

iThe words underlined are

so emphasised in the statement.)

It is clear from

the statement

of reasons referred to

t

above that the deleqate gave the policy considerable weight.

In

paragraph 15 of the reasons given on the 19 November 1985. it

was

said:

"In

forminq the opinion on the application

for

resiQent

status

the

resident

status

section

consi'dered the case in light

of the current policy

l

announced by the Minister in October 1985."

i

The factors that the reasons list

as

having been taken into

account are clearly referable to statements in the policy. These

include the applicant's marriaqe having been entered into when

the applicant was illegally in Australia: that an application

for

change of status was not submitted until the 31 October 1985.

? -

after the applicant's apprehension

as a prohibited non-citizen on

the 25 October 1985: the fact that the illness of

his

parents

l

.

10.

occurred since the applicant's arrival in Australia but after the

expiration of his temporary entry permit:

and, most importantly,

%he observation that a temporary separation and the costs arising

from return home to apply for migration in the normal manner were

not mitigating circumstances to be accorded significant weight.

Paragraph 17 states:

i

"After weighing these factors carefully in light of

the

Minister's

policy

statement

in

October,

I

decided to refuse the application for

grar.;

of

permanent resident status."

a

The final parauraph says:

"In addition. I formed the opinion

that it is in the

public interest

to ensure that persons abide by

normal migration selection processes and do not

queue-jump by entering

or

remaining illegally in

Australia to the prejudice of prospective migrants who abide by the procedures. The presence of such queue-jumpers is inimical to Government control of

immigration programs as well as impacting upon

job

availability

for

legal

residents.

I considered

that prohibited non-citizen5 should expect to face

i. the prospect of deportation when located unless there are strong countervailing reasons to allow

E

them to remain.

I considered that the applicant's

reasons for wishing to remain in Australia are

insufficiently compelling to warrant departure

from

policy

the

deportation

on

prohibited

of

non-citizens, and I

accordingly decided to

deport

the applicant from Australia."

The appellants argue that the policy is unlawful, that

it led to an exercise of discretionary power

at the direction or

behest of another person, that the policy was applied inflexibly

without a consideration of the merits of the case. and that it

I

.

11.

\ -

involved the taking into account of irrelevant considerations and

the exclusion of relevant considerations.

Mr. Dwyer Q.C. for the appellants argues that the policy

is unlawful because it is inconsistent

with

the Act

and in

particular with s.6A(l)(b).

He arques that this paragraph sets

aside marriaqe as

a specific and therefore important ground under

which persons in Australia without temporary entry permits may

be

qranted an entry permit and that. Ynerefore, it is inconsistent

to apply the queue-jumping policy to persons applying under this

sectlon. Mr.

Dwyer concedes that this argument is pertinent only

I f

the

view 'is

taken that the whole of the policy is to be

applied to cases under s.6A(l)(b).

The

other reading is that

only what appears in the policy under the heading "Marriage" is

to

be applied to cases under s.6A(l)(b); if

so,

Mr.

Dwyer

submits, the policy was applied wrongly because not only what

appears under that heading, but also the queue-jumping policy and

related aspects, were applied.

It is now well established that where

a

statutory

discretion exists, and where the statute itself does not specify

the

way

in

which

the

discretion

is to

be

exercised,

the

decision-maker is entitled to formulate a policy in relation to

of Authoritv, Ex Partn Kvnoch Limited (1919)

that

discretion.

-

R

v.

Port

of

London

the

exercise

1 K.B. 176; Schmidt V.

Secretary

of

State,

Home

Affairs

(1969) 2 Ch. 149;

British

Oxvqen Company v. Board

of Trade (1971) A . C .

610; Saqnata Limited

12.

v. Norwich Corporakion (1971) 2 Q.B.

614; Re Drake No. 2 2 A.L.D.

634:

Leqal Services Commission v. Stephens (1981)

2

N.S.W.L.R.

i

697.

In Re Drake (above). Brennan

J. set out the limits upon

the formulation and application of

a policy:

'I...

a policy must be consistent with the statute. It must allow the Minister to take into account the

relevhlit circumstances. it must not require

him to

take into account irrelevant circumstances. and it

must not serve a purpose foreign to the purpose

for

I

which the policy which contravenes these criteria would be

discretionary

power

was

created.

A

inconsistent with the statute

...

Also, it would

i -

be inconsistent with ss.12 and

13 of the Miqration

I

t

-

Act if the Minister's policy sought to preclude

consideration of relevant arguments

running counter

to an adopted policy which might be reasonably

advanced in particular cases

...

His discretion

cannot be so truncated by a policy as to preclude consideration of the merits of Specified classes of

cases.

A fetter of that

kind

would

be

objectionable. even though it were adopted by the

Minister on his

own initiative ...

That is not to deny the lawfulness

of adopting an

appropriate

policy

which

guides

but

does

not

control? the makinu of decisions, a policy which is informartive of the standards and values which the Minister usually applies. There is a distinction

between an unlawful policy which creates a

fetter

z

purporting

to

limit

the

range

of

discretion

I

conferred by a statute and

a lawful policy which

i

leaves

the quidinq the exercise of the power."

range

of

discretion

in

tact

while

!

I

The distinction between guiding the making of decisions,

on the

I

i

one hand, and controlling them, on the other, is one of

degree

I .

and not of kind. The ultimate question is whether there

has been

"an exercise of a

discretionary power in accordance with a rule

, .

i

\

!

i

i

. ,

!

13.   l

. I

i

I

/ '

or policy without regard to the merits

of

the particular case"

i

( s . 5 ( 2 . ) ( f ) of the Judicial Review Act.

I

!

i

2

!

L

The

discretion in

question

here

conferred

is

by

s . 6

12)

r

:

I

"

of the Miqration Act, under which

a non-citizen may be granted

an

I

entry permit.

The Act gives no express indication

as to how the

discretion is to be exercised: it does not specify considerations

to be taken into account nor say what will be strong reasons

for

granting an entry

permit.

An important

question

raised

is

whether the policy statement lawfully fills the qap.

Before saying more about that, however, it is necessary

to deal with

the argument that only the paragraphs in the policy

with respect to

marriage should be

applied to applicants under

s.6A(l)(b), because these paragraphs appear under the separate

heading "Marriage". That contention has been accepted by my

brother Davies, whose reasons

I

have read, but

I cannot, with

respect, concur. There is

a paragraph on p.8 of the policy

which

reads

:

"The Miuration Act severely limits the circumstances

under

which

people

illegally

in

Australia

can

change

their

immigration

status

to

permanent

resident.

It then uoes on to talk about "These limited provisions

.

. ."

Because

it

deals

with

people

illegally

in

Australia.

this

paragraph could only be referring to applicants under s.6A(l)(a)

.

t

14.

% .

and (b) and there is nothinu to suogest that it contemplates only

the former. That

is.

the passage just mentioned suggests that

the part of the policy not under the heading "Marriage" is

intended to be applied to applicants relying

on s.6A(l)(b) and

the part of the policy under the heading "Marriage" does not

.

purport to deal exhaustively with those

in that category. As

against that. the "Marriage" section is

so framed as to convey

the notion that marriage to

an

Australian citizen gives some

expectation

of

favourable

consideration

even

to

illegal

immigrants, whereas the general part of the policy says illegal

immigrants "will not readily be given permanent residence while

they remain in Australia" and makes other remarks to similar

effect.

In trying to understand the policy

so far as it relates

to this case, the sentence "Each case will be treated on its

own

merits".

immediately

following

reference

to

marriage

of

an

:

illegal immigrant to

an Australian. might be thought to create

a

difficulty. The sentence just quoted, read in isolation, may be argued to mean that applications from illegal immigrants who

are

married to Australians will be considered

in the light of

the

individual circumstances of each applicant rather than.

as

one

i

would

gather

from

the

general

part

of

the

policy,

being

practically doomed at the outset. Treatment of the appellant's

case "on its own merits" without a strong predeliction to deport

him as an illegal immigrant could hardly have led to the

decisions being attacked.

The

better view appears to be that the reference to

i

15.

treatinu cases

of

marriaue to

an

Australian on their merits

should, construinq the document

as

a

whole.

be

read

down,

treatinu the other relevant parts of the policy

as dominant.

I

think it unlikely that the draftsman of the policy intended that

the strictures mentioned elsewhere in the policy should not apply

to those cases dealt with under "Marriage".

It follows that.

in my view, the delegate applied the

policy correctly

in this respect. That is. the delegate was

right in thinking that,

for example, the appellant was caught by

the statement in the policy:

"In the case of applications to remain made

after

apprehe,nsion. it will be rare indeed that illeual

immigrants will be granted permission to remain in

Australia."

However, even if the delegate had misread the policy

in this

respect (as he

did not, in

my view) that would not in itself

vitiate his decision. Misapplication of a policy setting out the

way in which discretions under

a statute are to be exercised

is

not necessarily a breach of the statute: to act inconsistently

with a policy having no statutory force is not necessarily such

an error as is spoken of

in 9.5 of the Judicial Review Act.

The question whether the policy is inconsistent with the

b

Act. insofar

as it has been applied

to

the appellant's case.

depends in the first instance upon whether

it,

to adapt the

E

16.

. .

lanquage of Brennan J.

quoted above. merely guides and does not

control the making of the decisions

in question: I take the word

"control" to refer,

in the context. to such a constraint on the

exercise of

a discretion uiven by

a

statute as to make that

exercise illusory

- converting the discretion to application of

a

fixed rule having no parliamentary authority.

In s.6A(1). Parliament has dealt with two categories of

non-citizens. Those in pars.(a) and

(b) are to be distinguished

from those mentioned

in

the balance of the sub-section: the

former may be qranted

an

entry permit althouuh they hold no

i

I

I

temporary entry permit. The effect of the policy, if faithfully

I

I '

applied by the

relevant

officials.

will

be

that

those

in

categories (a) and (b) will usually be refused an entry permit:

to use the language of

one part of the policy, they "will not

readily

be

given

permanent

residence

while

they

remain

in

Australia".

As to one sub-category, the policy is particularly

strict: "In

the

case

of

applications

to remain

after

apprehension, it will be rare indeed that illegal immigrants will

be qranted permission to remain in Australia". It was

contended

that the policy should discriminate. in dealing with non-citizens

in Australia without

a temporary entry permit. in favour of those

!I

mentioned in pars. (a) and (b) of s.6A(1).

The authorities say that

a policy of this kind does not

entail any illegality as long as it genuinely leaves the door

I

open for exceptional cases; what Parliament has given

as

a

I .

i

I

. .

17

i l

!

dlscretion

cannot

be

transformed

into

an

absolute

rule

bv

administrative fiat. It is my view that the policy in question,

so far as relevant to this case. passes the test

of validity

I

have mentioned. Further,

l

cannot see that it

is

necessarlly

implicit in s.6(A)ll)(a) and

(h) that Parliament requlred the

I

s . 6 r 2 ) discretion

to

be

exercised in a particular

way:

it

has

!

I. merely said that except In certain instances the discretion

1

cannot be exercised

at all.

I turn

next

to

the

question

whether

relevant

considerations were left out

of account.

Under

this headmu. only two

points

need

to

be

considered.

The first

is

whether the deleuate failed to take

account of the fact that the appellant‘s parents and two siblinqs

!

were

Australian citizens. Certificates of Citizenship of the

appellant’s wife and father were attached to the application for

i

resident status sent on

31 October 1985.

In the list of material

on which the findinas were based. included in the statement of reasons supplied on 19 November 1985. there is a copy of the

Certificate of Citizenship €or the appellant’s wife,

but no

mention of the parents’ certificate.

Also.

somewhat curiously,

while the wife is referred to

as an Australian citizen in

the

reasons. the parents and the younger brother and sister

are

I

referred to merely as “permanent residents“.

Althouuh

the

contrary

was argued, the

contrast of

18

lanuuaae and omission of the documents iust referred to make it

seem probable. in mv opinion. that the delegate either failed to

notice. or failed

to attach any importance to, the fact of the

citizenship of the parents.

Mere errors of fact and degree

by the decision-maker are

not necessarily enough to enliven this Court's jurisdlction under

the Judicial Review Act: see

Koh Ah So0 v. Tuchin (unreported.

3 0 April 19861,

a decision of Beaumont

J.

It is not hard to

find, in this area,

similar

judicial

exhortations

not

to

interfere too readily. Not everything which is to

be found in a

statement of reasons needs to be indisputably correct. either

as

to fact or

law.

for the reasons to survive attack under

the

Judicial Review Act.

The decisions point towards the view that

only fairly clear and significant errors are to be regarded as

grounds on which

an order may be made under 9.16.

An examination of recent statutes shows that the

law

currently

attaches

considerable

weiqht

to

the

concept

of

r.

Australian citizenship. The Misration Act itself is an

example.

Prior to 1948, when the Australian Citizenship Act became law, the only national status which Australians possessed was that of

British subject.

Now,

although there is still much legislation

in this country which retains the notion

of being

a British

subject as a nationality qualification, Australian citizenship

is

constantly assuming greater legal importance. For example, under

recent amendments to the Commonwealth Electoral Act

1918, Members

r

19.

I

.

.

P

of Parliament and voters must be Australian citizens: under the

!

Public

Service

Reform

Act

of

1984,

only

Australian

citizens

may

I

be appointed as public servants.

L

Takinq a broader view, it is obvlously right that

holding citizenship in

our nation should be regarded

as a matter

of importance. bringing with

it special rights and obligations.

I am tempted

to

say

that

the

decision

mal:zr

has

overlooked a relevant matter and to infer that. had he not done

so, his decision miqht well have been otherwise: after all. it

seems a strong thing to deport an apparently respectable son of

Australian citizens, married to an Australian citizen, and with

an Australian brother and sister.

all living in this country.

With

considerable

hesitation.

however.

I have

come

to

the

conclusion that the deleuate's mistake

in this respect was not of

sufficient importance to warrant

an

order in favour of the

appellant. Lookina at the reasons as

a whole. he appears to have

been animated mainly by the considerations that the appellant had

lonq run out of entry permits and had been apprehended.

in

consequence of which it was thought that the policy almost

compelled deportation. except in quite unusual circumstances.

The second point to

be considered under this head is

a

statement referred

to above in another context: par.16 of the

reasons of 19 November 1985 says:

2 0 .

"While deportation of the applicant must temporarily

disrupt his relationship with his wife and

his

family it is possible for

him to be sponsored as a

spouse. I consider that a temporary separation and the costs arisinu from return home to apply

for

migration in the normal manner were not mitigating circumstances to be accorded significant weight."

The implication one would take from this is that

the

separation is likely to be of such length as to

be, in truth,

only an inconvenience - a disadvantage comparable

with the

necessity of paying another air fare.

It

was argued that the

repeated

reference

temporariness

to

was

a

complete

misapprehension. on

an

important point, on the part of the

rleleqate. In the very document on

which he

placed

so

much

reliance, the Policy on Illegal Immigrants, under the heading

"Limitation on return to Australia". the true position is to be

found.

The effect of this part of the policy is

that being an

illegal immiurant "can militate against favourable consideration

of re-entry requests". and there are set out time limits

for

re-entry.

They are not inflexible: readmission inside the time

limits "may be given in exceptional circumstances". However, the

prima facie limit applicable to the appellant is five years from

the date of departure.

The delegate has, no doubt rightly, had regard

to the

possibility that the appellant's wife and parents may not choose

to leave Australia because of his deportation. But insofar

as

the delegate appeared to reason that in that case the disruptive

separation from wife and family would only be temporary and not

!

?

.

21.

I

I

1

of

"sianlficant

welght", it appears to me that

he

fell into

I

substantial error. The policy makesl'it clear that there is no

I

i:

guarantee that the appellant would ever be readmitted. even if

! '

there were

no consideration auainst his application in that

behalf other than those appearing in the reasons under review.

Further, he is faced,

unless

he

'

can

show "exceptional

circumstances". with the five year limit mentioned.

Perhaps '-?-e

delegate intended by this passage to do no

more than intimate that

an applicatlon for re-entry after five

years would be favourably viewed, or that

he saw

in the case

exceptional circumstances such

as

to justify waiver of the

five-year limit. But the reasons cannot be defended on that

basis.

It

would not be a proper exercise of discretion

for a

delegate. while declining

to

flnd anything exceptional in the

case to warrant the grant of an entry permit despite the policy,

nevertheless to anticipate

others

seeing

exceptional

circumstances justifying early re-entry.

It must be added that the origin of the passage which

has, in my view, proved fatal to the decision, is clear enough; similar lanuuage is to be found in the policy itself on p.10. It is not easy to envisage practical circumstances in which that

passage could properly guide a decision-maker. but there may be

some: it

is enouqh for present purposes to say that insofar

as

%he decision in question here relied upon the view that there

would

be a merely

temporary

separation

and

one

not

of

2 2 .

"significant weiqht", it

was in

error In failing to take into

i

account the strict barriers against re-entry.

It may be convenient to summarjse the views expressed

above. I have considered, but found it unnecessary to state my

views on, the allegatlons of breach of the rules

of natural

justice.

1.     So far as applicable to the appellant, the Policy on Illegal

Immigrants is not invalid as being inconsistent with the

Act:

more

particularly,

it is

not

invalid

as

unduly

fetterinq the statutory discretion to grant

an entry permit

to such an applicant as is mentioned in s.6A(l)(b) of the

Micrration Act.

i

2. The decision-maker appears to have fallen into error in not

noticing

that

the

appellant

is

a

child

of Australian

citizens: that is not, in the whole of the circumstances. a

sufficiently significant mistake to justify review.

3 .

The deleqate also erred in making

an

assumption that the

appellant's separation from his wife and family, if

he left

Australia without them, would be temporary only; the policy

he was applying required the prima facie assumption that. if

l

the appellant were ever allowed to re-enter. that would not

occur for five years.

l

I

l

?1;.

! I .

I /

I

I would allow the appeal with costs and substitute for

the

order made

bv the learned trlal

iudqe

an order that the

. I

decisions under review be

set

aside

and

that the matter he

rPmltted for reconsideration.

I would also order the respondents

to pay the costs of the hearinu before the learned trlal

iudge.

i

i

IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

)

VICTORIAN DISTRICT REGISTRY

)

VG 2 9 2 of 1985

GENERAL DIVISION

1

i -

ON APPEAL FROM THE

I

HONOURABLE MR.

.~~~

~

~

JUSTICE SHEF'PARD OF

THE FEDERAL

COURT OF

AUSTRALIA

I

!.

I

BETWEEN:

KHOI TRI TANG (Also known as CH1

TZO

TSENG

1

and CANDICE HUI NHI CH0

Appellants

AND :

THE HONOWSLE CHRISTOPHER JOHN m E ' O R D ,

MINISTER OF STATE FOR IMMIGRATION AND ETHNIC

AFFAIRS

t

I -

Respondent

CORRIGENDA

Amendment to the judgment of Evatt, Dames and Pincus JJ. dated

4

July 1986 -

i

t

Under "Catchwords", final authority

"Kohn Ahsoo v. Tuchin" should

read "Koh Ah So0 v. Tuchin".

j5L-d 'c$-.

J.A. Lyons

Associate to Pincus

J.

i

t

I :

I

!

!

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Gresham and Gresham (No 3) [2019] FamCA 983