Thompson and Secretary, Department of Home Affairs

The applicant, Thompson, sought the reinstatement of a matter that had been dismissed for non-appearance. The respondent was the Secretary, Department of Home Affairs. The decision was made by Senior Member George.

The central legal issue before the Tribunal was whether it was appropriate to grant the applicant's application for reinstatement of the dismissed matter, given the applicant's failure to appear at the scheduled hearing.

Senior Member George reasoned that the merits of the applicant's underlying case were poor. This assessment, coupled with the applicant's non-appearance, led the Tribunal to conclude that reinstatement would not be appropriate. The Tribunal applied the principle that an application for reinstatement requires a demonstration of good reason for the non-appearance and, importantly, that the underlying case has sufficient merit to warrant further consideration.

The application for reinstatement was refused.