West v James Cook University of North Queensland

In the Supreme Court of Queensland, Errol George West, a former professor and director at James Cook University of North Queensland, sought to review a decision made by the University. The decision, allegedly made by the Vice-Chancellor and two professors on 5 September 1996, pertained to a report on the management of the Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Participation Research and Development (CATSIPRD), which West had previously directed. The University applied to forever stay West's application for review under the Judicial Review Act 1991. The court considered whether the report was a decision subject to the Act, whether West was aggrieved by the report, and whether the application for review was an abuse of process. The court concluded that the report was not a decision under an enactment and thus not subject to the Act. Furthermore, since West had resigned from his positions before the report was completed and had taken steps to sever his ties with the University, he was not aggrieved by the report. The court also found that the primary purpose of the application was to obtain documents for potential civil actions, which constituted an abuse of process. Consequently, the court ordered that West's application for review be forever stayed and that West pay the University's costs.