- Administrative Law Summary Notes!

What's in the Administrative Law Summary Notes?

Table of Contents for Administrative Law Summary Notes

1.  Introduction. 5

A.   How to use Cram Notes. 5

B.   Abbreviations. 5

2.  What Power was exercised in making the Decision? 5

A.   Statutory Power 5

i.        Sub-ordinate/Delegated Legislation. 5

1)     Justifications for delegating. 6

2)     Disadvantages of delegating. 6

ii.       Statutory Power and Statutory Interpretation. 6

1)     Literal or purposive approach?. 6

2)     Judicial presumptions. 7

B.   Executive Power 8

i.        Constraints on Executive power 8

ii.       Difference between Legislative and Executive power 8

iii.      Presumption of Regularity. 8

iv.      Policy. 8

3.  Challenging the Legality of Sub-Ordinate Legislation. 9

A.   Test of Invalidity. 9

B.   Means/Ends distinction.. 9

C.   Reasonably proportionate to the end to be achieved?. 9

D.   Reasonableness. 10

E.   Have procedural requirements been followed?. 10

i.        Legislative Instrument 10

ii.       Has it been registered?. 10

iii.      Has it been tabled in the correct manner?. 11

iv.      Has it been disallowed and remade?. 11

v.       Has consultation been undertaken?. 11

4.  Requesting Reasons for Decision and Freedom of Information. 11

A.   Reasons for the decision.. 11

i.        Common law right?. 11

ii.       Statutory duty. 11

1)     ADJR Act 11

2)     AAT Act 12

B.   Freedom of Information.. 12

i.        Definitions. 12

ii.       Right of Access. 12

iii.      Refusal of Access. 12

iv.      Exempt Documents. 13

v.       Deletion of Exempt or Irrelevant material 13

vi.      Power of the AAT. 13

5.  Is there standing to apply for review? 13

A.   Indicia of Standing.. 13

B.   Standing for Bodies. 14

i.        Standing under AAT Act 14

ii.       Standing under ADJR Act 15

6.  Merits review.. 15

A.   Internal Review.. 15

B.   Powers of the AAT. 15

C.   Contemporaneous review by the AAT ¡V matters considered ¡§anew¡¨. 16

i.        In the shoes of the original decision maker 16

ii.       Correct or Preferable decision. 16

iii.      Change in administrative policy. 16

iv.      Change in facts. 16

v.       Change in the law.. 17

vi.      Is the AAT bound by government policy?. 17

1)     Legality of policy. 17

2)     Is discretion guided or truncated?. 17

3)     How does the policy affect discretion?. 18

D.   Procedure, Evidence and Onus of Proof 18

i.        Evidence & fact-finding. 18

ii.       Onus of proof 19

E.   Appeal to the Federal Court 19

i.        Apply for the AAT¡¦s reasons for the decision. 19

7.  Judicial Review.. 19

A.   Background.. 19

i.        Jurisdiction. 19

1)     Federal Court 19

2)     Federal Magistrates Court 20

3)     High Court/Supreme Court 20

B.   Has justiciability been met?. 20

i.        Is there a justiciable matter?. 20

ii.       Is judicial review inappropriate?. 21

C.   Is it a decision (if applying for review under the ADJR Act)?. 21

i.        Reviewable decision or conduct 21

1)     Decision. 21

2)     Conduct 21

3)     Reports. 21

ii.       Administrative character 22

iii.      Made under an enactment 22

1)     Enactment 22

2)     Made Under 22

D.   Have any grounds for judicial review been made out?. 23

i.        Jurisdictional error (common law) 23

ii.       Privative clauses. 24

1)     Specific denial of remedy. 24

2)     Denial of judicial review.. 24

iii.      Time Limits. 25

iv.      Error of fact & error of law.. 25

1)     Fact-finding. 25

2)     Rule Stating. 25

3)     Rule Application. 26

v.       Jurisdictional fact 26

vi.      No Evidence. 27

vii.     Delegation of decision making power 27

1)     Definitions. 27

2)     Cases. 28

viii.     Breach of Statutory requirements. 28

ix.      Application of policy. 29

1)     Non-fettering (s 5(2)(f)) 29

2)     Ministerial Directions (s 5(2)(e)) 30

x.       Unauthorised purpose. 30

1)     What is the authorised purpose?. 30

2)     What is the actual purpose?. 30

xi.      Taking into account irrelevant considerations. 31

xii.     Failure to consider a relevant consideration. 32

xiii.     Unreasonableness. 32

1)     Common law.. 32

2)     Lack of Plausible Justification. 33

3)     Capricious use of power 33

4)     Duty of Inquiry. 33

xiv.     Natural justice. 34

1)     Implication. 34

2)     Exclusion. 36

3)     Content 36