Health Care Complaints Commission v Hill

[2022] NSWCA 270

NSW Court of Appeal

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Interrogate

Catchwords

1. Administrative Law
2. › Judicial review
3. › Reviewability of prosecutorial decisions
4. › Director of Proceedings' decision to commence disciplinary proceedings in NCAT
5. › Whether decision immune from judicial review on ground of legal unreasonableness
6. › Prosecutorial discretion analogy
7. › Health Care Complaints Act 1993 (NSW), ss 90A, 90B, 90C
8. › Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (NSW), ss 3A, 145C, 145D
1. Administrative Law
2. › Remedies
3. › Certiorari
4. › Whether decision to commence proceedings had discernible legal effect on rights
5. › Preliminary or recommendatory decision
6. › No power to make findings of fact or affect registration
7. › Hot Holdings Pty Ltd v Creasy (1996) 185 CLR 149 applied
1. Administrative Law
2. › Statutory interpretation
3. › Whether breach of statutory provision renders act invalid
4. › Text, context and purpose of legislation
5. › Whether legislature intended court to determine which applications may be considered by specialist tribunal
6. › Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority (1998) 194 CLR 355 applied
1. Administrative Law
2. › Remedies
3. › Discretionary refusal of relief
4. › Failure to invoke Tribunal's own power to dismiss proceedings
5. › Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013 (NSW), s 55

Quick Take

Health practitioners facing disciplinary proceedings in NCAT cannot challenge the Director of Proceedings' decision to prosecute in the Supreme Court on the ground of legal unreasonableness; they must instead seek to invoke the Tribunal's own power to dismiss proceedings under s 55 of the Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013.