The Court dismissed a self-represented applicant's recusal application based on two grounds: an alleged ex parte communication between the Court and the respondent's solicitor (which the Court found did not occur), and the judge's daughter being employed as a junior lawyer in a different practice group of the Australian Government Solicitor. Applying the Ebner/QYFM framework, the Court held that no logical connection was demonstrated between the daughter's employment among over 500 AGS lawyers in an unrelated practice group and any apprehended deviation from deciding the case on its merits. The decision is consistent with the Guide to Judicial Conduct and prior authority that a close relative's employment in a large firm acting for a party, without involvement in the proceeding or financial interest in the outcome, does not require recusal.
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