Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977

A person who is aggrieved by a decision to which this Act applies that is made after the commencement of this Act may apply to the Federal Court or the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) for an order of review in respect of the decision on any one or more of the following grounds:

that a breach of the rules of natural justice occurred in connection with the making of the decision;

that procedures that were required by law to be observed in connection with the making of the decision were not observed;

that the person who purported to make the decision did not have jurisdiction to make the decision;

that the decision was not authorized by the enactment in pursuance of which it was purported to be made;

that the making of the decision was an improper exercise of the power conferred by the enactment in pursuance of which it was purported to be made;

that the decision involved an error of law, whether or not the error appears on the record of the decision;

that the decision was induced or affected by fraud;

that there was no evidence or other material to justify the making of the decision;

that the decision was otherwise contrary to law.

The reference in paragraph (1)(e) to an improper exercise of a power shall be construed as including a reference to:

taking an irrelevant consideration into account in the exercise of a power;

failing to take a relevant consideration into account in the exercise of a power;

an exercise of a power for a purpose other than a purpose for which the power is conferred;

an exercise of a discretionary power in bad faith;

an exercise of a personal discretionary power at the direction or behest of another person;

an exercise of a discretionary power in accordance with a rule or policy without regard to the merits of the particular case;

an exercise of a power that is so unreasonable that no reasonable person could have so exercised the power;

an exercise of a power in such a way that the result of the exercise of the power is uncertain; and

any other exercise of a power in a way that constitutes abuse of the power.

The ground specified in paragraph (1)(h) shall not be taken to be made out unless:

the person who made the decision was required by law to reach that decision only if a particular matter was established, and there was no evidence or other material (including facts of which he or she was entitled to take notice) from which he or she could reasonably be satisfied that the matter was established; or

the person who made the decision based the decision on the existence of a particular fact, and that fact did not exist.