''Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977'' (Cth) is an Act of the

Parliament of Australia The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the ...

, which created the ability to appeal the decision at the

Federal Court of Australia The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indic ...

for a person or other parties affected by most administrative decisions by an Australian federal department or agency. Review of administrative decisions under the Act is limited to matters of law.

Legacy

In 1989, the then president of the

New South Wales Court of Appeal The New South Wales Court of Appeal, part of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, is the highest court for civil matters and has appellate jurisdiction in the Australian state of New South Wales. Jurisdiction The Court of Appeal operates pursu ...

Michael Kirby wrote that the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act and the

Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) is an Australian tribunal that conducts independent merits review of administrative decisions made under Commonwealth laws of the Government of Australia, Australian Government. The AAT review decisions ...

were "probably the most adventurous and far-reaching legal reforms" to have taken place in Australia. In a 2011 seminar, the then President of the

Administrative Appeals Tribunal The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) is an Australian tribunal that conducts independent merits review of administrative decisions made under Commonwealth laws of the Australian Government. The AAT review decisions made by Australian Gover ...

Garry Downes Garry Keith Downes (born 7 January 1944) is a former judge of the Federal Court of Australia and former President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Education Downes attended Newington College (1956-1960) and graduated from the Univer ...

wrote that, of the reforms of administrative law in the 1970s and 1980s, (including the establishment of the Federal Court, the

Commonwealth Ombudsman Ombudsmen in Australia are independent agencies who assist when a dispute arises between individuals and industry bodies or government agencies. Government ombudsman services are free to the public, like many other ombudsman and dispute resoluti ...

, and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal) the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act was the most significant legislative work of the reform.

References

Bibliography

* {{cite book , title=General Principles of Administrative Law , last=Sykes , first=Edward Irving , url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/9190499?q&sort=holdings+desc&_=1452423890804&versionId=45639367 , accessdate=10 January 2016 , edition=1997 , year=1997 , publisher=

Butterworths LexisNexis is a part of the RELX corporation that sells data analytics products and various databases that are accessed through online portals, including portals for computer-assisted legal research (CALR), newspaper search, and consumer inform ...

, isbn=0409309869 Acts of the Parliament of Australia Australian administrative law 1977 in Australian law