Decision void

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia v Linquist [2019] NSWSC 978

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW – appeal from Civil and Administrative Tribunal – whether decision made by validly constituted tribunal – four-member tribunal was constituted for the purposes of the hearing – whether principal member could separately and simultaneously constitute herself as the tribunal to decide legal questions – single member of a multi-person tribunal which has already been constituted not authorised to constitute himself or herself as the tribunal on unstated informal basis or to make a decision unilaterally without recourse to the balance of the tribunal – decision void.

COSTS – whether successful plaintiff ought pay defendant’s costs of proceedings – defendant invited to file submitting appearance – defendant not neutral contradictor – costs follow the event.

COSTS – suitors’ fund – application for suitors’ fund certificate – appropriate to grant certificate where defendant did not contribute to error made by tribunal.

Kirralee Young represented the plaintiff.

The reasons for the decision can be found here.