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Your Federal Courts brief for 14 July 2026 — three decisions from the Federal Court of Australia, on a single theme: procedure is substance. The first serious map of the new Administrative Review Tribunal's appeal architecture arrives with a trap in it — withdrawal ends the review, finally, and answers to preliminary questions decide nothing and cannot be appealed. A self-represented FOI applicant wins a $20,000 cap on his costs exposure, with a working manual for maximum-costs applications. And administrators get the blessing for a quiet related-party sale, on candour and creditor-coverage evidence. The principles, not the noise.

In this episode:

• Little Monster Productions v Screen Australia — the ART's appeal architecture: https://jade.io/article/1236404

• Patrick v Director-General, Australian Submarine Agency — capping costs in advance: https://jade.io/article/1236402

• Olsen (Babyskin Laser) (No 2) — the quiet related-party sale: https://jade.io/article/1236419

Case notes

Little Monster Productions Pty Ltd v Screen Australia [2026] FCA 902 (Kennett J, 14 July 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1236404

Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 (Cth) ss 19, 95, 102, 105, 172; Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth) Div 376 (Producer Offset). Held (extension refused; cross-appeal allowed; second Tribunal decision set aside; s 19 application remitted): s 172(1) permits appeal only from a determinative decision under s 105 — an answer to preliminary questions has no independent legal force and is not appealable; withdrawal under s 95(1) triggers automatic deemed dismissal finally determining the review, after which the Tribunal has no jurisdiction (Bhardwaj nullity confined to decisions lacking legal efficacy, not inaction); s 19(4)(a), read in the present tense, bars an extension for a fresh review only while reinstatement remains available; and party consent alone cannot set aside a Tribunal decision.

Patrick v Director-General of the Australian Submarine Agency [2026] FCA 914 (O'Sullivan J, 13 July 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1236402

Federal Court Rules 2011 (Cth) r 40.51; FOI Act 1982 (Cth) s 34. Held (maximum recoverable costs capped at $20,000): the r 40.51 discretion has no fixed criteria; the confined appeal (three questions of law on the Cabinet exemption, no merits review, one-day hearing) and the self-represented applicant's exposure favoured a cap, while the public interest element — real but never decisive — and the impressionistically assessed merits told against the $5,000 sought; a financial "tipping point" at which a party would choose to abandon is not determinative of quantum.

Olsen, in the matter of Babyskin Laser & Cosmetic Clinic Pty Ltd (Administrators Appointed) (No 2) [2026] FCA 917 (Vandongen J, 9 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1236419

Insolvency Practice Schedule s 90-15; Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) ss 37AF, 37AG(1)(a), 37AJ(2). Held (directions granted; 60-day suppression order): s 90-15 directions require an issue of legal substance, propriety or reasonableness (Re Ansett (No 3)) — the directors' complaints about the sale process supplied it; a sale to a director or associated entity without a public marketing campaign was justified where a campaign would cost more, take longer and be unlikely to better the offers, and the sale would likely pay all identified creditors in full (which also made creditor notice unnecessary); suppression of the offer material was warranted but limited to the period reasonably necessary, with an undertaking to notify the Court if spent early.

Also on the docket (notes only): Matrix Composites & Engineering Ltd (No 2) [2026] FCA 915 (scheme second hearing; s 1322 cure of dispatch irregularities) — https://jade.io/article/1236422 ; The Owners – Strata Plan No 17415 v ASIC [2026] FCA 920 — https://jade.io/article/1236418 ; Chiodo v Keystone Asset Management Ltd [2026] FCA 909 — https://jade.io/article/1236421

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Your Court of Appeal brief for 14 July 2026 — three decisions from the Queensland Court of Appeal, the New South Wales Court of Appeal and the Full Federal Court, on a single theme: jurisdiction and consequence. When ASIC prosecutes in a State magistrates court, the magistrate exercises federal jurisdiction and the judicial review map redraws itself — the State Supreme Court is the wrong door. The Sydney light rail class action closes on costs, with the Court of Appeal confirming that apportionment in a mixed-outcome case is a matter of impression for the judge who lived with the trial. And a million-dollar handshake loan turns on who the borrower actually was. The principles, not the noise.

A note on care: one matter concerns criminal complaints that remain before the courts at the pre-committal stage. Those allegations are wholly untested, and every defendant is presumed innocent.

In this episode:

• Palmer v Magistrate McKenzie — federal jurisdiction and the review map: https://jade.io/article/1236375

• Hunt Leather v Transport for NSW — costs by impression in the light rail class action: https://jade.io/article/1236350

• Rose v A-Civil Aust — who was the borrower: https://jade.io/article/1236349

Case notes

Palmer v Magistrate McKenzie [2026] QCA 129 (Boddice and Brown JJA, Wilson J, 14 July 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1236375

Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) s 79(1); ADJR Act 1977 (Cth) ss 9, 9A; Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ss 1337B, 1337H, 1337R, 1338B, 1338C; Justices Act 1886 (Qld) ss 22A, 103B; Judicial Review Act 1991 (Qld) s 30; Constitution ss 71, 75(iii), 77. Held (appeal dismissed): where a State magistrate exercises federal jurisdiction (ASIC as complainant), s 79 picks up State procedural laws as Commonwealth law; the decision is made under a Commonwealth enactment, the Commonwealth ADJR Act applies, and ss 9 and 9A withdraw the State Supreme Court's jurisdiction — review lies in the Federal Court. Kirk protects supervision of State power only and does not constrain the Commonwealth's power under s 77(ii) to withhold federal jurisdiction; no unreviewable island results. Section 1337R does not preclude an appeal from a distinct order dismissing for want of jurisdiction. The underlying complaints are untested allegations.

Hunt Leather Pty Ltd v Transport for NSW [2026] NSWCA 129 (Bell CJ, Leeming and Mitchelmore JJA, 14 July 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1236350

Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) ss 56, 60, 179; Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) ss 75A, 101(2)(c). Held (leave to amend granted; added costs ground dismissed): on remitter from the High Court in the Sydney Light Rail representative proceedings, a 65% partial costs order fixed "as a matter of impression" stands. Apportionment in mixed-outcome cases is evaluative (Doppstadt); Currabubula is a rule of assessment, not discretion; the monetary scale changes the consequences, not the principles; and a party who litigated costs on a chosen evidentiary basis, calling no apportionment evidence, cannot claim procedural unfairness or rely on appeal on an affidavit available below.

Rose v A-Civil Aust Pty Ltd [2026] NSWCA 130 (Payne and Stern JJA, Black J, 14 July 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1236349

Limitation Act 1969 (NSW) s 14; Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) s 295(4). Held (appeal dismissed; $1.15m judgment plus interest stands): the identity of a party to an oral loan is an essentially factual finding attracting appellate restraint (Fox v Percy; Lee v Lee) even without express demeanour findings; post-contractual documents prove party identity only as clear and unequivocal admissions (Tomko v Palasty distinguished) — a cheque made out at the borrower's direction, accountant-prepared financials, and a shorthand reconciliation heading were not; Jones v Dunkel inferences and commercial improbability supported the loan being to the director personally; three-month term found, claim not statute-barred.

Also on the docket (notes only): Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v Singh (Application for Costs Certificate) [2026] FCAFC 91 (costs certificate granted to an individual visa applicant after the Minister's appeal succeeded on a question of law; MZZMX (No 2) five-factor test) — https://jade.io/article/1236406

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Your Tribunals brief for 25 June 2026 — three decisions from the civil and administrative tribunals of Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, on a single theme: stay inside the lines the statute draws. You cannot use one review to sneak an attack on a decision you were never allowed to challenge. An internal appeal is not a second go at the whole case. And a substitute decision-maker, spending another person's money, must ask first and account for everything. The principles, not the noise.

A note on care: one matter in this episode concerns a person under administration. It is reported in a restrained register — principle and consequence only, no detail, no parties named (the pseudonym is preserved).

In this episode:

• Queensland Building and Construction Commission v Crocker — no back-door merits review: https://jade.io/article/1234016

• Aristidi v Kitchen Connection — an internal appeal is not a second hearing: https://jade.io/article/1234010

• LJ — administration orders and spending another person's money under supervision: https://jade.io/article/1234084

Case notes

Queensland Building and Construction Commission v Crocker [2026] QCATA 101 (Senior Member Brown, Member Taylor, 1 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1234016

Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 (Qld) s 86(1)(g). Held (by majority): review of a scope-of-works decision is strictly confined to whether the works are reasonable and necessary; s 86(1)(g) cannot be used to challenge indirectly an antecedent decision to accept or allow a claim under the statutory insurance scheme; tribunals must not permit back door merits reviews of non-reviewable decisions; a party wishing to challenge the antecedent decision must use alternative remedies, defending recovery proceedings or judicial review, and must precisely identify the specific reviewable decision to avoid jurisdictional dismissal.

Aristidi v KWB Group Pty Ltd t/as Kitchen Connection [2026] NSWCATAP 196 (I R Coleman SC ADCJ, Principal Member; K Merrick, Senior Member; 25 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1234010

Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013 (NSW) s 80. Held: applications to adduce new evidence on appeal are refused where the material was reasonably available at first instance, the power being strictly remedial, not an opportunity to supplement a deficient evidentiary case; leave to appeal requires isolating a specific legal error rather than conflating factual disputes with questions of law, and showing that an alternative evaluative outcome was open is insufficient; and an internal tribunal appeal is not a de novo rehearing, requiring a defined legal error, a jurisdictional failure, or a substantial miscarriage of justice.

LJ [2026] WASAT 73 (Ms R Bunney, Member, 25 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1234084

Guardianship and Administration Act 1990 (WA) ss 16(4), 72(3), 118(2). Held: applications to authorise charitable, benevolent or ex gratia payments from the represented person's funds must be filed prospectively, as the tribunal lacks power to approve such payments retrospectively; the reimbursement of a substitute decision-maker's expenses must strictly differentiate costs reasonably incurred performing statutory functions from voluntary familial actions such as routine hospital visits; and the discretion to have legal costs of a review paid from the represented person's estate is not enlivened lightly, even where a party has acted in good faith. Reported in a restrained register; the pseudonym is preserved.

Also on the docket (notes only): Lake v Golf Australia Limited [2026] NSWCATAP 199 (what counts as a proper appeal ground) — https://jade.io/article/1234009 ; GSY v Western Sydney Local Health District [2026] NSWCATAP 200 (access to health records; apprehended bias) — https://jade.io/article/1234014

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Your Federal Courts brief for 25 June 2026 — three decisions from the Federal Court of Australia, on a single theme: currency and candour. An out-of-date file can sink a visa decision; the timing of a challenge can sink the challenge; and the lawyer who asks a court for a freezing order in secret carries a heavy duty to be frank. The principles, not the noise.

In this episode:

• Wachipa v Minister — visa cancellation, an out-of-date file, and legal unreasonableness: https://jade.io/article/1234098

• Environment Centre (NT) v Minister — the timing of a challenge to a decision: https://jade.io/article/1234107

• Barden v Macedo — freezing orders and the duty of candour: https://jade.io/article/1234087

Case notes

Wachipa v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2026] FCA 806 (Jackson J, 25 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1234098

Migration Act 1958 (Cth) s 501BA; Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) s 39B. Held: while s 501BA(2) is not strictly conditioned on its exercise within a reasonable time, the passage of time can inform a finding of legal unreasonableness when combined with other contextual circumstances; evaluating the best interests of minor children as a significant consideration elevates the evaluative task, so reliance on unacknowledged, heavily outdated family material is legally unreasonable; the requisite satisfaction must be reached on a fact-sensitive inquiry as at the actual date of decision; and the inadvertent retention of template placeholder text is not jurisdictional error where a fair reading reveals a readily discernible intended meaning.

Environment Centre (NT) Inc v Minister for the Environment and Water [2026] FCA 811 (Moshinsky J, 23 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1234107

Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1976 (Cth) s 15. Held: applications to suspend the operation of an administrative decision under s 15 are governed by their own discretionary considerations (Century Metals and Mining NL v Yeomans), which differ from those for private-law interlocutory injunctions; delay in commencing review and seeking interlocutory relief — particularly where it forecloses an expedited final hearing before a critical operational deadline — weighs heavily against interim relief; and the adequacy of the undertaking as to damages is critical, one capped well below the realistic potential loss to the respondent and third parties weighing against relief.

Barden (Trustee), in the matter of Ross (Bankrupt) v Macedo (No 4) [2026] FCA 818 (Markovic J, 25 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1234087

Federal Court Rules 2011 (Cth) r 7.32. Held: the duty of candour on an ex parte application requires disclosure of all material facts — material meaning any fact capable of affecting the court's decision, even if it might not have changed the result — and the duty is not discharged by burying contradictory evidence in voluminous exhibits; discharge of an ex parte freezing order for material non-disclosure remains discretionary and may be refused where the non-disclosure was unintentional and the omitted facts were not critically important; the two-limb test governs continuation; and pragmatic variations, such as permitting a sale to settle with the proceeds held in a controlled account, may be appropriate.

Also on the docket (notes only): EV20 Consulting Group Pty Ltd v Paperless Warehousing Pty Ltd (No 4) [2026] FCA 805 (default judgment; the overarching purpose) — https://jade.io/article/1234091 ; Emmott v Wilson, in the matter of Wilson [2026] FCA 810 (review of a registrar; a bankruptcy notice) — https://jade.io/article/1234113 ; Orr (Liquidator) v Redflow Limited (in liq) — https://jade.io/article/1234110 ; YRPQ v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship — https://jade.io/article/1234105

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Your Court of Appeal brief for 25 June 2026 — six decisions from the Full Federal Court and the appeal courts of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, on a single theme: proof and its limits. The word allegedly will not always save a broadcaster, and a defamation case dies with the person who brought it. There is no general right to a jury for State offences. In a joint criminal enterprise, the scope of what was agreed decides everything. A sentence is built on the whole of the criminality. And the stronger the evidence, the sharper the jury direction has to be. The principles, not the noise.

A note on care: two matters in this episode touch a death and a sexual offence. They are reported in a survivor-sensitive register — principle and consequence only, no facts of the offending, no parties named.

In this episode:

• Thurston v Fox Sports Australia — defamation, honest opinion, and the death of a plaintiff: https://jade.io/article/1234095

• Lao Holdings v Aviation 3030 (in liq) — landholder duty and Anshun estoppel: https://jade.io/article/1234011

• Baker v Commissioner of Police — is there a constitutional right to a jury: https://jade.io/article/1234028

• R v Howell — joint criminal enterprise and constructive murder: https://jade.io/article/1234090

• Silvey v Western Australia — totality in white-collar fraud sentencing: https://jade.io/article/1234027

• Hastwell v The King — uncharged conduct and jury directions: https://jade.io/article/1234066

Case notes

Thurston v Fox Sports Australia Pty Limited [2026] FCAFC 89 (Bromwich, O'Callaghan and Abraham JJ, 25 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1234095

Defamation Act 2005 (NSW) ss 10, 31; Constitution s 109. Held: in a casual broadcast a qualifier like allegedly does not automatically reduce a publication to mere suspicion when fixing the single objective meaning; emotive, judgmental on-air commentary may still be evaluative honest opinion if founded on proper material; and a defamation action does not survive the death of the person suing — the estate may take the allowance of the appeal and costs, but not substantive damages — with no constitutional inconsistency engaged.

Lao Holdings Pty Ltd v Aviation 3030 Pty Ltd (in liq) [2026] VSCA 148 (Emerton P, Kennedy JA, Waller AJA, 25 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1234011

Landholder duty; recovery provision; Anshun estoppel. Held (leave refused): the recoverable amount, comprising duty and penalty, is a single composite debt recoverable only once the whole amount has actually been paid, and cannot be split and chased in part; and an Anshun estoppel barred a point so connected to an earlier proceeding that it should have been raised then.

Baker v Commissioner of Police [2026] NSWCCA 66 (Kirk JA, Lonergan and Weinstein JJ, 29 May 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1234028

Constitution s 80; Constitution Act 1902 (NSW) s 5. Held: the constitutional jury-trial guarantee applies only to offences against laws of the Commonwealth, not State offences; the State Parliament has plenary power to regulate or dispense with juries for its own crimes, and there is no inalienable common-law or constitutional right to a jury for pre-trial matters; arguments built on the Royal Style and Titles Act or Magna Carta are unarguable, and historical rights may be overridden prospectively.

R v Howell; Mitchell, Rigney, Carver & Tenhoopen v The King [2026] SASCA 71 (Livesey P, Doyle and Doyle JJA, 25 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1234090

Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935 (SA) ss 12A, 137. Held: for constructive murder pursuant to a joint criminal enterprise, the agreement must extend to the possible commission of an intentional act of violence of the same general nature as that which caused death — not an agreement to kill; contingent and reluctant agreement to violence of that nature suffices, and it may sit at a lower level than an act intended to cause death or grievous bodily harm; an agreement to steal can remain on foot during fatal blows, robbery covering force used at, before or after the theft. Reported with restraint.

Silvey v The State of Western Australia [2026] WASCA 84 (Quinlan CJ, Vaughan and Sweeney JJA, 25 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1234027

Sentencing; totality. Held: the total effective sentence must bear a proper relationship to the overall criminality, viewed as a whole with the offender's circumstances; in fraud the quantum of benefit and loss is integral to the criminality, not a side issue; general deterrence is the primary consideration, leaving personal mitigation subsidiary even for prior good character; and an experienced or sophisticated victim may still be vulnerable where that vulnerability arises from a long-cultivated breach of trust.

Hastwell v The King [2026] SASCA 69 (David, Stanley and Doyle JJA, 25 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1234066

Evidence Act 1929 (SA) s 34P. Held: evidence of uncharged sexual conduct may carry strong probative value in showing sexual interest and a willingness to act, without requiring striking similarity to the charged act, and a temporal gap does not destroy it where it forms part of a continuity of behaviour; but the jury directions must precisely distinguish the permissible use from the impermissible, and must limit the use of prior consistent complaint statements, or the conviction is at risk. Reported in a survivor-sensitive register.

Also on the docket (notes only): Commissioner of Police v Gibson [2026] SASCA 72 (breached bond; Crown-appeal resentencing) — https://jade.io/article/1234031 ; Baldwin (a Pseudonym) v The King [2026] SASCA 68 (reliance on excluded evidence; unfit-to-stand-trial remittal) — https://jade.io/article/1234032 ; Maston v The State of Western Australia [2026] WASCA 92 (sentence appeal) — https://jade.io/article/1234073 ; Jensen v Community Housing Limited [2026] SASCA 70 (community-housing leases) — https://jade.io/article/1234015

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Your Tribunals brief for 23 June 2026 — five decisions from the civil and administrative tribunals of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, on a single theme: fairness, and limits. A tribunal cannot decide your costs without reading what you filed; a power of attorney can be reset when the attorney falters; a rent rise is tested by the law of its day; vilification can be compensated for hurt feelings alone; and a crime does not stay hidden behind a professional title. The principles, not the noise.

A note on care: two matters in this episode touch racial and religious vilification and the loss of a person's capacity. They are reported in a restrained register — principle and consequence only, no detail, no parties named.

In this episode:

• Lirantzis v Calligas (No 2) — natural justice, bias, representation and costs: https://jade.io/article/1233712

• AB — revoking an enduring power of attorney: https://jade.io/article/1233745

• Ali v Homes Victoria — testing a rent increase by the law in force when it was given: https://jade.io/article/1233746

• Vorchheimer v Tayeh (No 2) — vilification, compensation and remedies: https://jade.io/article/1233753

• Psychology Board of Australia v Schroder — professional misconduct from criminal dishonesty: https://jade.io/article/1233761

Case notes

Lirantzis v Calligas (No 2) [2026] NSWCATAP 195 (S de Jersey, Principal Member; J Sullivan, Senior Member; 23 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233712

Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013 (NSW) ss 38(1), 60; Civil and Administrative Tribunal Rules 2014 (NSW) rr 38, 38A. Held: filed submissions left unread because of an administrative error is a denial of natural justice and grounds reopening; a prior adverse decision is not, by itself, actual or apprehended bias; a solicitor on a supervised practising certificate may appear; where the amount in dispute exceeds thirty thousand dollars the ordinary costs rule displaces the special-circumstances test; a Calderbank offer made in the original proceeding does not ground indemnity costs on the appeal.

AB [2026] WASAT 69 (Ms F Child, Member; 23 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233745

Guardianship and Administration Act 1990 (WA) s 107. Held: the presumption of capacity is displaced only on proper medical evidence; an enduring power of attorney is revoked where the attorney can no longer keep the represented person's funds separate, maintain records, or act in their best interests, including by reason of the attorney's own ill health or financial disarray; the least-restrictive-alternative and best-interests tests govern the appointment of substitute decision-makers. Reported in a restrained register; the pseudonym is preserved.

Ali v Homes Victoria [2026] VCAT 453 (Dr A Treble, Senior Member; 18 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233746

Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic) ss 46(3), 47(3), 48(1); Interpretation of Legislation Act 1984 (Vic) ss 14, 28. Held: the validity of a rent-increase notice is assessed under the law in force when the notice was given; rights accrue at that date and later substantive amendments do not apply retrospectively; a refund runs only from the application filing date; the tribunal is confined to the enumerated factors and may not weigh a renter's hardship or the broader social-housing context.

Vorchheimer v Tayeh (No 2) [2026] VCAT 461 (Vice President Judge Tran, 22 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233753

Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 (Vic) ss 23C(a)(i)-(iii); VCAT Act 1998 (Vic) s 112. Held: compensation for vilification is available for hurt feelings and distress without proof of physical or mental injury; post-hearing conduct may aggravate; the tribunal may accept an enforceable undertaking instead of a prohibition order where it adequately covers the conduct, and may order a corrective social-media statement; the offer-of-compromise costs presumption does not arise where the offer was not substantially comparable to the relief ordered. Reported in a restrained register; no detail, no names.

Psychology Board of Australia v Schroder [2026] VCAT 473 (N Campbell, Acting Senior Member; M Power and C Manning, Health Practitioner Members; 23 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233761

Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Victoria) Act 2009 ss 5, 196. Held: a course of criminal, dishonest conduct concerning an estate — perjury across four affidavits, attempting to obtain property by deception, attempting to pervert the course of justice and subornation of perjury — is professional misconduct; orders of reprimand, disqualification, a four-year bar before applying for reinstatement, and a four-year prohibition on providing any health service; determinations protect the public and the profession and are not punitive, but a lack of insight and remorse warrants firmer deterrence.

Also on the docket (notes only): YPG v GMK [2026] VCAT 457 (the reasonable-and-proportionate possession test) — https://jade.io/article/1233741 ; Charles v Gannawarra SC [2026] VCAT 465 (a permit attaches to the land, not the person) — https://jade.io/article/1233749 ; LG (a Pseudonym) v Office of the Queensland Ombudsman [2026] QCATA 100 (the public-interest test) — https://jade.io/article/1233716

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Your Federal Courts brief for 23 June 2026 — four decisions from the Federal Court of Australia, on a single theme: courts protecting the integrity of a process. A corporate rescue cannot become a hiding place for the people who ran the company down; a fresh-hearing appeal means you start again and lead real evidence, not a dictionary; a tribunal owes you notice of the issue, not its reasoning; and the rarest applications of all — against the other side's lawyers, or to put the judge in the witness box — demand the greatest care. The principles, not the noise.

In this episode:

• Australian Agricultural Opportunities v Agripower — terminating a deed of company arrangement: https://jade.io/article/1233776

• Republic of Peru v Registrar of Trade Marks — a geographical certification mark: https://jade.io/article/1233765

• FDB20 v Minister — procedural fairness, onus and legal unreasonableness: https://jade.io/article/1233770

• Auerbach v Seven Network — contempt, restraining counsel, and the judge as witness: https://jade.io/article/1233778

Case notes

Australian Agricultural Opportunities Limited v Agripower Australia Limited (subject to deed of company arrangement) [2026] FCA 777 (Downes J, 10 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233776

Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ss 445D(1)(c), 445D(1)(g), 447A. Held: a two-stage inquiry to terminate a deed of company arrangement — establish a statutory ground, then exercise discretion; a material omission exists where the administrators' report omits matter objectively material to the creditors' vote (such as a deed-versus-liquidation comparison or a live recapitalisation effort); the some-other-reason ground operates broadly and warrants termination where a deed would shield directors from investigation for insolvent trading or breach of duty; liquidators with relevant industry expertise appointed.

Republic of Peru (Peruvian State) v Registrar of Trade Marks [2026] FCA 791 (Burley J, 23 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233765

Trade Marks Act 1995 (Cth). Held: an appeal from the Registrar's delegate is a hearing de novo, requiring no demonstration of error; courts should not resolve a genuine forensic dispute about ordinary signification in the Australian market by dictionary alone, especially where source data is absent; a geographical name may be inherently adapted to distinguish as a certification mark where its use is already regulated in the country of origin; concrete evidence, not mere assertion, is needed to show other traders' legitimate desire to use a mark.

FDB20 v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2026] FCA 786 (Burley J, 23 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233770

Migration Act 1958 (Cth) ss 499(2A), 501(3A), 501(6)(a); Ministerial Direction 110. Held (application dismissed): procedural fairness requires notice of the issues in play, not of the particular reasoning a tribunal may adopt; finding the evidence insufficient to exclude a risk factor is not a reversal of the onus of proof; a state of satisfaction is legally unreasonable only where it lacks any rational or logical foundation, and reasons are not read with an eye attuned to error; a tribunal may treat self-reported mental-health symptoms as relevant to risk without finding them causative of offending.

Auerbach v Seven Network (Operations) Ltd [2026] FCA 799 (Wheelahan J, 23 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233778

Federal Court Rules 2011 (Cth) rr 42.11, 42.12; Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) s 37M; Evidence Act 1995 (Cth) s 16(2). Held: an application to punish for contempt must strictly comply with the rules, including a formal statement of charge; restraining opposing representatives requires a real possibility of misuse of identified confidential information or a threat to the integrity of the proceeding, the Federal Court not enforcing a free-standing duty of loyalty; compelling a judge to give evidence requires prior leave and will routinely fail; late joinder on the eve of trial conflicts with the overarching purpose; an absent responsive affidavit does not trigger a Jones v Dunkel inference where the applicant's evidence is pitched too abstractly.

Also on the docket (notes only): Saxena v National Australia Bank Ltd [2026] FCA 796 (unconscionable conduct) — https://jade.io/article/1233771 ; Mehau v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2026] FCA 803 (substantial compliance; the nine-day Tribunal limit) — https://jade.io/article/1233780 ; Big Chief Hire Pty Ltd v Dallwitz [2026] FCA 789 (creditors' rights) — https://jade.io/article/1233774

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Your Court of Appeal brief for 23 June 2026 — six decisions from the Full Federal Court and the appeal courts of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, on a single theme: pressure, and proof. A threat dressed up as a business offer is enough to unwind the deal that follows; a company can fund a director's defence only by an express advance, never a bare indemnity; a negligence claim is only as good as the evidence it leads; and a solar farm on rural land can keep its rural valuation. The principles, not the noise.

In this episode:

• SHRL Ventures v Pedro-X — duress, repudiation and the oppression remedy: https://jade.io/article/1233720

• Keybridge Capital v Bolton (No 2) — when a company may fund a director's legal costs: https://jade.io/article/1233747

• Milekovic v Vrantsidis (No 3) — indemnity costs against the self-represented: https://jade.io/article/1233785

• Randwick City Council v Wunderwald — proving a negligence claim and a future-loss buffer: https://jade.io/article/1233710

• Viva Energy v Bibby — a commercial landlord's duty and causation: https://jade.io/article/1233711

• Valuer-General v Western Downs Green Power Hub — urban purpose and rural land: https://jade.io/article/1233717

Case notes

SHRL Ventures Pty Ltd v Pedro-X Pty Ltd [2026] QCA 119 (Mullins P, Brown and Doyle JJA, 23 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233720

Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) Sch 2 (ACL) ss 20, 236, 237, 243; Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ss 232, 233. Held (appeal dismissed): conduct of the individual through whom a corporate joint venturer performs its obligations is attributable to the venturer; a systemic breach of a cooperative quasi-partnership can be repudiation; the limit of economic duress to strictly unlawful pressure is not settled and at least extends to threatened or actual unconscionable conduct contrary to ACL s 20; unconscionability is assessed over the whole course of dealing; and the oppression power can defer a compulsory share transfer until the oppressor satisfies the judgment debt.

Keybridge Capital Ltd v Bolton (No 2) [2026] NSWCA 119 (Stern, Ball and Free JJA, 23 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233747

Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ss 199A(3), 212(2). Held (unanimous): a true indemnity for a director's defence costs is prohibited once there is an outcome on liability; advancing defence costs requires an express loan or advance with a repayment obligation; to the full extent permitted by law does not convert a bare indemnity into a repayable advance.

Milekovic v Vrantsidis & Anor [No 3] [2026] VSCA 146 (Walker JA, 22 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233785

Civil Procedure Act 2010 (Vic) s 65C(2)(c). Held: indemnity costs against an unrepresented litigant are justified where they earlier received and rejected competent advice not to proceed; totally without merit is insufficient on its own; an executor can be denied the usual estate indemnity for adverse costs where they refuse to finalise the administration; gross-sum costs require strict evidence, including to exclude GST.

Randwick City Council v Wunderwald [2026] NSWCA 116 (Leeming and Stern JJA, Ball JA, 23 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233710

Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) ss 5B, 5C(a), 13. Held: a similar risk must share the essential character of the risk that caused the harm; the not insignificant test is undemanding; an accident-free history is a question of fact, not a bar; a buffer for future economic loss requires the statutory assumptions about the claimant's most likely future and a percentage.

Viva Energy Australia Pty Ltd v Bibby [2026] NSWCA 118 (Leeming, Ball and Free JJA, 23 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233711

Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) ss 5B, 5D(1)(a). Held: a commercial landlord's duty depends on the lease and the allocation of repair obligations; where structural repairs are the landlord's, the duty is to repair within a reasonable time, not immediately; factual causation requires evidence the repair would have prevented the injury; the primary safe-system duty rests with the employer.

Valuer-General v Western Downs Green Power Hub Pty Ltd [2026] QCA 118 (Mullins P, Boddice JA, Gotterson AJA, 23 June 2026) — https://jade.io/article/1233717

Land Valuation Act 2010 (Qld) ss 9–14; QCAT Act 2009 (Qld) s 149(3)(b); Acts Interpretation Act 1954 (Qld) s 14A. Held (leave refused): the power to declare land rural is not constrained by the urban purpose cessation provision; the two pathways to rural land are alternatives; no implied exclusion arises; and, in obiter, urban purpose concerns purpose rather than location, with a clear statutory definition described as desirable.

Also on the docket (notes only): Reynolds v Byram [No 4] [2026] WASCA 88 (extension of time for springing orders) — https://jade.io/article/1233714 ; Comino v Watson Webb Pty Ltd (Costs) [2026] FCAFC 88 (costs apportionment on mixed success) — https://jade.io/article/1233768

This episode of The Petal was produced by BarNet OpenLaw, the creators of JADE. The voices are AI-generated. Nothing in this program is legal advice. The Petal is an experiment and your feedback is essential.

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The Tribunals edition of The Petal for 18 June 2026 — three decisions from NCAT and the Victorian tribunal, where most people actually meet the law. When a tribunal can lift a compulsory treatment order, and the human rights that bear on it. A clean roadmap for running an internal appeal. And a planning decision about calling a thing what it really is.

A content note: the first matter concerns a person's compulsory medical treatment, and is reported with restraint — the principle only, no clinical or personal detail, no party named.

In this episode:

• YWX v Mental Health Tribunal [2026] VCAT 456 — less restrictive means: https://jade.io/article/1233301

• Goel v Secretary, NSW Department of Customer Service [2026] NSWCATAP 191 — the internal-appeal roadmap: https://jade.io/article/1233177

• Buchanan v Surf Coast SC [2026] VCAT 448 — calling a use by its real purpose: https://jade.io/article/1233182

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CASE NOTES

YWX v Mental Health Tribunal [2026] VCAT 456 (Member M Cameron), 29 April 2026 — https://jade.io/article/1233301

Signal: Doctrine ★★★★★ — Health law / compulsory treatment review. A compulsory treatment order was set aside. The law permits compulsory treatment only where there is no less restrictive means reasonably available, and that is judged on the person's current circumstances, not a history of relapse. Community-based treatment with real medical supervision can be a less restrictive means; here a treating doctor's commitment to frequent monitoring and the person's community supports were such a means. The criterion is read consistently with the person's human rights under the Charter, and the tribunal may substitute its own decision. Why aired: a strong, practical statement of the less-restrictive-means test, assessed on present circumstances. Reported with restraint: principle and consequence only, no clinical detail, no party named.

Goel v The Secretary, NSW Department of Customer Service [2026] NSWCATAP 191 (K Robinson PM, J Sullivan SM), 18 June 2026 — https://jade.io/article/1233177

Signal: Doctrine ★★★★★ — NCAT internal appeals. The roadmap, in order. You appeal as of right on a question of law alone; for anything else, a question of fact or of mixed fact and law, you need leave. Leave is for issues of principle, public importance, a clear injustice, or fact-finding that was unreasonable or unorthodox — not mere disagreement with the result. Fresh evidence is admitted only where you show it could not reasonably have been put before the tribunal the first time. On the merits, the fit-and-proper test for a builder's licence looks at honesty, statutory compliance and integrity, and generally prefers objective documentation over self-serving oral testimony. Why aired: a comprehensive, immediately usable roadmap for any internal tribunal appeal.

Buchanan v Surf Coast Shire Council [2026] VCAT 448 (Geoffrey Code, Senior Member), 17 June 2026 — https://jade.io/article/1233182

Signal: Doctrine ★★★★★ — Planning and development / land-use characterisation. You characterise the real and substantial purpose of a use. A 486 square metre shed of fee-paying storage bays was warehousing, not a depot — the storage was the primary purpose, not ancillary. A warehouse is prohibited in the zone, so once the real purpose is a prohibited use the tribunal has no power to grant a permit, however attractive the broader merits. Two further traps: an operational management plan must be drafted in clear, enforceable, mandatory terms, and an application that does not fully and certainly describe the works cannot even be assessed. Why aired: a strict, transferable threshold — name the use by its real and substantial purpose.

Also reported (not aired): Health Care Complaints Commission v Byun [2026] NSWCATOD 84 (professional discipline; protective orders; weighing rehabilitation and character evidence); Meraville Pty Ltd & Ors v Irvine & Body Corporate [2026] QCATA 99 (stay of proceedings; the three-part test from Day v Humphrey).

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Produced by BarNet OpenLaw, the creators of JADE, from The Petal — TRIBUNALS Edition, 18 June 2026 (ledger.jade.io), and reviewed under OpenLaw's content and podcasting standard. The voices in this program are AI-generated. Nothing in this program is legal advice; consult the decisions before relying on them.

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The Federal Court edition of The Petal for 18 June 2026 — three decisions from a busy bench, atop a heavy insolvency day. A tax agent struck off, and whether the regulator went too far. A migration decision on a subtle but important error — treating a consequence the law intends as if it counted for nothing. And a sharp reminder that you cannot use a transfer application to choose your judge.

In this episode:

• Tax Practitioners Board v Auz Tax Pty Ltd [2026] FCA 751 — sanction versus termination: https://jade.io/article/1233230

• Le v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2026] FCA 774 — emptying a mandatory consideration of weight: https://jade.io/article/1233235

• Russell v S3@Raw Pty Ltd (No 4) [2026] FCA 771 — you cannot transfer to pick your judge: https://jade.io/article/1233251

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CASE NOTES

Tax Practitioners Board v Auz Tax Pty Ltd [2026] FCA 751 (Horan J), 17 June 2026 — https://jade.io/article/1233230

Signal: Doctrine ★★★★★ — Administrative law / tax-agent discipline. The power to impose a lesser sanction and the power to terminate registration are separate but not mutually exclusive; a decision-maker may weigh a caution, order or suspension before reaching for termination. Fit and proper is an evaluative exercise at the time of decision — past misconduct does not automatically prove present unfitness — and there is no general rule that a person with an integrity failing must discharge a heavy onus of proving reformation (Ex parte Tziniolis distinguished). The impact of suspension or termination on the agent's clients is a relevant, weighable factor, because the scheme is protective, not punitive. Why aired: a portable framework for any regulatory practitioner — lead present fitness, not past failings.

Le v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2026] FCA 774 (Lee J), 11 June 2026 — https://jade.io/article/1233235

Signal: Doctrine ★★★★★ — Administrative law / visa cancellation. A decision-maker evaluating the legal consequences of non-revocation under Direction 110 cannot lawfully treat significant and real consequences as neutral simply because they are intended by the statutory scheme. Relying on the statutory origin of an adverse outcome to give it no weight empties the mandatory consideration of content — circular reasoning that renders the required step legally meaningless. And a party's concession or poorly framed submission does not relieve the tribunal of its duty to evaluate the mandatory matters properly. Decision set aside. Why aired: a precise, recurring jurisdictional-error point in character-cancellation review.

Russell v S3@Raw Pty Ltd (No 4) [2026] FCA 771 (Meagher J), 18 June 2026 — https://jade.io/article/1233251

Signal: Practice & Procedure — venue / transfer. To move a proceeding to a different registry you need a positive, sound reason to disturb the status quo, measured against the overriding purpose of resolving disputes quickly and cheaply. Keep the registry that case-manages a matter distinct from the venue for the final hearing. Most importantly, you cannot use a transfer application to engineer which judge hears the case; a transfer bid that just delays and games the docket will draw an adverse costs order, not costs in the cause. Why aired: short, sharp and universal — have a real reason, and do not forum-shop the judge.

Also reported (not aired): Vines (Trustee), in the matter of McKay (Deceased) [2026] FCA 765 (deceased bankrupt; distributing dividends with no statement of affairs); Ablett v Matrix Commercial Interiors Pty Ltd [2026] FCA 723 (winding up; cash-flow test and presumption of insolvency); EVP Opportunities Master Pty Ltd v StrongRoom Technology Pty Ltd [No 2] [2026] FCA 772 (leave to proceed against a bankrupt); Crane v Gidley (Liquidator) [2026] FCA 770 (de novo review of a registrar's production orders); Kelly v Hall & Wilcox [2026] FCA 750 (suppression orders protecting settlement talks); Tian v Minister for Immigration [2026] FCA 767 (Direction 110; children's best interests); Kaur v Commonwealth Bank of Australia [2026] FCA 749 (Fair Work certificate as a precondition); Thompson v Lane (No 3) [2026] FCA 766.

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Produced by BarNet OpenLaw, the creators of JADE, from The Petal — Australia Federal Courts Edition, 18 June 2026 (ledger.jade.io), and reviewed under OpenLaw's content and podcasting standard. The voices in this program are AI-generated. Nothing in this program is legal advice; consult the judgments before relying on them.