Legal Decisions

The following section provides important decisions from the High Court and Federal Court in connection with the PSR Scheme. PSR Tribunal decisions are also accessible on another page of this website.

Some court decisions are Microsoft Word documents, others are .pdf Acrobat format. If you have trouble downloading a decision, click on the following graphic to download the latest version of Adobe reader.

Summaries of Court and Tribunal decisions are in the PSR Annual Reports at the Publications page of this website.

HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

An appeal may be made to the High Court on points of law. The High Court is Australia's ultimate court, and the legal precedents it establishes are binding on all other Australian courts. As with all matters before the High Court, PSR matters are only considered after a successful application for special leave to appeal.

Wong V Commonwealth of Australia
S362/2008, French CJ, Gummow, Kirby, Hayne, Heydon, Crennan and Kiefel JJ, 2 February 2009

Wong v Commonwealth of Australia & Anor; Selim v Lele & Ors
S363/2008, French CJ, Gummow, Kirby, Hayne, Heydon, Crennan and Kiefel JJ, 14 October 2008

Crowley v Holmes
M262/2003, Gummow and Heydon JJ, 13 February 2004

John Howard Grey v Health Insurance Commission and Ors
M83/2002, McHugh and Hayne JJ, 14 February 2003

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

A Final Determination is final in so far as an application and appeal may be brought to the Federal Court of Australia on points of law. During the history of the Scheme, the Federal court has been the major forum for judicial scrutiny of activities conducted under the auspices of PSR. Several Federal Court decisions have resulted in significant amendment to the Health Insurance Act 1973 (e.g. Yung, Pradhan). There are two routes by which matters come before the Federal court-either as an appeal against a decision, under the specific appeal provisions set out in the Health Insurance Act 1973, or under the more general provisions of the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act. The following are some of the significant decisions. (NOTE: hyperlinks will direct your web browser to a full transcript of the decision, where this is available.)

Hatcher v Fry [2009] FCA 1573
DOWSETT J, 23 December 2009

Saint v Holmes [2008] FCA 987
WAD 153 of 2004, Siopis J, 4 July 2008

Thoo v Professional Services Committee No 446 [2008] FCA 830
NSD 1534 of 2007, Lindgren J, 4 June 2008

Mitchelson v Health Insurance Commission & Ors (No. 3) [2007] FCA 1491
QUD128 of 2007, Greenwood J, 25 September 2007

Mitchelson v Health Insurance Commission & Ors (No. 2) [2007] FCA 1396
QUD128 of 2007, Greenwood J, 4 September 2007

Carrick v Health Insurance Commission [2007] FCA 984
NSD 322 of 2005, Branson J, 3 July 2007

Ho v Professional Services Review Committee No 295(No 2) [2007] FCA 603
NSD 1321 of 2002, Rares J, 28 March 2007

Ho v Professional Services Review Committee No 295 [2007] FCA 388
NSD 1320 of 2002, Rares J, 26 March 2007

Dr Garo Artinian v The Commonwealth of Australia and Ors (1996) 43 ALD 235; [1996] FCA 760
NG 861 of 1996, Hill J, 27 November 1996

Dr Yacoub Artinian v The Commonwealth of Australia and Ors [1997] FCA 1604
NG 1004 of 1996, Hill J, 28 February 1997

Steven Yung v Anthony Adams (1997) 150 ALR 436
NG 705 of 1996, Davies J, 11 December 1997

Determining Officer and others v Lusink and Demirtzoglou (1998) 79 FCR 433
VG 341 of 1997, Sundberg J, 12 February 1998

Theodore T. Tang v Alan John Holmes & Ors [1998] FCA 135
VG631 of 1997, Sundberg J, 25 February 1998

Anthony Adams v Steven Yung and Anor [1998] FCA 506
NG 11 of 1998, Beaumont, Burchett and Hill JJ, 15 May 1998

Retnaraja v Morauta [1999] FCA 80
SG 116 of 1998, Von Doussa J, 12 February 1999

Tankey v Adams [1999] FCA 683
QG 53 of 1997, Einfeld J, 31 May 1999

Damato v Holmes [1999] FCA 758
N449 of 1999, Whitlam J, 7 June 1999

Hill v Holmes [1999] FCA 760
V257 of 1999, Goldberg J, 8 June 1999

Mercado v Holmes [2000] FCA 620
V 162 of 2000, Heerey J, 15 May 2000

Tankey v Adams [2000] FCA 1089, 104 FCR 152
Q185 of 1999, Ryan, O'Connor and Weinberg JJ, 10 August 2000

McFarlane v Batman [2000] FCA 1663
QG192 of 1997, Drummond J, 10 November 2000

Holmes v Mercado [2000] FCA 1848
V373 of 2000, Wilcox, Merkel and Weinberg JJ, 15 December 2000

McFarlane v Batman [2001] FCA 107
Q156 of 2000, Ryan, Dowsett and Hely JJ, 23 February 2001

Grey v Health Insurance Commission [2001] FCA 1257
V914 of 2000, Finkelstein J , 17 September 2001

Christie v The Honourable A R Neaves [2001] FCA 1401
N329 of 2001, Conti J, 4 October 2001

Pradhan v Holmes [2001] FCA 1560
S12 of 2001, Finn J, 8 November 2001

Tisdall v Health Insurance Commission [2002] FCA 97
V849 of 2000, Tamberlin J, 15 February 2002

Tisdall v Health Insurance Commission (No.2) [2002] FCA 149
V849 of 2000, Tamberlin J, 15 February 2002

Health Insurance Commission v Grey [2002] FCAFC 130
V1112 of 2001, Beaumont, Sundberg and Allsop JJ, 15 May 2002

Traill v McRae [2002] FCAFC 235
V677 of 2001, Sackville, Kenny and Allsop JJ, 16 August 2002

Hill v Keith [2002] FCAFC 7
V759 of 2001, Beaumont, Sundberg and Allsop JJ, 20 August 2002

Doan v Health Insurance Commission [2002] FCA 1160
V202 of 2002, Marshall J, 18 September 2002

Crowley v Holmes [2002] FCA 1585
V259 of 2002, North J, 18 December 2002

Piesse v Grigor, unreported
V870 of 2002, Gray J, 15 January 2003

Crowley v Holmes [2003] FCA 331
V259 of 2002, North J, 25 March 2003

Crowley v Holmes [2003] FCA 414
V273 of 2003, Goldberg J, 6 May 2003

Daniel v Health Insurance Commission [2004] FCA 772
V785 of 2002, Ryan J, 28 July 2003

Crowley v Holmes [2003] FCAFC 189
V30 of 2003, Madgwick, Finklestein and Dowsett JJ, 21 August 2003

Tisdall v Health Insurance Commission [2003] FCAFC 198
V143 of 2002, Madgwick, Finkelstein and Dowsett JJ, 22 August 2003

Kelly v Daniel [2004] FCAFC 14
V657 of 2003, Marshall, North and Weinberg JJ, 6 February 2004

Lee v Maskell-Knight [2004] FCAFC 2
N552 of 2003, Hill, Marshall and Finkelstein JJ, 7 April 2004

Freeman v Health Insurance Commission [2004] FCA 453
V765 of 2002, North J, 19 April 2004

Crowley v Holmes [2004] FCA 521
V492 of 2004, Sundberg J, 28 April 2004

Oreb v Committee 298 [2004] FCA 888
N956 of 2003, Jacobson J, 7 July 2004

Oreb v Committee 298 [2004] FCA 1408
N1316 of 2002, Jacobson J, 28 October 2004

Oreb v Willcock [2004] FCA 1520
N1316 of 2002, Jacobson J, 30 November 2004

Hatcher v Cohn [2004] FCA 1548
Q81 of 2003, Kiefel J, 30 November 2004

Dimian v HIC [2004] FCA 1615
N111 of 2004, Jacobson J, 8 December 2004

Freeman v HIC [2004] FCAFC 335
V613 of 2004, Kiefel, Marshall and Downes JJ, 22 December 2004

Selim v Lele [2005] FCA 24
N1723 of 2003, Jacobson J, 7 February 2005

Lee v Grigor [2005] FCA 25
N1430 of 2003, Jacobson J, 7 February 2005

Lee v Kelly [2005] FCA 26
N568 of 2003, Jacobson J, 7 February 2005

Tisdall v Kelly [2005] FCA 365
N365 of 2005, Gray J, 8 April 2005

Tisdall v Blazow [2005] FCAFC 190, VID 45 of 2005, Heerey, Sundberg and North JJ, 7 September 2005

Oreb v Willcock [2005] FCAFC 196, NSD 1951 of 2004, Black CJ, Wilcox and Lander JJ, 16 September 2005

Lee v Kelly [2005] FCAFC 197, NSD 304 of 2005, Black CJ, Wilcox and Lander JJ, 16 September 2005

Lee v Grigor [2005] FCAFC 198, NSD 303 of 3005, Black CJ, Wilcox and Lander JJ, 16 September 2005

Cohn v Hatcher [2005] FCAFC 199, QUD 282 of 2004, Black CJ, Wilcox and Lander JJ, 16 September 2005

Dimian v HIC [2005] FCAFC 200, NSD 1950 of 2004, Black CJ, Wilcox and Lander JJ, 16 September 2005

Wong v PSR Committee No. 339 [2005] FCA 1351, N141 of 2004, Jacobson J, 16 September 2005

Selim v Lele [2006] FCA 126, N1723 of 2003, Stone J, 23 February 2006

Matthews v Health Insurance Commission [2006] FCA 195, N1584 of 2004, Edmonds J, 10 March 2006

Bham v Determining Authority [2006] FCA 589, WAD 23 of 2005 Siopis J, 18 May 2006

Ho v Grigor, NSD 744 of 2006
Do v Willcock, NSD 745 of 2006 [2006] FCAFC 72, French, Stone and Besanko JJ, 19 May 2006