Gageler
J
8.
Berbatis Holdings Pty Ltd9 that s 78B "does not impose on the Court a duty not
to proceed pending the issue of a notice no matter how trivial, unarguable or
concluded the constitutional point may be". To give rise to the obligation not to
proceed without notice a cause pending in court must truly "involve" a matter
arising under the Constitution or involving its interpretation. As Toohey J stated
in Re Finlayson; Ex parte Finlayson10, in a passage quoted with approval by
Gummow, Hayne and Callinan JJ in Glennan v Commissioner of Taxation11,
"[I]n terms of s 78B, a cause does not 'involve' a matter arising under the
Constitution or involving its interpretation merely because someone asserts that it
does". In short, the constitutional point must be real and substantial.
30
Given that Senator Culleton's summons is interlocutory, and important to
be dealt with expeditiously, I also incline to the view that s 78B(5) operates to
relieve the Court of the strictures of s 78B(1). In my opinion, it is in the interests
of justice that the giving by the Full Court of its answers to the questions referred
by the Senate not be further delayed.
31
The second category of order which Senator Culleton seeks by his
summons of 12 January 2017 arises from events which have occurred since the
hearing before the Full Court on 7 December 2016. Those events are as follows.
32
On 23 December 2016, Barker J in the Federal Court ordered that the
estate of Senator Culleton be sequestrated under the Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth).
His Honour stayed all proceedings under the sequestration order for a period of
21 days. On 11 January 2017, Senator Culleton filed a Notice of Appeal from
the sequestration order to the Full Court of the Federal Court. The appeal was
heard by the Full Court of the Federal Court on 27 January 2017 and judgment
on the appeal is reserved. Pending the determination of the appeal, all
proceedings under the sequestration order have continued to be stayed by
successive orders of Dowsett J, Allsop CJ and the Full Court.
33
Section 44(iii) of the Constitution provides that a person who "is an
undischarged bankrupt or insolvent ... shall be incapable of being chosen or of
sitting as a senator". Section 45 provides that if a Senator becomes subject to
such disability, "his place shall thereupon become vacant". Section 21 provides
that whenever a vacancy happens in the Senate, the President must notify that
vacancy to the Governor of the State in the representation of which the vacancy
has happened. Section 15 sets out a mechanism for the filling of a vacancy in the
Senate by the Governor of the State or the Houses of Parliament of the State.
9
(1999) 95 FCR 292 at 297 [14].
10
(1997) 72 ALJR 73 at 74.
11
(2003) 77 ALJR 1195 at 1197 [14]; 198 ALR 250 at 253; [2003] HCA 31.