104 Review initiated by Secretary  
(1)
The Secretary may, if satisfied that there is sufficient reason to do so, review a decision of any officer under the family assistance law.

(2)
The Secretary may review the decision even if an application has been made to the Social Security Appeals Tribunal or the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for review of the decision.

(3)
The Secretary must not review the decision under this section while any review of the decision is taking place under section 105 .

(4)
The Secretary may:

(a) affirm the decision; or

(b) vary the decision; or

(c) set the decision aside and substitute a new decision.

(5)
If the Secretary makes a decision to do one of the things in paragraph (4)(b) or (c), the Secretary must give notice of the decision to the person whose entitlement, or possible entitlement, to family assistance is affected by the decision. The notice must state the effect of the decision and that the person may apply for review of the decision involved in the manner set out in this Part.

(6)
A contravention of subsection (5) in relation to a decision does not affect the validity of the decision.

(7)
If:

(a) the Secretary makes a decision to do one of the things in paragraph (4)(b) or (c); and

(b) by the time the Secretary makes that decision, a person has applied to the Social Security Appeals Tribunal or the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for review of the decision that was reviewed by the Secretary;

the Secretary must give written notice of the Secretary's decision under that paragraph to the Executive Director or the Registrar of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, as the case requires.

(8)
If:

(a) the Secretary sets a decision aside under subsection (4); and

(b) the Secretary is satisfied that an event that did not occur would have occurred if the decision had not been made;

the Secretary may, if satisfied that it is reasonable to do so, deem the event to have occurred for the purposes of the family assistance law.

105 Review initiated by applicant  
(1)
A person affected by a decision of an officer under the family assistance law (other than a decision made by the Secretary personally) may apply to the Secretary for review of the decision.

(2)
If the person does so, the Secretary must either:

(a) review the decision and:

(i) affirm the decision; or

(ii) vary the decision; or

(iii) set the decision aside and substitute a new decision; or

(b) arrange for an authorised review officer (see section 106 ) to do so.

(3)
Whoever reviews the decision in accordance with subsection (2) (the decision reviewer ) must, after conducting the review, give the applicant written notice of his or her decision to affirm or vary the decision reviewed, or to set it aside and substitute a new decision.

(4)
If:

(a) the decision reviewer sets the decision aside after reviewing the decision under subsection (2); and

(b) the decision reviewer is satisfied that an event that did not occur would have occurred if the decision had not been made;

the decision reviewer may, if satisfied that it is reasonable to do so, deem the event to have occurred for the purposes of the family assistance law.

(5)
If:

(a) a person who may apply to the Secretary for a review of a decision under subsection (1) has not done so; and

(b) the person applies to the Social Security Appeals Tribunal for review of the decision (despite not being entitled to do so);

the person is taken to have applied to the Secretary for review of the decision under subsection (1) on the day on which the person applied to the Social Security Appeals Tribunal.

106 Authorised review officers  
(1)
The Secretary must authorise officers to be authorised review officers for the purposes of this Division.

(2)
The Secretary must not authorise an officer of an agency other than the Department unless the head of the agency has agreed to the authorisation.
107 Review applications - withdrawal  
(1)
(Repealed by No 192 of 1999.)

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S 107(1) repealed by No 192 of 1999, s 3 and Sch 4 item 1, effective 1 July 2000. S 107(1) formerly read:

(1)
Application to be made within 52 weeks of notification of decision

Subject to subsections (2) and (3), an application for review under section 105 must be made no later than 52 weeks after the applicant is notified of the decision concerned.

(2)
(Repealed by No 192 of 1999.)

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S 107(2) repealed by No 192 of 1999, s 3 and Sch 4 item 1, effective 1 July 2000. S 107(2) formerly read:

(2)
Exception - Secretary determines special circumstances exist

The Secretary may determine special circumstances in which an application may be made after the 52 weeks mentioned in subsection (1). The determination is a disallowable instrument for the purposes of section 46A of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 .

(3)
(Repealed by No 192 of 1999.)

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S 107(3) repealed by No 192 of 1999, s 3 and Sch 4 item 1, effective 1 July 2000. S 107(3) formerly read:

(3)
Exception - making of regulations

The regulations may prescribe circumstances in which an application may be made after the 52 weeks mentioned in subsection (1).

Withdrawal of application

(4)
An applicant for review under section 105 may, in writing or in any other manner approved by the Secretary, withdraw the application at any time before the decision reviewer does any of the things in subsection 105(2) .

(5)
If an application is so withdrawn, it is taken never to have been made.
108 Secretary may continue payment pending outcome of application for review  
(1)
If:

(a) an adverse family assistance decision (see subsection (4)) is made; and

(b) the adverse decision depends on the exercise of a discretion, or the holding of an opinion, by a person; and

(c) a person applies to the Secretary under section 105 for review of the adverse decision;

the Secretary may declare that entitlement to the family assistance is to continue, pending the determination of the review, as if the adverse decision had not been made.

(2)
While the declaration is in force in relation to the adverse decision, this Act (other than this Part) applies as if the adverse decision had not been made.

(3)
The declaration:

(a) starts to have effect on the day on which it is made or on the earlier day (if any) specified in the declaration; and

(b) stops having effect if:

(i) the application for review of the adverse decision is withdrawn; or

(ii) the review of the adverse decision is determined by the Secretary or an authorised review officer; or

(iii) the declaration is revoked by the Secretary.

(4)
In this section:

adverse family assistance decision
means any decision having the effect that an entitlement to family assistance under a determination is reduced or ceases.

109 Notification of further rights of review  
(1)
If the decision reviewer gives an applicant a notice under subsection 105(3) , the notice must include:

(a) a statement to the effect that the applicant may, subject to this Part, apply to the Social Security Appeals Tribunal for review of the decision reviewer's decision mentioned in the notice; and

(b) a statement about the decision reviewer's decision that:

(i) sets out the reasons for the decision; and

(ii) sets out the findings by the decision reviewer on material questions of fact; and

(iii) refers to the evidence or other material on which those findings were based; and

(c) a statement to the effect that, if the applicant is dissatisfied with the Social Security Appeals Tribunal's decision on any application for review as mentioned in paragraph (a), the applicant may, subject to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 , apply to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for review of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal's decision.

(2)
A contravention of subsection (1) in relation to a decision does not affect the validity of the decision.