Part 12
Repeals, transitional provisions, saving provisions, and related matters
Transitional and savings provisions:
Appeals and other matters in relation to appellate bodies
449Persons eligible to appeal to Refugee Status Appeals Authority before former Act repealed
Subsection (2) applies to a person if,—
- immediately before the commencement of section 404 of this Act, the person was eligible to appeal to the Refugee Status Appeals Authority under the former Act; and
- the person exercises the right on or after the date of that commencement.
Despite section 404 of this Act, the person's appeal must be—
- lodged in accordance with the time frames specified for an appeal of that type under the former Act; but
- determined by the Tribunal as if it were an appeal to the Tribunal under section 194(1) or 195, as the case may be.
Subsection (2) is subject to subsection (4).
If the person's appeal is in respect of a decision by a refugee status officer to refuse to consider a subsequent claim (within the meaning of section 129B of the former Act) on the grounds that the circumstances in the person's home country have not changed to such an extent that the subsequent claim is based on significantly different grounds to a previous claim, the Tribunal must determine the appeal in accordance with the relevant provisions of the former Act and, for that purpose, the Tribunal is, in addition to its powers and functions under this Act, deemed to have all the necessary powers and functions of the Refugee Status Appeals Authority. However, if the Tribunal determines that the subsequent claim should be considered, the Tribunal must then determine the matter as if it were an appeal to the Tribunal under section 194(1)(c) of this Act.