A fundamental element of fair procedures is that a protection applicant who does not understand English be provided with a competent interpreter at a hearing in order to enable him to follow proceedings and to make himself properly understood. Where this is not done, a protection decision is likely to be set aside as having been made in breach of fair procedures, particularly where an interpreter’s inability to convey the applicant’s evidence properly has led to a material mistake of fact by the protection decision-maker. In such cases, a protection decision-maker should consider granting an adjournment to enable the services of a suitable interpreter to be obtained.