James Ricketson, 68, will have to wait until January 31 for his bail hearing to again be heard in Cambodia's Supreme Court.
Authorities said Mr Ricketson's late arrival, due to an apparent bungled jail transfer, was the catalyst for the delayed announcement.
The filmmaker arrived for his hearing an hour after the delay was announced.
Cambodian authorities are investigating Mr Ricketson over his alleged links to the country's now-disbanded opposition party, which has been accused of attempting to overthrow the country's strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen.
In June, Mr Ricketson was arrested and accused of spying after a drone was flown over a political rally.
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He was sent to the notorious Prey Sar prison, in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh.
"I have a right to free speech under the Cambodian constitution," he said as he was led from the country's Supreme Court.
"I would like to think the Australian government would defend my right to free speech."
Mr Ricketson, who has traveled to Cambodia numerous times over the past 20 years, was filming a documentary about communities living in impoverished conditions in the country’s rubbish dumps, according to 9News.
Hun Sen's control over Cambodia is stronger than ever following the systematic removal of his rivals before a July election.
The crackdown culminated in the dissolution of the main opposition party in November, a move lambasted by western democracies as a naked power grab by the strongman, who is determined to extend his 32-year rule.
A call for Bishop to intervene
Roxanne Holmes, a formerly homeless child before she was taken in by Mr Ricketson, said her father was not a spy.
“James would be the worst spy ever. He is not a spy and never would be. James is my hero, he is the man who saved my life,” Ms Holmes told Nine News.
“But more importantly than saving me, he has gone on to save so many other children and adults in Cambodia.
“He does not deserve to be languishing in that prison. It’s gut wrenching and heart wrenching and I will move heaven and earth to bring him home.
Ms Holmes has started a petition calling on Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to use her diplomatic authority to secure Ricketson’s release.
“Why has Bishop remained so silent? This is a national disgrace and it’s an outcry. If our foreign minister cannot use diplomatic persuasion, get on that phone after all we do for Cambodia and have him deported and brought home, who can?” Ms Holmes said.
“She helped Schapelle Corby. James has never been convicted of drug smuggling, he is a filmmaker and a journalist. His only crime is documenting the truth.”
