Brownley v State of Western Australia [1999] FCA 1139

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

BROWNLEY v STATE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA [1999] FCA 1139 NATIVE TITLE – permissible future acts – proposal to grant mining leases – obligation on Government party to negotiate in good faith – application for review of Tribunal's decision that Government party had met requirement to negotiate in good faith – whether Government party had to make "reasonable substantive offers" – whether "negotiate in good faith" imports a subjective element – whether there was evidence to support the Tribunal's findings – whether Government party's refusal to pay compensation demonstrated an absence of good faith – whether delay in negotiations demonstrated an absence of good faith. Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 (Cth) s 10 Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) Pt 2 Div 3; ss 13, 29, 31(1)(b), 35, 39, 75(1), 139(b), 169, 169(1) Native Title Amendment Act 1998 (Cth) J B Atleson, Values and Assumptions in American Labor Law (Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1983) H Beale, "Legislative Control of Fairness: The Directive on Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts", Good Faith and Fault in Contract Law, J Beatson, D Friedmann (eds), (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995) J Edwards, Negotiating Parties and Equitable Estoppel: Is There a Duty of Good Faith? (1999) 27 ABLR 300 Walley v Western Australia (1996) 67 FCR 366 cited North Ganalanja Aboriginal Corporation v The State of Queensland (1996) 185 CLR 595 cited Wacando v The Commonwealth (1981) 148 CLR 1 cited Western Australia v Taylor (1996) 134 FLR 211 cited Maclay v Dixon [1944] 1 All ER 22 cited Delgamuukw v British Columbia [1997] 3 SCR 1010 cited Smith v Morrison [1974] 1 WLR 659 cited Jones v Gordon (1877) 2 App Cas 616 cited Central Estates (Belgravia) Ltd v Woolgar [1971] 3 All ER 647 cited Risk v Williamson (1998) 155 ALR 393 discussed International Alpaca Management Pty Ltd v Ensor (1995) 133 ALR 561 cited Royal Brunei Airlines SDN. BHD. v Philip Tan Kok Ming [1995] 2 AC 378 cited Strickland v Minister for Lands for Western Australia (1998) 85 FCR 303 cited Puhlhofer v Hillingdon London Borough Council [1986] AC 484 cited TREVOR JOHN BROWNLEY & ORS ON BEHALF OF THE BIBILA LUNGUTJARRA (WALJEN) PEOPLE v THE STATE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA & ORS WAG 151 OF 1998 LEE J 19 AUGUST 1999 PERTH