Aboriginal Housing Office v Jacky [2022] NSWSC 916

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Aboriginal Housing Office v Jacky [2022] NSWSC 916 Hearing dates: 12 May 2022 Date of orders: 08 July 2022 Decision date: 08 July 2022 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Richmond J Decision: The Court declares that the trust known as the "Dunghutti Aboriginal Elders Tribal Council Trust", the terms of which are contained in a trust deed dated 22 October 2001 as between the Dunghutti Aboriginal Elders Tribal Council (in liquidation) as settlor, the Aboriginal Housing Office as trustee and the then Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (now succeeded by the Commonwealth of Australia) ("the Trust") is not a charitable trust. Catchwords: EQUITY — trusts and trustees — charitable trusts — whether trust is a trust for persons or for purposes — whether a trust is a charitable trust for the relief of poverty — whether a trust is a charitable trust for other purposes beneficial to the community Legislation Cited: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Act 1989 (Cth) Aboriginal Housing Act 1998 (NSW) Statute of Charitable Uses 1601 (43 Eliz I, c 4) Cases Cited: Aboriginal Hostels Ltd v Darwin City Council (1985) 33 NTR 1 Alice Springs Town Council v Mpweteyerre Aboriginal Corp & Ors (1997) 115 NTR 25 Attorney-General (NSW) v Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd (1940) 63 CLR 209; [1940] HCA 12 Byrnes v Kendle (2011) 243 CLR 253; [2011] HCA 26 Cant v Kirby [2011] NSWSC 1193 Commissioner of Taxation (Cth) v Bargwanna (2012) 244 CLR 655; [2012] HCA 11 Dareton Aboriginal Land Council v Wentworth Council (1995) 89 LGERA 120 Davies v Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd [1959] AC 439 Dingle v Turner [1972] AC 601 Downing v Federal Commissioner of Taxation (1971) 125 CLR 185; [1971] HCA 38 Gartside v Inland Revenue Commissioners [1968] AC 553 Groote Eylandt Aboriginal Trust Inc v Deloitte, Touche & Tohmatsu (No 2) (2017) 169 NTR 1; [2017] NTSC 4 Income Tax Special Purposes Commissioners v Pemsel [1891] AC 531 Inland Revenue Commissioners v McMullen [1981] AC 1 Kauter v Hilton (1953) 90 CLR 86; [1953] HCA 95 Korda v Australian Executor Trustees (SA) Ltd (2015) 255 CLR 62; [2015] HCA 6 Lachlan v HP Mercantile Pty Ltd (2015) 89 NSWLR 198; [2015] NSWCA 130 Latimer v Commissioner of Inland Revenue [2004] 1 WLR 1466 Mount Bruce Mining Pty Ltd v Wright Prospecting Pty Ltd (2015) 256 CLR 104; [2015] HCA 37 Onesteel Manufacturing Pty Ltd v Bluescape Steel (AIS) Pty Ltd (2013) 85 NSWLR 1; [2013] NSWCA 27 Oppenheim v Tobacco Securities Trust Co Ltd [1951] AC 297 Re Compton [1945] 1 Ch 123 Re Estate Polykarpou [2016] NSWSC 409; 16 ASTLR 400 Re Evans (dec'd) [1957] St R Qd 345 Re Gillespie (dec'd) [1965] VR 402 Re Income Tax Acts (No. 1) [1930] VLR 211 Re Mathew (deceased) [1951] VLR 226 Re Mills (1981) 27 SASR 200 Re Muir (dec'd) [1964] VR 529 Re Niyazi's Will Trusts [1978] 3 All ER 785 Re Scarisbrick's Will Trusts [1951] Ch 622 S&C Nicola Pty Ltd v Peter Holmes Investment Pty Ltd [2022] NSWCA 72 Shire of Derby-West Kimberley v Yungngora Association Inc [2007] WASCA 233; 157 LGERA 238 Stratton v Simpson (1970) 125 CLR 138; [1970] HCA 45 Thompson v Federal Commissioner of Taxation (1959) 102 CLR 315; [1959] HCA 66 Verge v Somerville [1924] AC 496 Victims Compensation Fund Corporation v Brown (2003) 77 ALJR 1797; [2003] HCA 54 YWCA Australia v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue [2020] NSWSC 1798 Texts Cited: GE Dal Pont, Law of Charity (3rd ed, 2021, LexisNexis) JD Heydon and MJ Leeming, Jacobs' Law of Trusts in Australia (8th ed, 2016, LexisNexis Butterworths) Scott, The Law of Trusts (3rd ed, 1967, Little, Brown and Company) Scott, Fratcher and Ascher, Scott and Ascher on Trusts (5th ed, 2006, Aspen Publishers) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Aboriginal Housing Office (First Plaintiff) Attorney General for the State of New South Wales (Second Plaintiff) Mabel Mary Jacky (First Defendant) Venus Maree White (née Dungay) (Second Defendant) Josephine Maree Dungay (Third Defendant) Cynthia Dungay (Fourth Defendant) Robert Dungay (Fifth Defendant) Campbell Dungay (Sixth Defendant) Isabelle Moran (Seventh Defendant) Racheal Dungay (Eighth Defendant) Candice Dungay (Ninth Defendant) Hilda Campbell (Tenth Defendant) Richard Patrick Campbell (Eleventh Defendant) George Douglas (Twelfth Defendant) Andrea Douglas (Thirteenth Defendant) Victor Wright (Fourteenth Defendant) Rhonda Smith (Fifteenth Defendant) Representation: Counsel: D Barlin (First Plaintiff) P Singleton (Second Plaintiff) A Greinke (First Defendant) D Tang (Second Defendant and Third Defendant) P Bolster (Fourth Defendant, Fifth Defendant, Sixth Defendant, Seventh Defendant, Eighth Defendant and Ninth Defendant) G Watson SC (Fifteenth Defendant)