Walker Corporation Pty Ltd v The Owners - Strata Plan No 61618 [2022] NSWSC 1246

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Walker Corporation Pty Ltd v The Owners - Strata Plan No 61618 [2022] NSWSC 1246 Hearing dates: 15 August 2022 Date of orders: 16 September 2022 Decision date: 16 September 2022 Jurisdiction: Equity - Expedition List Before: Parker J Decision: See [177]-[178] Catchwords: LAND LAW – strata title – leasehold development scheme under Strata Schemes Development Act 2015 – building subdivision includes part strata parcels – building management committee appoints managing agent – building's strata management statement and constituent strata scheme by-laws require constituent owners' corporations to "appoint and retain" building managing agent as strata managing agent for constituent strata schemes – validity – uncertainty – ultra vires – inconsistency with Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 Legislation Cited: Australian Constitution, s 109 Companies Act 1929 (19 & 20 Geo 5 c 23) Companies Act 1936, s 22 Contracts Review Act 1980 Conveyancing Act 1919 Conveyancing Amendment (Building Management Statements) Act 2001 Conveyancing (Strata Titles) Act 1961, s 13 Joint Stock Companies Act 1856 (19 & 20 Vict c 47), ss 9, 10 Joint Stock Companies Winding-up Act 1848 (11 & 12 Vict c 45) Joint Stock Companies Winding-up Amendment Act 1849 (12 & 13 Vict c 108) Real Property Act 1900 Strata Schemes Development Act 2015, ss 3, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, Sch 4 cll 1, 2, 3, 4 Strata Schemes (Freehold Development) Act 1973 Strata Schemes (Leasehold Development) Act 1986 Strata Schemes Management Act 1996, ss 27, 28 Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, ss 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 42, 49, 50, 52, 54, 58, 59, 60, 71, 72, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 146, 147, 148, 150, 226, 232, 237, 260 Strata Titles Act 1973, s 78 Strata Titles (Leasehold) Act 1986 Strata Titles (Leasehold Part Strata) Amendment Act 1992 Strata Titles (Part Strata) Amendment Act 1992 Cases Cited: Australian Coal & Shale Employees' Federation v Smith (1937) 38 SR (NSW) 48 Bailey v New South Wales Medical Defence Union Limited (1995) 185 CLR 399 Buck v Robson (1870) LR 10 Eq 629 Cooper v Owners – Strata Plan No 58068 (2020) 103 NSWLR 160 Ferdinands v Commissioner for Public Employment (2006) 225 CLR 130 Fitzgerald v Masters (1956) 95 CLR 420 Gillett v Halwood Corporation Ltd [1998] NSWCA 281 Italian Forum Ltd v Owners – Strata Plan 60919 [2012] NSWSC 895 National Roads and Motorists' Association v Parkin (2004) 60 NSWLR 224 Noon v Owners – Strata Plan No 22422 [2014] NSWSC 1260 North Wind v Proprietors – Strata Plan 3143 [1981] 2 NSWLR 809 Owners of Strata Plan No 3397 v Tate (2007) 70 NSWLR 344 Robinson's Executor's Case (1856) 6 De GM & G 572; 43 ER 1356 Scott v Frank F Scott (London) Limited [1940] Ch 794 Westfield Management Ltd v Perpetual Trustee Company Ltd (2007) 233 CLR 528 White v Betalli (2006) 66 NSWLR 690 White v Betalli (2007) 71 NSWLR 381 Texts Cited: Pearce, DC and Argument, S, Delegated Legislation in Australia (LexisNexis Butterworths, 5th ed, 2017) Sealy, LS, Cases and Materials in Company Law (Butterworths, 5th ed, 1992) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Walker Corporation Pty Limited (Plaintiff) The Owners - Strata Plan No 61618 (First Defendant) Robert Edmund Quickenden (Second Defendant) Jeffrey Kent Smoot (Third Defendant) Alexander Peter Kathestides (Fourth Defendant) Cynthia Jean Jackson-Nagy (Fifth Defendant) Fotoulla Lazaridis (Sixth Defendant) Paul Margolin (Seventh Defendant) Vivian Paraskevi Mavrocordatos (Eighth Defendant) The Owners - Strata Plan No 61770 (Ninth Defendant) Annabelle Romaine Warren (Tenth Defendant) Laslo Abonyi Nagy (Eleventh Defendant) Lilting House Pty Limited (Twelfth Defendant) The Owners - Strata Plan No 61619 (Thirteenth Defendant) Douglas Thomas Dean (Fourteenth Defendant) Schielang Pty Limited (Fifteenth Defendant) Anthony Mervyn MacDonald Miller (Sixteenth Defendant) Hall Plain Superannuation Fund Pty Limited (Seventeenth Defendant) Christopher William Townsend (Eighteenth Defendant) McCormacks NSW Pty Limited (Nineteenth Defendant) Strata Choice Pty Limited (Twentieth Defendant)