Rookwood General Cemeteries Reserve Land Manager v Attorney-General NSW [2022] NSWSC 1763

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Rookwood General Cemeteries Reserve Land Manager v Attorney-General NSW [2022] NSWSC 1763 Hearing dates: 20 April 2022 Date of orders: 20 December 2022 Decision date: 20 December 2022 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Parker J Decision: See [302]-[305] Catchwords: EQUITY – trusts – charitable trusts – relationship with statute – Necropolis Act establishes cemetery with denominational burial grounds on Crown land – Necropolis Act vests denominational burial ground land in trustees and provides for appointment, removal, functions and responsibilities of trustees – Necropolis Act amended to bring appointment, removal, functions and responsibilities of trustees under Crown Lands Act – Necropolis Act repealed – Crown Lands Act re-enacted to vest land in Crown and extinguish any trust over burial ground land - whether Necropolis Act established charitable trust or only "statutory trust" over burial ground land and proceeds of operation of burial ground – effect of re-enactment of Crown Lands Act on burial ground proceeds Legislation Cited: Australian Colonies Waste Lands Act 1842, 5 & 6 Vict, c 36 (Imp) Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2013 Charitable Uses Act 1601, 43 Eliz 1, c 4 Church Act 1836, 6 & 7 Wm 4, c 71 (Imp) Constitution Statute 1855 (Imp) Conversion of Cemeteries Act 1974 Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) Crown Lands Act 1884 Crown Lands Act 1989 Crown Lands Alienation Act 1861 Crown Lands and Other Acts (Reserves) Amendment Act 1974 Crown Lands Consolidation Act 1913 Crown Land Management Act 2016 General Cemetery Act 1847 Interpretation Act 1987 Land Act 1933 (WA) Local Government Act 1919 Necropolis Act 1867 Necropolis Act 1901 Necropolis Act Amendment Act 1884 Necropolis (Additional Areas) Act 1893 Necropolis (Amendment) Act 1923 Necropolis (Amendment) Act 1954 Necropolis (Amendment) Act 1973 Necropolis (Amendment) Act 1986 New South Wales Constitution Act 1855, 18 & 19 Vict, c 54 (Imp) Public Parks Act 1854 Public Parks Act 1884 Public Parks Act 1902 Public Parks Act 1912 Public Trusts Act 1897 Public Trusts (Amendment) Act 1944 Rookwood Necropolis Amendment Act 2004 Rookwood Necropolis Repeal Act 2009 Trustee Act 1925 Cases Cited: Attorney-General (NSW) v Eagar (1864) 3 SCR (NSW) 234 Attorney-General (NSW) v Williams (1913) 13 SR (NSW) 295 Attorney-General (NSW) v Williams (1915) 19 CLR 343 Australian Communist Party v Commonwealth (1951) 83 CLR 1 Baba v Sheehan [2021] NSWCA 58 Bathurst City Council v PWC Properties Pty Ltd (1998) 195 CLR 566 Carr v Carr [2022] NSWSC 166 Fouche v Superannuation Fund Board (1952) 88 CLR 609 General Assembly of Free Church of Scotland v Lord Overtoun [1904] AC 515 Hobart International Airport Pty Ltd v Clarence City Council [2022] HCA 5 Kinloch v Secretary of State for India in Council (1882) 7 App Cas 619 London Association of Shipowners and Brokers v London India Docks Joint Committee [1892] 3 Ch 242 Mayor of Lyons v Advocate-General of Bengal (1876) 1 App Cas 91 Metropolitan Petar v Mitreski [2012] NSWSC 16 New South Wales v Commonwealth (1926) 38 CLR 74 New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council v Minister Administering the Crown Lands Act (2016) 260 CLR 232 Randwick Municipal Council v Rutledge (1959) 102 CLR 54 Re Eighmie; Colbourne v Wilks [1935] Ch 524 Re Manser; Attorney-General v Lucas [1905] 1 Ch 68 Re Vaughan; Vaughan v Thomas (1886) 33 Ch D 187 Registrar of Accident Compensation Tribunal v Commissioner of Taxation (1993) 178 CLR 145 Scottish Burial Reform & Cremation Society Ltd v Glasgow Corporation [1968] AC 138 Tomlin v Ford Credit Australia Ltd [2005] NSWSC 540 Wellington Capital Ltd v Australian Securities and Investments Commission (2014) 254 CLR 288 Western Australia v Ward (2002) 213 CLR 1 Williams v Attorney-General (NSW) (1913) 16 CLR 404 Texts Cited: Heydon, J D, Leeming, M J and Turner, P G, Meagher, Gummow & Lehane's Equity: Doctrines and Remedies (5th ed, 2015, LexisNexis Butterworths) Murray, L A, "Cemeteries in Nineteenth-Century New South Wales: Landscapes of Memory and Identity" (PhD Thesis, 2001, University of Sydney) (Permalink http://hdl.handle.net/2123/16784) Twomey, A, The Constitution of New South Wales (2004, The Federation Press) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Rookwood General Cemeteries Reserve Land Manager (Plaintiff) Attorney-General for New South Wales (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: AP Cheshire SC/A Oakes (Plaintiff) P Herzfeld SC/C Langford (Defendant)