Environment Protection Authority v McMurray [2024] NSWLEC 6

Land and Environment Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Environment Protection Authority v McMurray [2024] NSWLEC 6 Hearing dates: 22 September 2023 Date of orders: 07 February 2024 Decision date: 07 February 2024 Jurisdiction: Class 6 Before: Duggan J Decision: See paragraph 106 Catchwords: CRIMINAL APPEAL – Environmental Offences – Liability of Councils and directors – special executive liability – s 169(1) of Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) – statutory construction – construction of "to and in respect of"– whether such an expression is to be read disjunctively or conjunctively – ordinary and grammatical meaning of "and" is conjunctive – assistance of extrinsic material – s 220(4) of Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) – costs limitations imposed upon lower courts Legislation Cited: Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act 2001 (NSW) Criminal Procedure Act 1986 (NSW) Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) Local Government Amendment (Legal Status) Act 2008 (NSW) Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) Cases Cited: Barton v The Queen (1980) 147 CLR 75 Botany Bay City Council v Inspector Derek Pryor [2009] NSWIRComm 12 Cooper Brookes (Wollongong) Pty Ltd v Federal Commissioner of Taxation (1981) 147 CLR 297 Director- General, Department of Environment and Climate Change v Gleeson & Ors (No 2) [2009] NSWLEC 200 Environment Protection Authority v Forbes Shire Council [2014] NSWLEC 26 Environment Protection Authority v Queanbeyan City Council (No 3) [(2012) 192 LGERA 415 Environment Protection Authority v Wyong Shire Council [2012] NSWLEC 36 Garrett v Freeman (No 4) [2007] NSWLEC 389 Jago v District Court of New South Wales (1989) 168 CLR 23 Mills v Meeking (1990) 169 CLR 214 Minister Administering the Crown Lands Act 1989 v New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council [2018] NSWLEC 26 Taylor v The Owners - Strata Plan No 11564 (2014) 253 CLR 531 Texts Cited: Dennis C Pearce, Statutory Interpretation in Australia (9th ed, 2019, LexisNexis) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Environment Protection Authority (Appellant) Phillip Anthony McMurray (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: R Coffey (Appellant) M Fraser (Respondent)