Sader v Elgammal [2024] NSWCA 20

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Sader v Elgammal [2024] NSWCA 20 Hearing dates: 15 November 2023 Date of orders: 8 February 2024 Decision date: 08 February 2024 Before: Ward P at [1]; Meagher JA at [113]; Simpson AJA at [114] Decision: 1. Leave to appeal be granted pursuant to s 58(3)(a) of the Land and Environment Court Act 1979 (NSW). 2. The appeal be allowed with costs. 3. Set aside the order made by Pain J dismissing the applicants' notice of motion seeking access to the first respondent's property. 4. Pursuant to r 23.8 of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) order that the first respondent within 28 days provide access to the Property to a structural engineer appointed by the applicants, for the purpose of that structural engineer inspecting the areas referred to in these reasons as the Northern Slab and Southern Slab areas and taking photographs or other records of the inspection. 5. For the purpose of the inspection the subject of Order 4, the structural engineer may remove any topsoil, debris or building materials that are in place over the top of the areas of inspection and may (using reasonable care not to damage the area below any such topsoil, debris or building materials) take reasonable steps to identify the structure and characteristics of any material below the surface of any such topsoil, debris or building materials. Any material so removed must be replaced in as near as possible the same location and condition as when it was removed. Catchwords: ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING — Land and Environment Court — Practice and procedure — order for access — where concurrent contempt proceedings — privilege against self-exposure to penalty — waiver of privilege against self-exposure to penalty — where affidavit served but not read. Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Common Law Procedure Act 1854 (UK) Common Law Procedure Act 1899 (NSW), s 104 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), ss 122, 131A Land and Environment Court Act 1979 (NSW), s 58(3)(a) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 23.8, 31.19 Cases Cited: Accident Insurance Mutual Holdings Ltd v McFadden (1993) 31 NSWLR 412 Akins v Abigroup Ltd (1998) 43 NSWLR 539 Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Cadbury Schweppes Pty Ltd (2009) 174 FCR 547; [2009] FCAFC 32 Australian Institute of Fitness Pty Ltd v Australian Institute of Fitness (Vic/Tas) Pty Ltd (No 2) [2015] NSWSC 994 Australian Securities and Investments Commission v One Tech Media Ltd [2017] FCA 1080; (2017) 122 ACSR 572 Baldwin v State of New South Wales (2020) 102 NSWLR 447; [2020] NSWCA 112 Barnes v Australian Oil Refinery Limited (Supreme Court (NSW), Isaacs J, 20 April 1966, unrep) Barton v Australian Consolidated Press Ltd [1970] 3 NSWR 141 Blacktown City Council v Hocking [2008] NSWCA 144 BTR Engineering (Aust) Ltd v Patterson (1990) 20 NSWLR 724 Central Queensland Speleological Society Inc v Central Queensland Cement Pty Ltd (No 2) [1989] 2 Qd R 537 Charara v Commissioner of Police [2008] NSWCA 22 Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union v Boral Resources (Vic) Pty Ltd (2015) 256 CLR 375; [2015] HCA 21 Controlled Consultants Pty Ltd v Commissioner for Corporate Affairs (1985) 156 CLR 385; [1985] HCA 6 Council of the City of Sydney v Li [2012] NSWLEC 156 Environment Protection Authority v Caltex Refining Co Pty Limited (1993) 178 CLR 477; [1993] HCA 74 General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corp Ltd v Tanter (The "Zephyr") [1984] 1 WLR 100 Goode v Angland (2017) 96 NSWLR 503; [2017] NSWCA 311 Hinch v Attorney-General (Vic) (1987) 164 CLR 15; [1987] HCA 56 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499; [1936] HCA 40 Hunt Leather Pty Ltd v Transport for NSW [2022] NSWSC 1547 Ingot Capital v Macquarie Equity [2008] NSWSC 25 Kostov v YPOL Pty Ltd [2018] NSWCA 306 Liberty Funding Pty Ltd v Phoenix Capital Ltd [2005] FCAFC 3 Malass v Strathfield Municipal Council [2022] NSWLEC 116 Mann v Carnell (1999) 201 CLR 1; [1999] HCA 66 Meneses v Directed Electronics OE Pty Ltd (2019) 273 FCR 638; [2019] FCAFC 190 Oswin v Radio 2UE [1968] 1 NSWR 461 Rank Film Distributors Ltd v Video Information Centre [1982] AC 380 Reid v Howard (1995) 184 CLR 1; [1995] HCA 40 Sader v Elgammal (No 2) [2023] NSWLEC 92 Sevic v Roarty (1998) 44 NSWLR 287 Sorby v Commonwealth (1983) 152 CLR 281; [1983] HCA 10 Sutherland Shire Council v Perdikaris [2020] NSWLEC 111 Trade Practices Commission v Abbco Iceworks Pty Ltd (1994) 52 FCR 96; [1994] FCA 543 Varma v Varma [2010] NSWSC 786 Waugh Asset Management v Merrill Lynch [2010] NSWSC 197, WCX M4-M5 Link AT Pty Ltd v Acciona Infrastructure Projects Australia Pty Ltd [2022] NSWSC 375 Witham v Holloway (1995) 183 CLR 525; [1995] HCA 3 Texts Cited: JD Heydon, Cross on Evidence (11th ed, 2017, LexisNexis Butterworths) M Pearce, "Waiver of Penalty Privilege in Civil Penalty Proceedings" (2021) 95 Australian Law Journal 695 Professor David Rolph, Contempt (2023, Federation Press) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Mark Sader (First Applicant) Sandra Sader (Second Applicant) Yasser Elgammal (First Respondent) Abdul Hammoud (Second Respondent) State of New South Wales (Third Respondent) (Submitting appearance) Representation: Counsel: D A Hughes and J Farrell (Applicants) G James KC with J Reid (First Respondent)