McIntosh v Lennon [2024] NSWSC 169

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: McIntosh v Lennon [2024] NSWSC 169 Hearing dates: 5 October 2023 Date of orders: 29 February 2024 Decision date: 29 February 2024 Jurisdiction: Common Law - Administrative Law Before: Payne JA Decision: (1) Leave to appeal is granted. (2) The summons filed 21 April 2023 is dismissed. (3) The plaintiff is to pay the defendants' costs of the appeal to this Court. Catchwords: BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION – Home Building Act 1989 (NSW) – enforcement of Part 2C statutory warranties against owner-builder – where owner undertook residential building work without an owner-builder permit – whether owner was "owner-builder" STATUTORY INTERPRETATION – definition of "owner-builder" in Home Building Act – where on literal reading definition extends only to those who had an owner-builder permit – whether definition should be extended to those required to obtain an owner-builder permit but did not – purposive construction – whether legal meaning of definition's actual words differs from literal meaning – whether permissible to read definition as if it contained additional words – principles for reading additional words into statute Legislation Cited: Building Services Corporation Act 1989 (NSW) Building Services Corporation Legislation Amendment Act 1996 (NSW) Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013 (NSW) ss 80, 83 Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) s 98 Criminal Procedure Act 1986 (NSW) s 179 Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) Pt 1, sch 5, s 6.6 Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW) s 52A Home Building Act 1989 (NSW) Pt 2C, Pt 3, Pt 4, Pt 6, Pt 6AA, ss 12, 18B, 18C, 18D, 29, 30, 31, 32, 32AA, 90, 92, 95, 96, 98, 99, 100, 102A, 103F, 127A; sch 1 cll 1, 2, Home Building Amendment Act 2014 (NSW) Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) s 33 Land Tax Management Act 1956 (NSW) Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) Pt 1, s 113 Local Government Act 2020 (Vic) s 224 Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 (NSW) s 138 Sentencing Act 1991 (Vic) s 37; sch 3 cl 5 Sentencing Amendment (Community Correction Reform) Act 2011 (Vic) s 21 Work Health Act 1986 (NT) s 3 Conveyancing (Sale of Land) Regulation 2022 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) rr 42.1, 50.12 Cases Cited: Carr v Western Australian (2007) 232 CLR 138; [2007] HCA 47 Chief Municipal Inspector - Local Government v Mohamud (2021) 66 VR 1; [2021] VSC 787 Ciaglia v Ciaglia (2010) 269 ALR 175; [2010] NSWSC 341 CIC Insurance Ltd v Bankstown Football Club Ltd (1997) 187 CLR 384; [1997] HCA 2 Coal & Allied Operations Pty Ltd v Crossley [2023] NSWCA 182 Comlin Holdings Pty Ltd v Metlej Developments Pty Ltd [2018] NSWSC 761 Commissioner for Railways (NSW) v Agalianos (1955) 92 CLR 390; [1955] HCA 27 Commissioner of Police, New South Wales Police Force v Fine (2014) 87 NSWLR 1; [2014] NSWCA 327 Cooper Brookes (Wollongong) Pty Ltd v Federal Commissioner of Taxation (1981) 147 CLR 297; [1981] HCA 26 Cooper v Owners - Strata Plan No 58068 (2020) 103 NSWLR 160; [2020] NSWCA 250 De Marco v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue (NSW) (2013) 83 NSWLR 445; [2013] NSWCA 86 Department for Health and Ageing v Li (2018) 130 SASR 578; [2018] SASCFC 52 DPP (Vic) v Leys (2012) 44 VR 1; [2012] VSCA 304 Federal Commissioner of Taxation v Consolidated Media Holdings Ltd (2012) 250 CLR 503; [2012] HCA 55 Goldsmith v Bisset (No 3) (2015) 71 MVR 53; [2015] NSWSC 634 Greylag Goose Leasing 1410 Designated Activity Company v PT Garuda Indonesia Ltd (2023) 111 NSWLR 550; [2023] NSWCA 134 Gunn v Steain [2003] NSWSC 1076 HFM043 v Republic of Nauru (2018) 359 ALR 176; [2018] HCA 37 Holden v Nuttall [1945] VLR 171 Igaki Australia Pty Ltd v Coastmine Pty Ltd (1996) 34 IPR 37; (1996) FCA 207 Inco Europe Ltd v First Choice Distribution (a firm) [2000] 1 WLR 586 Jones v Wrotham Park Settled Estates [1980] AC 74 Kelly v The Queen (2004) 218 CLR 216; [2004] HCA 12 Latoudis v Casey (1990) 170 CLR 534; [1990] HCA 59 Lawson v Western Australia (No 3) (2018) 85 MVR 160; [2018] WASCA 129 Lowe v The Queen (2015) 48 VR 351; [2015] VSCA 327 Oshlack v Richmond River Council (1998) 193 CLR 72; [1998] HCA 11 Probuild Constructions (Aust) Pty Ltd v Shade Systems Pty Ltd (2018) 264 CLR 1; [2018] HCA 4 Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority (1998) 194 CLR 355; [1998] HCA 28 Proudman v Dayman (1941) 67 CLR 536; [1941] HCA 28 R v PLV (2001) 51 NSWLR 736; [2001] NSWCCA 282 R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681; [1999] NSWCCA 166 SAS Trustee Corporation v Miles (2018) 265 CLR 137; [2018] HCA 55 Sorbello & Donelly v Whan [2007] NSWSC 951 SZTAL v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2017) 262 CLR 362; [2017] HCA 34 Taylor v The Owners – Strata Plan No 11564 (2014) 253 CLR 531; [2014] HCA 9 Thompson v Goold & Co [1910] AC 409 Thompson v Groote Eylandt Mining Company (2003) 173 FLR 72; [2003] NTCA 5 Vitality Works Australia Pty Ltd v Yelda (No 2) (2021) 105 NSWLR 403; [2021] NSWCA 147 Texts Cited: New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), 30 October 1996 at 27-28 New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), 6 May 2014 at 28221 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Alan Patrick McIntosh (plaintiff) Stephen Mark Lennon (first defendant) Glenda Lennon (second defendant) Representation: Counsel: C Simpson (plaintiff) A Crossland (first and second defendants)