Secretary, Department of Communities and Justice v Stewart [2024] NSWCA 59

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Secretary, Department of Communities and Justice v Stewart [2024] NSWCA 59 Hearing dates: 21 February 2024 Date of orders: 20 March 2024 Decision date: 20 March 2024 Before: Leeming JA [1]; Stern JA [19]; Griffiths AJA [125]. Decision: (1) The appeal is allowed. (2) Set aside the orders made by the Deputy President on 23 June 2023. (3) In lieu thereof: (a) Revoke the Certificate of Determination dated 28 June 2022; (b) Determine that the relevant earning period for the purpose of calculating the then respondent's pre-injury average weekly earnings is from 2 February 2020 to 31 January 2021. (4) Dismiss the notice of contention. (5) There be no order as to costs. Catchwords: STATUTORY INTERPRETATION – meaning of "unpaid leave" – whether a period of absence from work due to incapacity from an injury for which a worker was paid workers compensation constitutes a "period of unpaid leave" – cl 2(3)(a) of Sch 3 to the Workers Compensation Act 1987 (NSW) – reg 8E of the Workers Compensation Regulation 2016 (NSW) Legislation Cited: Annual Holidays Act 1944 (NSW), ss 4A, 14A(6) Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), Pt 2-2 Divs 5-10, ss 130, 525 Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW), ss 32-33 Long Service Leave Act 1987 (SA), ss 3, 8 Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 (Cth) Return to Work Act 2014 (SA), s 5 Subordinate Legislation Act 1989 (NSW) Workers' Compensation Act 1926 (NSW), s 9(1)(a) Workers Compensation Act 1987 (NSW), ss 2A, 4, 9, 32A, 33, 36-40, 49, 50, 147, Pt 10 Sch 3 Workers Compensation Amendment (Pre-injury Average Weekly Earnings) Regulation 2019 (NSW) Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment Act 2012 (NSW) Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment Act 2018 (NSW) Workers Compensation Regulation 2016 (NSW), regs 8B-8E Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1986 (SA), s 40 Workmen's Compensation Act 1910 (NSW), Sch 2, cl 2(d) Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998 (NSW), ss 3, 352-353 Cases Cited: Carr v Western Australia (2007) 232 CLR 138; [2007] HCA 47 CIC Insurance Ltd v Bankstown Football Club Ltd (1997) 187 CLR 384; [1997] HCA 2 Collector of Customs v Agfa-Gevaert Ltd (1996) 186 CLR 389; [1996] HCA 36 Commissioner of Taxation of the Commonwealth of Australia v Consolidated Media Holdings Ltd (2012) 250 CLR 503; [2012] HCA 55 Cooper Brookes (Wollongong) Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation of the Commonwealth of Australia (1981) 147 CLR 297; [1981] HCA 26 Environment Protection Authority v Orchard Holdings (NSW) Pty Ltd (in liq) (2014) 86 NSWLR 499; [2014] NSWCA 149 Flinders Ports Pty Ltd v Woolford (2015) 121 SASR 485; [2015] SASCFC 6 Hunter Quarries Pty Ltd v Mexon (2018) 98 NSWLR 526; [2018] NSWCA 178 K & S Lake City Freighters Pty Ltd v Gordon & Gotch Ltd (1985) 157 CLR 309; [1985] HCA 48 Knight v South Australia (2022) 140 SASR 326; [2022] SASCA 14 Maunsell v Olins [1975] AC 373 Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority (1998) 194 CLR 355; [1998] HCA 28 Saraswati v The Queen (1991) 172 CLR 1; [1991] HCA 21 SAS Trustee Corporation v Miles (2018) 265 CLR 137; [2018] HCA 55 Secretary, Department of Communities and Justice v Stewart [2023] NSWPICPD 35 South Australia v Day (2000) 78 SASR 270; [2000] SASC 451 Stone v Stannard Brothers Launch Services Pty. Ltd. [2004] NSWCA 277 Sydney Seaplanes Pty Ltd v Page (2021) 106 NSWLR 1; [2021] NSWCA 204 Uelese v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2015) 256 CLR 203; [2015] HCA 15 WorkPac Pty Ltd v Thearle [2016] NSWCA 303 Texts Cited: Explanatory Note, Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 (NSW) New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), 17 October 2018 New South Wales Legislative Council, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), 19 September 2018 Perry Herzfeld and Thomas Prince, Interpretation (2nd ed, 2020, Thomson Reuters) Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 (NSW) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Secretary, Department of Communities and Justice (Appellant)