WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Insector Petar Ankucic) v McDonald's Australia Limited and Another [2000] NSWIRComm 277

Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales in Court Session

CITATION : WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Insector Petar Ankucic) v McDonald's Australia Limited and Another [2000] NSWIRComm 277 PROSECUTOR: Inspector Petar Ankucic

FIRST DEFENDANT: PARTIES : McDonald's Australia Limited (ACN: 000 697 763

SECOND DEFENDANT: McDonald's Properties (Australia) Pty Limited (ACN: 008 496 928) FILE NUMBER: IRC1104; 1106 of 1998 CORAM: Walton J Vice-President CATCHWORDS : Safety of employees - Occupational health and safety - Offences under s17 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 - Fatal accident - Plea of guilty - Penalties - First defendant a company coordinating a chain of family restaurants - First defendant had a license agreement with the employer of the deceased employee for the operation of the restaurant in which the incident occurred - Second defendant a subsidiary of the first defendant and the registered proprietor of the land on which the premises situated and the lessor of the premises to the employer - Charges brought against other defendants including employer in respect of the same incident - Prosecutions in respect of certain of the other defendants discontinued - Appropriate penalties - Principles - Submission that sentencing should be based on an assessment of the culpability of the various entities concerned and that nature and quality of the offence should be determined having regard to the amount of control exercised by the defendants as opposed to the other entities - Parity principle - Whether Court should ensure parity between the offenders whether prosecuted or not - Principle of parity only operated to the extent of like with like - Differences in sentences arising from different circumstances will not violate the principle - Principle of totality - Two defendants facing different charges - Principle does not require the two defendants in this case to be treated as effectively one identity - Culpability of each party to be weighed - By a plea of guilty defendants admits all of the elements of the offence - In assessing appropriate penalty the decision of the Court will. be affected by the factual basis from which the Court proceeds, including the actions, history and other personal circumstances of the offender - Nature and quality of the offence and not merely result of the offence to be considered - Foreseeability of risk - Prior offence - Mitigating factors - Degree of mitigation sought by the defendants not justified by submissions relating to reliance placed by the defendants on the other entities - Contrition and remorse - Assistance to family of deceased - Co-operation - Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 s17 LEGISLATION CITED : Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 Alcatel Australia Limited v WorkCover Authority of NSW (1996) 70 IR 99 Austin v Metropolitan Demolitions Pty Limited (1990) 38 IR 359 Axer Pty Ltd v Environmental Protection Authority (unreported, Court of Criminal Appeal, Matter No. 60763 of 1992, 22 November 1993) Camilleri's Stock Feeds Pty Limited v Environmental Protection Authority (1993) 32 NSWLR 683 Christopher Tom Jurisic (1998) 101 A Crim R 259 Department of Mineral Resources of NSW (Chief Inspector Bruce Robert McKensey) v Kembla Coal and Coke Pty Ltd (unreported, Walton J, Vice-President, IRC142 of 1998, 16 August 1999 Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) v Said Khodor El Karhani (1990) 21 NSWLR 370 Dowling v Overtop Pty Limited (1998) 86 IR 319 Drake v WorkCover Authority of NSW (1999) 90 IR 432 Ferguson v Nelmac Pty Limited (unreported, Wright J, President, IRC97/3421-3423, 24 May 1999) Fisher v Samaras Industries Pty Limited (1996) 82 IR 384 Griffiths v The Queen (1977) 137 CLR 293 Haynes v CI & D Manufacturing Pty Limited (1995) 60 IR 149 Haynes v CI & D Manufacturing Pty Ltd and another (No. 2) (1995) 60 IR 455 Huang (1994) 78 A Crim R 111 Ibbs v The Queen (1987) 163 CLR 447 Inspector Callaghan v Saunders Constructions Pty Limited (unreported, Matter No. CT1062 of 1993, 26 November 1993) R v Gallagher (1991) 23 NSWLR 220 R v Holder [1983] 3 NSWLR 245 Inspector Hannah v Rice Growers Co-Operative Limited (unreported, Fisher CJ, CT88 of 1990, 20 November 1990) Kalajzich (1997) 94 A Crim R 41 Fernando v Fernando (1997) 95 A Crim R 533 Lawrenson Diecasting Pty Ltd v WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector James Swee Ch'ng) (1999) 90 IR 464 Lowe v The Queen (1984) 154 CLR 606 McLaughlin v ICI Australia Operations Pty Limited & another (unreported, Fisher P, Matter Nos. 1512, 1518 and 1520 of 1988, 20 December 1990) McMillan, Britton & Kell Pty Ltd v WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector Blake) (1999) 89 IR 464 Neill v The Queen (1982) 149 CLR 305 Nesmat Pty Limited v WorkCover Authority of NSW (1998) 87 IR 312 Pearce v The Queen (1998) 72 ALJR 1416 Postiglione v The Queen (1997) 189 CLR 295 R v Allpass (1993) 72 A Crim R 561 R v De Simoni (1981) 147 CLR 383 CASES CITED : R v Dodd (1991) 57 A Crim R 347 R v Engert (1995) 84 A Crim R 67 R v H (1980) 3 A Crim R 53 R v Holder [1983] 3 NSWLR 245 R v Lett (unreported, NSW Court of Criminal Appeal, Hunt CJ, Sully and Levine JJ, Matter No. 60112 of 1994, 27 March 1995) R v Olbrich (1999) 166 ALR 330 R v Vusumuzi Twala (unreported, Court of Criminal Appeal, Matter No. 60187 of 1993, 4 November 1994 ) Saffron (No 3) (1989) A Crim R 123 Signato v R (1998) 73 ALJR 162 Slattery (1996) 90 A Crim R 519 State Rail Authority of NSW v Dawson (1990) 37 IR 110 Tyler v Sydney Electricity (1993) 47 IR 5 Veen v The Queen [No 2] (1988) 164 CLR 465 Warman International Limited v WorkCover Authority of NSW (1998) 80 IR 326 Wong v Melinda Group Pty Ltd (1998) 82 IR 118 WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector Kelsey) v University of Sydney (unreported, Matter No. CT 1280 of 1995, 2 April 1997 WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector Mayo-Ramsay) v Capral Aluminium Ltd (1999) 90 IR 256 WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector McDonald) v Commonwealth Steel Company Ltd (1999) 90 IR 297 WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector Milligan) v State Rail Authority of NSW (unreported, Kavanagh J, Matter Nos. IRC7032-7036 of 1997, 13 October 1999) WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector Tyler) v The Roads and Traffic Authority (unreported, Kavanagh J, Matter No. IRC1284 of 1998, 31 August 1999) WorkCover Authority of NSW v Atco Controls Pty Limited (1998) 82 IR 80 WorkCover Authority of NSW v BHP Company Limited (1998) 83 IR 427 WorkCover Authority of NSW v Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited (1998) 83 IR 427 WorkCover Authority of NSW v Capral (1998) 82 IR 468 WorkCover Authority of NSW v Rowson (unreported, Cullen J, CT1156 and 1157 of 1993, 30 June 1994) WorkCover Authority of NSW v Waugh (1995) 59 IR 89 WorkCover Authority v Air Express International (Australia) Pty Limited (1996) 83 IR 64 WorkCover Authority v Nicholson's Air Service Pty Limited (unreported, Fisher J, Matter Nos. CT1008 and 1009 of 1995, 8 April 1998) WorkCover Authority v Sarkem Limited and ICI Australia Operations Pty Limited (unreported, Fisher P, Matter Nos. IRC605 and 606 of 1997, 27 February 1998).