Capral Aluminium Limited v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales [2000] NSWIRComm 71

Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales in Court Session

CITATION : Capral Aluminium Limited v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales [2000] NSWIRComm 71 APPELLANT Capral Aluminium Limited PARTIES : RESPONDENT WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Mayo-Ramsay) FILE NUMBER: IRC 1950 of 1999 CORAM: Wright J President; Walton J Vice-President; Kavanagh J Occupational Health and Safety - Breach of s 15(1) of Occupational Health and Safety Act - Appeal by employer against severity of sentence - Appellant's prior convictions - Additional penalty prescribed under s 51A where defendant has previously been convicted of an offence under the Act - Whether Court should regard maximum penalty as aggregate of maximum penalty for offence and additional penalty under s 51A - Whether sentencing involves a single exercise of discretion or a two-stage approach - Appropriate sentence for offence - Fact finding in sentencing proceedings - Principles of parity and consistency - Comparison of penalty imposed with sentencing in other matters - Weight to be attached to general and specific deterrence in sentencing under the Act - Nature and quality of the offence

CATCHWORDS : Statutory construction - Construction of provision imposing additional penalty rather than creating an offence - Construction of penal statutes - Language and purpose of the provision of the statute

Appeal - Occupational health and safety prosecution - Rehearing on the evidence at first instance - Full Bench must itself determine the appropriate sentence - Approach to be adopted by Full Bench Criminal Appeal Act 1912 s 5AA Criminal Code (NT) s 154 LEGISLATION CITED : Industrial Relations Act 1996 s 196 Interpretation Act 1987 s 5(2) s 54 Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 s 15(1) s 47 (1) s 51A Occupational Health and Safety Act 1985 (Vic) s 53 AB v The Queen [1999] HCA 46, (1999) 73 ALJR 1385 Barker v The Queen (1983) 153 CLR 338 Baumer v The Queen (1988) 166 CLR 51 Beckwith v The Queen (1976) 135 CLR 569 Camilleri's Stock Feeds Pty Ltd v Environmental Protection Authority (1993) 32 NSWLR 683 Channon v The Queen (1978) 20 ALR 1 Chew v The Queen (1992) 173 CLR 626 Cooper v Coffs Harbour City Council (1997) 98 A Crim R 340 Department of Mineral Resources of New South Wales v Kembla Coal & Coke Pty Ltd (1999) 92 IR 8 Director of Public Prosecutions v El Karhani (1990) 21 NSWLR 370 Director of Public Prosecutions v Pacific Dunlop Limited (unreported, Mullaly CCJ, County Court of Victoria, 28 June 1994) Drake Personnel Limited t/as Drake Industrial v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (1999) 90 IR 432 Ferguson v Nelmac Pty Limited (1999) 92 IR 188 Finance Facilities Pty Ltd v Federal Commissioner of Taxation (1971) 127 CLR 100 Fisher v Samaras Industries Pty Limited (1996) 82 IR 384 Fletcher Construction Australia Ltd v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (1999) 90 IR 66 Hannah v Wonar Pty Ltd (unreported, Fisher CJ, CT 90/1214, 30 June 1992) Histollo Pty Ltd v Director-General of National Parks and Wildlife Service (1998) 45 NSWLR 661 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499 Lawrenson Diecasting Pty Limited v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (1999) 90 IR 464 Macdougall v Paterson (1851) 11 CB 755 Nesmat Pty Limited v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (1998) 87 IR 312 New South Wales Sugar Milling Co-operative Ltd v Environmental Protection Authority (1992) 59 A Crim R 6 Nguyen v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (No 2) (1996) 68 FCR 463 Page v Walco Hoist Rentals Pty Limited (No 2) [2000] NSWIRComm 39 Palling v Corfield (1990) 123 CLR 52 Parker v Director of Public Prosecutions (1992) 28 NSWLR 282 Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority (1998) 194 CLR 355 R v Bloomfield (1998) 44 NSWLR 734 R v Corner (unreported, Court of Criminal Appeal, 19 December 1997) R v Hartikainen (unreported, Court of Criminal Appeal, 8 June 1993) R v Henry (1999) 46 NSWLR 346 R v Hinetanen (1981) 51 SASR 510 R v Howland [1999] NSWCCA 10 CASES CITED : R v Isaacs (1997) 41 NSWLR 374 R v Jurisic (1999) 101 A Crim R 259 R v Lett (unreported, Court of Criminal Appeal v 27 March 1995) R v Macdonnell (unreported, court of Criminal Appeal, 8 December 1995) R v Marlin (unreported, Court of Criminal Appeal, 10 September 1997) R v McGown (unreported, Victorian Court of Criminal Appeal, 4 December 1985) R v Morgan (1993) 7 0 A Crim R 368 R v Olbrich [1999] HCA 54, (1999) 73 ALJR 1550 R v Omer (unreported, Victorian Court of Criminal Appeal, 5 February 1996) R v Pantano (1990) 49 A Crim R 328 R v Pickard [1998] VSCA 50 R v Rushby [1977] 1 NSWLR 594 R v Slattery (1996) 90 A Crim R 519 R v Stahl [1999] NSWCCA 160 R v Thompson (1975) 11 SASR 217 R v Visconti [1982] 2 NSWLR 104 Saraswati v The Queen (1991) 172 CLR 1 Siganto v The Queen (1998) 194 CLR 656 Tyler v Sydney Electricity (1993) 47 IR 1 Veen v The Queen (No 2) (1988) 164 CLR 465 Warman International Ltd v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (1998) 80 IR 326 Watson v Southern Asphalters Pty Limited (1996) 83 IR 446 Waugh v Crippen (1986) 160 CLR 156 Wong v Melinda Group Pty Limited (1998) 82 IR 118 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v Albury City Council (1999) 90 IR 397 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v Allen Taylor & Co Limited (1999) 92 IR 392 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v Atco Controls Pty Ltd (1998) 82 IR 80 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v Capral Aluminium Limited (1998) 82 IR 468 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v Capral Aluminium Limited (unreported, Hill J, IRC 96/5167, 29 July 1998) WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v Commonwealth Steel Company Ltd (1999) 90 IR 297 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v Hydraulics Hotline Pty Limited (1998) 87 IR 39 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Glass) v Kellogg (Aust) Pty Ltd [200] NSWIRComm 53 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v McDonald's Australia Limited (unreported, Walton J, Vice-President, IRC 98/1104 and 1106, 4 February 2000) WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v Softwood Holdings Limited t/as CSR Timber Products (1999) 89 IR 40 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Tyler) v The Roads and Traffic Authority (unreported, Kavanagh J, IRC 98/1284, 31 August 1999) HEARING DATES: 11/05/1999; 11/25/1999; 12/14/1999 DATE OF JUDGMENT: 07/21/2000