Winn v Director General of National Parks and Wildlife and Ors [2001] NSWCA 17

Reported Decision : 130 LGERA 508

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : Winn v Director General of National Parks and Wildlife and Ors [2001] NSWCA 17 revised - 19/03/2001 FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40026/97 HEARING DATE(S) : 3 - 5 July 2000 JUDGMENT DATE : 20 February 2001

Paul Winn (Appellant) Director General of National Parks and Wildlife (First Respondent) RZM Pty Ltd (Second Respondent) PARTIES : Rutile and Zircon Mines (Newcastle) Limited (Third Respondent) Director General of Mineral Resources (Fourth Respondent) Minister for Mineral Resources (Fifth Respondent) Director General of Land and Water Conservation (Sixth Respondent) JUDGMENT OF : Spigelman CJ at 1; Powell JA at 108; Stein JA at 127

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : Land & Environment Court LOWER COURT LEC 40209/95 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Talbot J JUDICIAL OFFICER :

T F Robertson/P Singleton (Appellant) Submitting (First Respondent) COUNSEL : B Walker SC/T S Hale SC/Ms P Sibtain (Second/Third Respondents) Dr M Evans (Fourth/Fifth Respondents) Submitting (Sixth Respondent) Woolf Associates (Appellant) Director General of National Parks and Wildlife (First Respondent) SOLICITORS : Minter Ellison (Second/Third Respondents) NSW Department of Mineral Resources (Fourth/Fifth Respondents) Department of Land and Water Conservation (Sixth Respondent) CATCHWORDS : ENVIRONMENTAL LAW - tension between mining planning and environmental legislation - immunity from environmental legislation - Mining Act 1973, s 116 - Mining Act 1992, ss 65, 74, cls 4, 8 of Schedule 6 - ENVIRONMENTAL LAW - Development Consent - Interpretation of Planning Conditions - Finality - ENVIRONMENTAL LAW - Development Consent Conditions - Remedy for Breach - no present and continuing breach - Environmental Offences and Penalties Act 1989, s 25 - Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, s 124 - D Environmental Offences and Penalties Act (NSW) 1989 ss 21, 25 Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (NSW) 1979 ss 91, 123 Hunter District Water Sewerage and Drainage Act (NSW) 1938 Interpretation Act (NSW) 1987 ss 5, 30, 33 Land and Environment Court Act (NSW) 1979 s 20 LEGISLATION CITED : Local Government Act (NSW) 1919 Pt XIIA Div 7 Mining Act (NSW) 1906 Mining Act (NSW) 1973 ss 116 Mining Act (NSW) 1992 ss 5, 65, 74, Schedule 6 clause 4(2), 8 Protection of Environment Operations Act (NSW) 1999 s253 Hunter Water Board (Special Areas) Regulation 1989 Ainsworth v Criminal Justice Commission (1992) 175 CLR 564 AMP Society v Allan (1978) 52 ALJR 407 Auburn Municipal Council v Szabo (1971) 67 LGRA 427 Brown v EPA (1992) 78 LGERA 119 Byron Shire Businesses for the Future Inc v Byron Council (1994) 84 LGERA 434 Cann's Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1946) 71 CLR 210 City of Unley v Claude Neon Ltd (1983) 32 SASR 329 Corporate Affairs Commission (NSW) v Yuill (1991) 172 CLR 319 Evans v Western Australia (1997) 77 FCR 193 Flynn v Director of Public Prosecutions [1998] 1 VR 322 Genkem Pty Ltd v Environmental Protection Authority (1994) 35 NSWLR 33 G F Heublein & Bro Incorporated v Continental Liquers Pty Ltd (1962) 109 CLR 153 Greek Australian Finance Corporation Pty Ltd v Sydney City Council (1974) 29 LGRA 130 Hall & Co Ltd v Shoreham-by-Sea Urban District Council [1964] 1 WLR 240 House of Peace Pty Ltd v Bankstown City Council (2000) 48 NSWLR 498 Interlego AG v Croner Trading Pty Ltd (1992) 39 FCR 348 Jungar Holdings Pty Ltd v Eurobodalla Shire Council (1990) 70 LGRA 79 Kent City Council v Kingsway Investments (Kent) Ltd: Same v Kenworthy [1971] AC 72 King Gee Clothing Co Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1945) 71 CLR 184 Kingston v Keprose Pty Ltd (1987) 11 NSWLR 404 Knight v F P Special Assets Ltd (1992) 174 CLR 178 Lend Lease Management Pty Ltd v Sydney City Council (1986) 68 LGRA 61 CASES CITED: Logwon Pty Ltd v Warringah Shire Council (1993) 33 NSWLR 13 McBain v Clifton Shire Council [1996] 2 QdR 493 Malcolm v Newcastle City Council (1991) 73 LGRA 356 Miller-Meed v Minister of Housing and Local Government [1963] 2 QB 1996 Mison v Randwick Municipal Council (1991) 23 NSWLR 734 Mt Marrow Blue Metal Quarry Pty Ltd v Moreton Shire Council [1996] 1 QdR 437 Parramatta City Council v Kriticos & Anor [1971] 1 NSWLR 140 Parramatta City Council v Shell Co of Australia Limited [1972] 2 NSWLR 632 Patrick Stevedores Operations (No 2) v MUA (No 3)(1998) 195 CLR 1 Qiu v Minister for Immigration (1994) 55 FCR 439 Randwick Municipal Council v Pacific-Seven Pty Ltd (1989) 69 LGRA 13 Ryde Municipal Council v The Royal Ryde Homes (1970) 19 LGRA 321 Scott v Wollongong City Council (1992) 75 LGRA 112 Seincott Pty Limited v Snowy River Shire Council (2000) 108 LGERA 66 Slough Estates Limited v Slough Borough Council (No 2) [1971] AC 958 Sydney Serviced Apartments Pty Ltd v North Sydney Municipal Council (No 2) (1993) 78 LGERA 404 Stradbroke Island Association v Sandunes Pty Limited & Redland Shire Council (1998) 101 LGERA 161 Swan Hill Corporation v Bradbury (1937) 56 CLR 746 Switz Pty Ltd v Glowbind Pty Ltd (2000) 48 NSWLR 661 Television Corporation Ltd v Commonwealth (1963) 109 CLR 59 The King v Wallis (1949) 78 CLR 529 Transport Action Group against Motorways Inc v Roads and Traffic Authority (1999) 46 NSWLR 598 Walker v Wilson (1991) 172 CLR 195 Woolworths Limited v Campbells Cash & Carry Pty Limited (NSWCA, 19 September 1996, unreported) DECISION : 1. Appeal allowed with costs. 2. Set aside the order of Talbot J dismissing the application. 3. Remit the proceedings to the Land and Environment Court to consider whether there was any breach of Conditions 1, 20 and 30 of the development consent with respect to the conduct of operations in ML594 and if so to consider what further orders, if any, should be made, under s 124 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, requiring the Second and Third Respondents to remedy any contravention of that Act arising from such breaches of these conditions as that Court determines to have occurred.