Orellana-Fuentes v Standard Knitting Mill Pty Limited & Anor; Carey v Blasdom Pty Limited T/as Ascot Freightlines & Anor [2003] NSWCA 146

Reported Decision : 57 NSWLR 282

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : Orellana-Fuentes v Standard Knitting Mill Pty Limited & Anor; Carey v Blasdom Pty Limited T/as Ascot Freightlines & Anor [2003] NSWCA 146 HEARING DATE(S) : 02/06/03 JUDGMENT DATE : 20 June 2003

JUDGMENT OF : Spigelman CJ at 1; Handley JA at 2; Ipp JA at 3 DECISION : (1) The applications for leave to appeal in CA 40102/03 and CA 41069/02 are dismissed (2) The claimants' claims for declarations in CA 40102/03 and CA 41069/02 are dismissed (3) The Law Society is given leave to withdraw (4) No costs orders to be made.

CATCHWORDS : WORKERS COMPENSATION - Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998 - Workers Compensation (General) Regulation 1995 - Whether the Workers Compensation Commission is a court - Reasonableness of the costs recoverable in hearings before the Commission - Right to legal representation - Whether item 4.11 of Sch 6 to Regulation ultra vires - Constitutional validity of Statute and Regulation. D Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, Ch III Judiciary Act (1903) (Cth), s 39(2) Judicial Officers Act (1986) Legal Profession Act 1987, s 54(1)(d) LEGISLATION CITED : Workers Compensation Act 1987 Workers Compensation (General) Amendment (Costs in Compensation Matters) Regulation 2003 Workers Compensation (General) Amendment (Costs) Regulation 2001, cl 107-8 of Sch 1 Workers Compensation (General) Regulation 1995, Sch 6 Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998, ss 3, 248, 254-5, 258, 260-1, 263-4, 290-1, 292-3, 294A, 320-1, 325-8, 332, 337, 343, 351, 353-7, 359-62, 364, 368-9, 371-2, cl 6 & 12 of Sch 5 Andrews v Howell (1941) 65 CLR 255 Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation v The Commonwealth (1954) 90 CLR 24 Baker v Campbell (1983) 153 CLR 52 Bass v Permanent Trustee Company Limited (1999) 198 CLR 334 Blyth District Hospital v South Australian Health Commission (1998) 49 SASR 501 Carter v The Potato Marketing Board (1951) 84 CLR 460 Coco v The Queen (1994) 177 CLR 292 Collier v Hicks (1831) 2 B & Ad 663; 109 ER 1290 Crothers v Sheil (1933) 49 CLR 399 Daniels Corporation International Pty Limited v Australlian Competition and Consumer Commission (2002) 77 ALJR 40 Dietrich v The Queen (1992) 177 CLR 292 Esso Australia Resources Limited v Commissioner of Taxation (1999) 201 CLR 49 CASES CITED : Ex Parte H Brazil & Company Pty Limited (1978) 138 CLR 194 Grant v Downs (1976) 135 CLR 674 H C Sleigh Limited v The State of South Australia (1977) 136 CLR 475 Kable v Director of Public Prosecutions (1996) 189 CLR 51 Minister of State for Resources v Dover Fisheries Pty Limited (1993) 43 FCR 565 Residual Assco Group Limited v Spalvins & Ors (2000) 202 CLR 629 Shanahan v Scott (1957) 96 CLR 245 The Commonwealth of Australia v The Hospital Contribution Fund (1982) 150 CLR 49 The Shire of Swan Hill v Bradbury (1937) 56 CLR 746 Walker v Secretary, Department of Social Security (1995) 129 ALR 198 Western Australia v Ward (1997) 76 FCR 492 Wilcox Mofflin Limited v State of New South Wales (1952) 85 CLR 488 Wragg v State of New South Wales (1953) 88 CLR 353 CA 40102/03 Patricia Orellana-Fuentes (Claimant) Standard Knitting Mill Pty Limited (First Opponent) WorkCover (First Intervener and Joined as Second Opponent) Law Society of NSW (Second Intervener) PARTIES : CA 41069/02 Caroline Lynette Carey (Claimant) Blasdom Pty Limited T/as Ascot Freightlines (First Opponent) WorkCover (First Intervener and Joined as Second Opponent) Law Society of NSW (Second Intervener) FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40102/03; 41069/02 S J Gageler SC/R I Goodridge/J K Kirk/W J Carney (Claimants: CA 40102/03 & CA 41069/02)) COUNSEL : P Macken (Solicitor) (First Opponent: CA 40102/03) D K Jordan (First Opponent: CA 41069/02) J Gleeson SC/M J Leeming (First Intervener and joined as Second Opponent: CA 40102/03; CA 41069/02) H K Husseini & Co (Claimant: CA 40102/03) Firths The Compensation Lawyers (Claimant: CA 41069/02) SOLICITORS : Leigh Virtue & Associates (First Opponent: CA 40102/03) Turks Legal (First Opponent: CA 41069/02) I V Knight, Crown Solicitor (First Intervener and joined as Second Opponent: CA 40102/03; CA 41069/02) A S Brown (Second Intervener: CA 40102/03; CA 41069/02)