Brooks v NSW Grains Board & Ors [2002] NSWSC 1049

Reported Decision : (2002) Aust Contract Reports 90-155

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Brooks v NSW Grains Board & Ors [2002] NSWSC 1049 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Equity FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 2916/02 HEARING DATE(S) : 16 to 20, 23 and 24 September, 2002 JUDGMENT DATE : 11 November 2002

Ray Brooks Pty Ltd - Plaintiff PARTIES : NSW Grains Board (Subject to Scheme of Arrangement) - First Defendant Grainco Australia Limited - Second Defendant Martrat Pty Ltd (t/a Huxley Hill & Assoc) - Third Defendant (Submitting Appearance) JUDGMENT OF : Palmer J

N.C. Hutley SC, M.G. McHugh - Plaintiff COUNSEL : R.G. Forster SC, D.R. Pritchard - First Defendant P.M. Biscoe QC, J. Kirk - Second Defendant N/A (Submitting appearance) - Third Defendant Withnell Hetherington - Plaintiff SOLICITORS : Henry Davis York - First Defendant Corrs Chambers Westgarth - Second Defendant Bartier Perry - Third Defendant - Submitting Appearance CATCHWORDS : CONTRACT - CONSTRUCTION - EXTRINSIC EVIDENCE - PAROLE EVIDENCE RULE - Conflict in the authorities as to when extrinsic evidence admissible to construe a contract - whether there is inconsistency between the decision of the House of Lords in Investors Compensation Scheme v West Bromwich Building Society and the decision of the High Court in Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority as to the admission of extrinsic evidence - Codelfa discussed and explained. STANDARD FORM CONTRACT - Whether extrinsic evidence inadmissible as a matter of principle as an aid to construction of standard form contract. GRAIN MARKETING ACT - Authorised Buyer Agreement - whether agreement on true construction confers authority to buy malting variety barley - construction of s.40 of Act - power of Board to authorise purchase of grades or descriptions of a "commodity" - definition of "malting barley". LEGISLATION CITED : Grain Marketing Act, 1991 (NSW) - s.3(1), s.31, s.32, s.33, s.40, s.45, s.46, s.87 - Benjamin Developments Ltd v Robt Jones (Pacific) Ltd [1994] 3 NZLR 189 - Boat Park Ltd v Hutchinson [1999] 2 NZLR 74 - Charter Reinsurance Co Ltd v Fagan [1997] AC 313 - Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority (NSW) (1982) 149 CLR 377 - Philip Collins Ltd v Davis [2000] 3 All ER 808 - Contact Energy Ltd v Natural Gas Corp of NZ Ltd [2000] NZCA 132 - Great Western Railway and Midland Railway v Bristol Corporation (1918) 87 LJ Ch 414 - Investors Compensation Scheme Ltd v West Bromwich Building Society [1998] 1 WLR 896 - Don King Productions Ltd v Warren [1998] 2 Ll R 176 - McCann v Switzerland Insurance Australia Ltd (2000) 203 CLR 579 CASES CITED : - Mannai Investment Co Ltd v Eagle Star Life Assurance Co Ltd [1997] AC 749 - NDA Engineering Ltd v Oxford Group Ltd [1999] NZCA 270 - Prenn v Simmonds [1971] 1 WLR 1381 - Pyne Gould Guinness Ltd v Montgomery Watson (NZ) Ltd [1999] NZCA 266 - Rankin v Scott Fell & Co (1904) 2 CLR 164 - Reardon Smith Line Ltd v Hansen-Tangen (The Diana Prosperity) [1976] 1 WLR 989 - Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust v South Sydney City Council (2002) 76 ALJR 436 - Secured Income Real Estate (Australia) Ltd v St Martins Investments Pty Ltd (1979) 144 CLR 596 - Sinochem International Oil (London) Co Ltd v Mobil Sales and Supply Corp [2000] 1 Ll R 339 - Towne v Eisner (1918) 245 US 418 - Valentines Properties Ltd v Huntco Corp Ltd [2000] 3 NZLR 16 - Wilson v Anderson (2002) 190 ALR 313 DECISION : Plaintiff not entitled to relief sought.