STATE OF NEW SOUTH WALES v PAIGE [2002] NSWCA 235

Reported Decision : 60 NSWLR 371 (2002) Aust Torts Reports 81-676

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : STATE OF NEW SOUTH WALES v PAIGE [2002] NSWCA 235 FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40293/01 HEARING DATE(S) : 31/1/02 JUDGMENT DATE : 19 July 2002

PARTIES : State of New South Wales Peter Rankin Paige JUDGMENT OF : Spigelman CJ at 1; Mason P at 329; Giles JA at 357

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : District Court LOWER COURT DC 3492/99 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Graham DCJ JUDICIAL OFFICER :

COUNSEL : P Menzies QC / B J A Shields (Appellant) G B Hall QC / C Locke (Respondent) SOLICITORS : Moray & Agnew (Appellant) Velleley & Associates (Respondent) CATCHWORDS : TORTS - negligence - novel duty of care - interaction with administrative law - interaction with employment law - whether novel duty of care would infringe legal coherence - whether duty of care to conduct disciplinary proceedings so as to avoid psychological injury to teacher - TORTS - negligence - causation - whether evidence of causation goes to alleged breach of duty - CONTRACT - employment contract - interaction with provisions of statute - whether resignation received - whether resignation validly acted upon - whether resignation effectively withdrawn Education Commission Act 1980 Industrial Relations Act 1996 LEGISLATION CITED : Public Sector Management Act 1988 Teaching Services Act 1980 Teaching Services (Education Teaching Service) Regulation 1994 Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Cth) Achal v Electrolux Pty Limited (1993) 50 IR 236 Addis v Gramophone Co [1909] AC 488 Aldersea v Public Transport Corporation (2001) 183 ALR 545 Annetts v Australian Stations Pty Limited (2000) 23 WAR 35 Attorney General (NSW) v Quin (1990) 170 CLR 1 Attorney-General v Prince and Gardner [1998] 1 NZLR 262 B v Attorney General [1999] 2 NZLR 296 Baltic Shipping Co v Dillon (1993) 176 CLR 344 Bankstown Foundry Pty Ltd v Braistina (1986) 160 CLR 301 Barrett v Enfield LBC [2001] 2 AC 550 Bienke v Minister for Primary Industries & Energy (1994) 125 ALR 151 Bienke v Minister for Primary Industries & Energy (1996) 63 FCR 567 Birrell v Australian National Airlines Commission (1984) 5 FCR 447 Brodie v Singleton Shire Council (2001) 75 ALJR 992 Burazin v Blacktown City Guardian (1996) 142 ALR 144 Caparo Industries Plc v Dickman [1990] 2 AC 605 Crimmins v Stevedoring Industry Finance Committee (1999) 200 CLR 1 Director-General of Education v Suttling (1986) 162 CLR 427 Dunlop v Woollahra Municipal Council (No 2) (1978) 40 LGRA 218 Dunlop v Woollahra Municipal Council [1982] AC 158 EMI (Australia) Ltd v Bes [1970] 2 NSWR 238 Fernandez v Tubemakers of Australia [1975] 2 NSWLR 190 Finch v Oake [1896] 1 Ch 409 Gifford v Strang Patrick Stevedoring Pty Ltd (2001) 51 NSWLR 606 Gogay v Hertfordshire County Council [2000] IRLR 703 Gould v Stuart [1896] AC 575 Hill v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire [1989] 1 AC 53 Hill v Green (1999) 48 NSWLR 161 Hill v Van Erp (1997) 188 CLR 159 Husain v BCCI [2002] EWCA Civ 82 Johnson v Unisys [2001] 2 WLR 1076 Kioa v West (1985) 159 CLR 550. Lucy v The Commonwealth (1923) 33 CLR 229 Lustre Hosiery Ltd v York (1935) 54 CLR 134 CASES CITED: Macksville & District Hospital v Mayze (1987) 10 NSWLR 708 Malik & Mahmud v BCCI [1997] 3 WLR 95 Marks v The Commonwealth (1964) 111 CLR 549 Martin v Yeoman Aggregates Limited [1983] ICR 314 McVicar v Commissioner for Railways (NSW) (1951) 83 CLR 528 Morgan v Tame (2000) 49 NSWLR 21 Ngo v Link Printing Pty Limited (1999) 94 IR 375 Northern Territory v Mengel (1996) 185 CLR 307 Park Oh Ho v Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs (1989) 167 CLR 637 Permanent Trustee Australia Co Ltd v FAI General Insurance Co Ltd (2001) 50 NSWLR 679 Phelps v London Borough of Hillingdon [2001] 2 AC 619 Pyrenees Shire Council v Day (1998) 192 CLR 330 R v Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission; Ex parte Angliss Group (1969) 122 CLR 546 R v Hickman; Ex parte Fox and Clinton (1945) 70 CLR 598 Redhead Grange Incorporated v Brett Davidson [2002] NSWSC 90 Reynolds v Katoomba RSL All Services Club Ltd (2001) 53 NSWLR 43 Riordan v War Office [1959] 1 WLR 1046 Romeo v Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory (1998) 192 CLR 431 Rowling v Takaro Properties Limited [1988] 1 AC 473 Russell v Duke or Norfolk (1949) 1 All ER 109 Sanders v Snell (1998) 196 CLR 329 Sayali v Rangi [1986] 4 ACLC 239 Seltsam Pty Ltd v McGuiness (2000) 49 NSWLR 262 South Australia v The Commonwealth (1962) 108 CLR 130 State of New South Wales v Seedsman [2000] NSWCA 119 Sullivan v Moody (2001) 75 ALJR 1570 Sutherland Shire Council v Heyman (1985) 157 CLR 424 Suttling v Director-General of Education (1985) 3 NSWLR 427 Walton Stores (Interstate) Ltd v Maher (1988) 164 CLR 387 Waverley Council v Lodge [2001] NSWCA 439 Welbridge Holdings Ltd v Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg (1972) 22 DLR (3d) 470 Williamson v The Commonwealth (1907) 5 CLR 174 Wiswell v Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg (1965) 51 DLR 2ND 754 Wyong Shire Council v Shirt (1979) 146 CLR 40 X (Minors) v Bedfordshire County Council [1995] 2 AC 633 DECISION : The appeal on negligence is upheld. The appeal on contract is dismissed. The award of damages below is quashed and damages for breach of contract as assessed below substituted.