Mogo Local Aboriginal Land Council v Eurobodalla Shire Council & Ors [2002] NSWCA 12

Reported Decision : 118 LGERA 329 54 NSWLR 15

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : Mogo Local Aboriginal Land Council v Eurobodalla Shire Council & Ors [2002] NSWCA 12 FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40040/01 HEARING DATE(S) : 9 November 2001 JUDGMENT DATE : 11 February 2002

Mogo Local Aboriginal Land Council - Appellant PARTIES : Eurobodalla Shire Council - First Respondent Registrar-General - Second Respondent State of New South Wales - Third Respondent JUDGMENT OF : Giles JA at 1; Hodgson JA at 60; Rolfe AJA at 61

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : Supreme Court - Equity Division LOWER COURT 3029/00 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Windeyer J JUDICIAL OFFICER :

J Basten QC and M A Ashhurst - Appellant COUNSEL : V B Hughston SC and J A Waters - First Respondent L Hughes - Second Respondent M G Sexton SC S-G and J G Renwick - Third Respondent Wroth Wall, Mullumbimby - Appellant SOLICITORS : Kennedy & Cook, Batemans Bay - First Respondent NSW Registrar-General - Second Respondent Crown Solicitors Office - Third Respondent CATCHWORDS : REAL PROPERTY - council resumed land - land later dedicated as public reserve - consideration of nature and extent of council's fee simple - then declared that land may be dealt with as Crown land - whether thereby council divested and land vested in Crown - whether land vested in Her Majesty within Aboriginal Land Rights Act - Registrar General deleted council as registered proprietor, recorded land as having become Crown land and cancelled Certificate of Title - whether conclusive that council divested and land vested in Crown - whether power to rectify register. D. Attorney-General for Quebec v Attorney-General for Canada (1921) 1 AC 401; City of Perth v Crystal Park Ltd (1940) 64 CLR 153; The Commonwealth v New South Wales (1923) 33 CLR 1; Fejo v Northern Territory of Australia (1998) 195 CLR 96; Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council v Minister Administering the Crown Lands Act (1997) 41 NSWLR 459; CASES CITED: Municipal Council of Sydney v Young (1898) AC 457; Nullagine Investments Pty Ltd v Western Australian Club Ltd Inc (1993) 177 CLR 635; Perth Corporation v Halle (1911) 13 CLR 393; ex parte the Registrar General; re the Council of the Municipality of Randwick (1951) 51 SR 220; Sydney City Council v The Valuer-General (1956) LGR 229; The Watsons Bay and South Shore Ferry Company Limited v Whitfield (1919) 27 CLR 267; Yanner v Eaton (1999) 201 CLR 351. DECISION : Appeal dismissed with costs: first declaration amended by the addition of the words "within the meaning of the definition of claimable Crown lands in the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983".