Botany Bay City Council v Rethmann Australia Environmental Services Pty Limited [2004] NSWCA 414

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : Botany Bay City Council v Rethmann Australia Environmental Services Pty Limited [2004] NSWCA 414 revised - 07/12/2004 HEARING DATE(S) : 8 November 2004 JUDGMENT DATE : 6 December 2004

JUDGMENT OF : Spigelman CJ at 1; Santow JA at 2; Tobias JA at 3 DECISION : Appeal dismissed with costs.

CATCHWORDS : PROCEDRUAL FAIRNESS - Conflicting methodology between experts - Court undertakes questioning of experts - Self-persuasion - Whether case taken out of hands of parties - Whether unfairness - Whether final opinion reached - s 38(2) Land and Environment Court Act 1979 - COURTS & JUDGES - Disqualification - Judge refuses to admit new material - Whether judge thereby expressing acceptance of contradicting opinion - Request to disqualify without foundation - EVIDENCE - Expert evidence - Conflict between parties' experts - Appointment of independent expert - Whether court appointed expert unfairly preferred - Whether judge weighed independent expert's evidence against parties' own experts - Claim without foundation Environmental Planning & Assessment Regulation 2000 Environmental Planning & Assessment Act, 1979. LEGISLATION CITED : Land and Environment Court Act 1979 Supreme Court Rules 1970 Land and Environment Court Rules 1996 Burwood Municipal Council v Harvey (1995) 86 LGERA 389 CASES CITED : Galea v Galea (1990) 19 NSWLR 263 Kekatos v The Council of the Law Society of New South Wales [1999] NSWCA 288 Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co v Beiersdorf (Australia) Limited (1980) 144 CLR 253 PARTIES : Botany Bay City Council Rethmann Australia Environmental Services Pty Limited FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40256/04 COUNSEL : A: Mr T Hale SC / M J McGrowdie R: Mr A Galasso SOLICITORS : A: Houston Dearn O'Connor, Burwood R: Minter Ellison, Sydney