John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd & Anor v District Court of NSW & Ors [2004] NSWCA 324

50 ACSR 380 Reported Decision : 148 A Crim R 522 61 NSWLR 344

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd & Anor v District Court of NSW & Ors [2004] NSWCA 324 HEARING DATE(S) : 14 May 2004 JUDGMENT DATE : 15 September 2004

JUDGMENT OF : Spigelman CJ at 1; Handley JA at 113; Campbell AJA at 114 DECISION : Declaration that orders prohibiting publication of certain matters beyond power; orders quashed.

CATCHWORDS : CRIMINAL LAW - jurisdiction, practice and procedure - prohibition of publication of verdict - where single indictment but three separate trials ordered - implied jurisdiction of District Court - necessity to serve administration of justice - no implied power to order non-publication of a verdict - COURTS AND JUDGES - proceedings in open court - where order for non-publication of verdict directed at media alone - no power to direct such order to parties unrelated to proceedings Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) Crimes Act 1900 LEGISLATION CITED : Criminal Procedure Act 1986 s 46 District Court Act 1973 s 166 Jury Act 1995 (Qld) s 69A Supreme Court Act 1970 ss 22, 23 Attorney General v Leveller Magazine Limited [1979] AC 441 Attorney General v Mirror Newspapers Limited (1961) 62 SR (NSW) 421 Attorney General v Times Newspapers Limited [1992] 1 AC 191 Attorney General (NSW) v Mayas Pty Ltd (1988) 14 NSWLR 342 Attorney General (NSW) v Mirror Newspapers Limited [1980] 1 NSWLR 374 Attorney General (NSW) v Mundey [1972] 2 NSWLR 887 Barron v Attorney General (NSW) (1987) 10 NSWLR 215 Byrnes v The Queen (1999) 199 CLR 1 Connelly v Director of Public Prosecutions [1964] AC 1254 Cooke v Purcell (1988) 14 NSWLR 51 Coulter v The Queen (1988) 164 CLR 350 Daubney v Cooper (1829) 109 ER 438 David Syme & Co Limited v General Motors-Holden's Limited [1984] 2 NSWLR 294 Dickason v Dickason (1913) 17 CLR 50 Dietrich v The Queen (1992) 177 CLR 292 Director of Public Prosecutions v Shirvanian (1998) 44 NSWLR 129 DPP v Weiss [2002] VSC 153 Ex parte Attorney General; Re Goodwin (1969) 70 SR (NSW) 413 Ex parte The Queensland Law Society [1984] 1 Qd R 166 Gilbert v The Queen (2000) 201 CLR 414 Grassby v The Queen (1989) 168 CLR 1 Harris v Calladine (1991) 172 CLR 84 Herron v McGregor (1986) 6 NSWLR 246 Hinch v Attorney General (Vic) (No 2) (1988) 164 CLR 15 HM Advocate v Beggs (No 2) [2002] SLT 39 Independent Publishing Co Limited v Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago [2004] UKPC 26 Jackson v Sterling Industries Limited (1986) 69 ALR 92 Jackson v Sterling Industries Limited (1987) 162 CLR 612 Jago v District Court of New South Wales (1989) 168 CLR 23 John Fairfax & Sons Pty Ltd v McRae (1955) 93 CLR 351 John Fairfax & Sons Pty Ltd v Police Tribunal of New South Wales (1986) 5 NSWLR 465 John Fairfax Group Pty Ltd v Local Court of New South Wales (1991) 26 NSWLR 131 John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd v Attorney General (NSW) (2000) 181 ALR 694 Linprint Pty Ltd v Hexham Textiles Pty Ltd (1991) 23 NSWLR 508 McKinney v The Queen (1991) 171 CLR 468 McPherson v McPherson [1936] AC 177 Moevao v Department of Labour [1980] 1 NZLR 464 Murphy v The Queen (1999) 167 CLR 94 Nicholas v The Queen (1998) 193 CLR 173 CASES CITED : Parsons v Martin (1985) 5 FCR 235 R v Bell (unreported, New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal, Spigelman CJ, Abadee and Ireland JJ, 8 October 1999) R v Bijkerk [1999] NSWCCA 114 R v Burrell [2004] NSWCCA 185 R v CAL (unreported, New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal, Hunt CJ at CL, Smart and James JJ, 18 February 1993) R v Clement (1821) 4 B & Ald 219 R v Cogley [2000] VSCA 231 R v Crowther-Wilkinson [2004] NSWCCA 249 R v D'Arcy (2003) 140 A Crim R 303 R v Dudko (2002) 132 A Crim R 371 R v Hubert (1975) 29 CCC (2d) 279 R v K [2003] NSWCCA 406 R v Long (2002) 128 A Crim R 11 R v MacFarlane; Ex parte O'Flanaghan & O'Kelly (1932) 32 CLR 518 R v McLachlan [2000] VSC 215 R v Metal Trades Employers' Association; Ex parte Amalgamated Engineering Union (1951) 82 CLR 208 R v Milat (unreported, New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal, Gleeson CJ, Meagher JA and Newman J, 26 February 1998) R v Noud; Ex parte MacNamara [1991] 2 Qd R 86 R v Savvas (unreported, Supreme Court of New South Wales, Hunt J, 30 August 1989) R v Sheikh [2004] NSWCCA 38 R v Smith (1996) 86 A Crim R 308 R v Socialist Worker Printers and Publishers Ltd; Ex parte Attorney General [1975] 1 QB 637 R v Tate (1979) 46 FLR 386 R v VPH (unreported, New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal, Gleeson CJ, Newman and Sully JJ, 4 March 1994) R v Yuill (1993) 69 A Crim R 450 Raybos Australia Pty Ltd v Jones (1985) 2 NSWLR 47 Re Forbes; Ex parte Bevan (1972) 127 CLR 1 Ridgeway v The Queen (1995) 184 CLR 19 Rockett v Smith; Ex parte Smith [1992] 1 Qd R 660 Russell v Russell (1976) 134 CLR 495 Scott v Scott [1913] AC 417 SG v DPP (NSW) [2003] NSWCA 128 SG v DPP (NSW) [2003] NSWSC 413 Solomons v District Court of New South Wales (2002) 211 CLR 119 The Queen v Glennon (1992) 173 CLR 592 TKWJ v The Queen (2002) 212 CLR 124 United Telecasters Sydney Limited v Hardy (1991) 23 NSWLR 323 Walton v Gardiner (1993) 177 CLR 378 Williams v Spautz (1992) 174 CLR 509 Wunsch v South Australian Police (1995) 64 SASR 203 X v Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd (No 2) (1987) 9 NSWLR 575 John Fairfax Publications Pty Limited (First Claimant) Nationwide News Pty Limited (Second Claimant) PARTIES : District Court of New South Wales (First Opponent) Gregory Joseph Fisher (Second Opponent) Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (Third Opponent) FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 41216/03 T Blackburn SC / D Sibtain (Claimants) COUNSEL : I McClintock SC (Second Opponent) R Sutherland SC (Third Opponent) Freehills (Claimants) SOLICITORS : Malcolm Johns & Co (Second Opponent) D B Thomson (Commonwealth DPP) (Third Opponent)