Cockatoo Dockyard v Commonwealth of Australia [2004] NSWSC 841

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Cockatoo Dockyard v Commonwealth of Australia [2004] NSWSC 841 HEARING DATE(S) : 19/7/04, 20/7/04, 26/7/04, 27/7/04 JUDGMENT DATE : 17 September 2004

JUDGMENT OF : McDougall J at 1 DECISION : See paras [166] and [167] of judgment

CATCHWORDS : ESTOPPEL - where interim arbitral award delivered - issue estoppel - whether interim arbitral award creates issue estoppel - whether determination fundamental to arbitrator's decision - whether bar created by issue estoppel absolute - special circumstances exception to issue estoppel - whether special circumstances exception to issue estoppel in Arnold v National Westminster Bank Plc [1991] 2 AC 93 forms part of Australian law - whether absence of right to appeal constitutes ground for non application of issue estoppel - where deed of release - whether deed of release precludes plaintiff from relying on issue estoppel - whether deed of release precludes plaintiff from relying on conventional estoppel - whether estoppel rule of evidence or rule of substantive law - Anshun estoppel - whether plaintiff precluded by Anshun estoppel from recovering ongoing workers' compensation costs - whether deed of release precluded plaintiff from recovering fee LEGISLATION CITED : Commercial Arbitration Act 1984 (NSW) Blair v Curran (1939) 62 CLR 464, 531-532 Thoday v Thoday [1964] P 181 Fidelitas Shipping Co Ltd v V/O Exportchleb [1966] 1 QB 630 Brewer v Brewer (1953) 88 CLR 1 Murphy v Abi-Saab (1995) 37 NSWLR 280 Arnold v National Westminster Bank Plc [1991] 2 AC 93 Humphries v Humphries [1910] 2 KB 531 Cooke v Rickman [1911] 2 KB 1125 New Brunswick Railway Company v British and French Trust Corporation, Limited [1939] AC 1 O'Toole v Charles David Proprietary Limited (1991) 171 CLR 232 Linsley v Petrie [1998] 1 VR 427 Tiufino v Warland (2000) 50 NSWLR 104 Henderson v Henderson 3 Hare 100, 115 (67 ER 313, 319) Port of Melbourne Authority v Anshun Proprietary Limited (1981) 147 CLR 589 Kingston City Council v Monash City Council [2001] VSC 41 CASES CITED : Petrie v Linsley (1995) 21 MVR 413 Briggs v Hall & Anor (unreported, 8 November, 1994, BC 9401392) Meates v Taylor [1992] 2 NZLR 36 Hockin v Bank of British Columbia [1995] BCJ No 688 Robb v St Joseph's Health Care Centre [2001] OJ No 606 Stellar Properties Ltd v Botham Holdings Ltd [1994] BCJ No 639 Clayton v Garrett [1995] BCJ No 364 Mills v Cooper [1967] 2 QB 459 Rogers v R (1994) 181 CLR 251, 278 R v Humphrys [1977] AC 1, 27, 48 Waltons Stores (Interstate) Ltd v Maher (1988) 164 CLR 387 Tanning Research Laboratories Inc v O'Brien (1990) 169 CLR 332 Rippon v Chilcotin Pty Ltd (2001) 53 NSWLR 198 Boles v Esanda Finance Corporation Ltd (1989) 18 NSWLR 666 Chamberlain v Deputy Commissioner of Taxation (1988) 164 CLR 502 Orica Ltd v CGU Insurance Ltd (2003) 59 NSWLR 14 PARTIES : Cockatoo Dockyard Pty Limited (Plaintiff) Commonwealth of Australia (Defendant) FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 50165/01 COUNSEL : T G R Parker/B F Katekar (Plaintiff) P T Taylor SC/D A Caspersonn (Defendant) SOLICITORS : Allens Arthur Robinson (Plaintiff) Australian Government Solicitor (Defendant)