Cockatoo Dockyard v Commonwealth of Australia [No 2] [2005] NSWSC 11

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Cockatoo Dockyard v Commonwealth of Australia [No 2] [2005] NSWSC 11

HEARING DATE(S) : 16 December 2004

JUDGMENT DATE : 4 February 2005

JUDGMENT OF : McDougall J at 1

DECISION : See para [44] of judgment

CATCHWORDS : ESTOPPEL - where interim and final arbitral awards delivered - issue estoppel - whether Commonwealth estopped from arguing that items of cost should not be taken into overhead concluded in interim award - res judicata - Anshun estoppel - relationship between res judicata and issue estoppel - whether Commonwealth estopped from raising a defence in later proceedings that could be expected to have been raised in arbitral proceedings - confession and avoidance - whether Commonwealth estopped in later proceedings from raising a defence by way of confession and avoidance that could have been, but was not, raised in arbitral proceedings

LEGISLATION CITED : Workers Compensation Acts 1919 or 1987

Henderson v Henderson (1843) 3 Hare 100 (67 ER 313) Port of Melbourne Authority v Anshun Pty Ltd (1981) 147 CLR 589 CASES CITED : Arnold v National Westminster Bank plc [1991] 2 AC 93 Humphries v Humphries [1910] 2 KB 531 Cooke v Rickman [1911] 2 KB 1125

Cockatoo Dockyard Pty Limited (Plaintiff) PARTIES : Commonwealth of Australia (Defendant)

FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 50165/01

T G R Parker/B F Katekar (Plaintiff) COUNSEL : P T Taylor SC/D A Caspersonn (Defendant)

Allens Arthur Robinson (Plaintiff) SOLICITORS : Australian Government Solicitor (Defendant)

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION :

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES EQUITY DIVISION COMMERCIAL LIST