Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 18) [2011] NSWIRComm 87

Industrial Relations Commission New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 18) [2011] NSWIRComm 87 Hearing dates: 4 and 6 May 2011; Written submissions: 3 and 20 June 2011 Decision date: 07 July 2011 Jurisdiction: Industrial Court of NSW Before: Boland J, President Decision: Accordingly, the Court determines there should be no order as to costs. Catchwords: COSTS - UNFAIR CONTRACT - Application by respondents for costs - Cross-application by applicants for costs - Lengthy litigation extending over a decade - Seventeen judgments in Industrial Court - Court of Appeal determined that Industrial Court had no jurisdiction to hear and determine applicants' unfair contract claim - Court of Appeal ordered Industrial Court to determine costs "not least because of the need to consider the delay by the applicants in challenging the jurisdiction of the Industrial Court" - Court's power to award costs - Relevant costs principles - Whether there was a delay by respondents in challenging jurisdiction - Whether delay had implications for costs - Whether jurisdictional point taken in Court of Appeal was a new point - Success of applicants at trial - Pre-litigation disentitling conduct by respondents - Disentitling conduct of respondents during trial - Application of Civil Procedure Act 2005 - No order as to costs Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 Civil Procedure Regulation 2005 Industrial Relations Act 1996 Industrial Relations Amendment Act 2005 Land and Environment Court Act 1979 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 Cases Cited: Allplastics Engineering Pty Ltd v Dornoch Ltd [2006] NSWCA 33 Australian Co-operative Foods Ltd v SW & JD Reilly & Sons Pty Ltd [2011] NSWCA 148 Australian Prudential Regulation Authority v Holloway [2000] FCA 1245; (2000) 35 ACSR 276 Baker v Towle [2008] NSWCA 73; (2008) 39 Fam LR 323 Batterham v QSR Ltd [2006] HCA 23; (2006) 225 CLR 237 Beoco Ltd v Alfa Laval Co Ltd [1995] QB 137 Bonic v Pacific General Securities Ltd [2009] NSWSC 1221 Bostik Australia Pty Ltd v Liddiard (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 304 Bowen Investments Pty Ltd v Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (No 2) [2008] FCAFC 107 Caterpillar of Australia Ltd v Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd [2006] NSWIRComm 146 Caterpillar of Australia Limited v Gough & Gilmour Holdings Limited [2008] NSWIRComm 3; (2008) 170 IR 185 Caterpillar of Australia Pty Ltd v Industrial Court of New South Wales [2009] NSWCA 83; (2009) 255 ALR 131 Caterpillar of Australia Pty Ltd v Industrial Court of New South Wales [2009] NSWCA 203; (2009) 185 IR 355 Cretazzo v Lombardi (1975) 13 SASR 4 Cretney v Director General, New South Wales Department of Education and Training (No 4) [2010] NSWIRComm 17 Commonwealth of Australia v Gretton [2008] NSWCA 117 Dunstan v Rickwood (No 2) [2007] NSWCA 266; (2007) 38 Fam LR 491 Elite Protective Personnel Pty Ltd v Salmon (No 2) [2007] NSWCA 373 Euphoric Pty Ltd v Ryledar Pty Ltd [2002] NSWIRComm 136; (2002) 117 IR 1 Fish v Solution 6 Holdings Ltd [2006] HCA 22; (2006) 225 CLR 180 Foots v Southern Cross Mine Management Pty Ltd [2007] HCA 56; (2007) 234 CLR 52 Forster v Farquhar [1893] 1 QB 564 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar Australia Pty Ltd (Boland J, 23 November 2000, unreported) Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 2) (Boland J, 28 November 2000, unreported) Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 3) [2001] NSWIRComm 73 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 4) [2001] NSWIRComm 92 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 5) [2001] NSWIRComm 112 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 6) [2001] NSWIRComm 135 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 7) [2001] NSWIRComm 147 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 8) [2001] NSWIRComm 208 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 9) [2001] NSWIRComm 260 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 10) [2002] NSWIRComm 22 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Limited v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 11) [2002] NSWIRComm 354 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 12) [2002] NSWIRComm 379 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Limited v Caterpillar of Australia Limited [2003] NSWIRComm 3 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 13) [2003] NSWIRComm 26 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 14) [2003] NSWIRComm 44 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 15) [2003] NSWIRComm 173 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 16) [2005] NSWIRComm 8 Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Ltd v Caterpillar of Australia Ltd (No 17) [2007] NSWIRComm 3 GR Vaughan (Holdings) Pty Ltd v Vogt [2006] NSWCA 263 Hogan v Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church (No 2) [2006] NSWSC 74 Hughes v Western Australian Cricket Association Inc (1986) ATPR 40-748 James v Surf Road Nominees Pty Ltd (No 2) [2005] NSWCA 296 Jelbarts Pty Ltd v McDonald [1919] VLR 478; (1919) 25 ALR 252 Jones v McKie & Mersey Docks & Harbour Board (1964) 1 WLR 960 Keddie v Foxall [1955] VLR 320 Leading Edge Events Australia Pty Ltd v Kiri Te Kanawa (No 2) [2007] NSWSC 568 Liverpool City Council v Estephan [2009] NSWCA 161 Lollis v Loulatzis (No 2) [2008] VSC 35 McLaughlin v Dungowan Manly Pty Ltd [2010] NSWSC 306 Mitchforce Ptd Ltd v Industrial Relations Commission [2003] NSWCA 151; (2003) 57 NSWLR 212 Monier Ltd v Metalwork Tiling Co of Australia Ltd (1987) 43 SASR 588 Nagle t/as W D & L J Nagle & Sons v Tilburg (1993) 51 IR 8 Ohn v Walton (1995) 36 NSWLR 77 Old UGC Inc v Industrial Relations Commission of NSW [2004] NSWCA 197; (2004) 60 NSWLR 620 Old UGC Inc v Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales in Court Session [2006] HCA 24; (2006) 225 CLR 274 Oshlack v Richmond River Council [1998] HCA 11; (1998) 193 CLR 72 Overton Investments Pty Ltd v Minister Administering the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 [2001] NSWCA 137 Production Spray Painting and Becker v Harry M Miller Attractions Pty Ltd (No 2) (1972) AR (NSW) 298 Production Spray Painting & Panel Beating Pty Limited v Newnham (1991) 27 NSWLR 644 QSR Ltd v Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales [2004] NSWCA 199; (2004) 208 ALR 368 Quest Rose Hill Pty Ltd v White [2010] NSWSC 1190 Re James Bartholomew Cummings v Michael Terence Lewis; Desmond Rundle; John Bradshaw As Representing All Members of the Firm Practising As KPMG Peat Marwick Hungerfords Between 1 February 1989 and 28 March 1989 [1992] FCA 247 Redden v Chapman (1949) 50 SR (NSW) 24 Reid Hewitt & Company v Joseph [1918] AC 717 Ritter v Godfrey [1920] 2 KB 47 Rodway v The Queen [1990] HCA 19; (1990) 169 CLR 515 Schaftenaar v Samuels (1975) 11 SASR 266 Scherer v Counting Instruments Ltd (1986) 1 WLR 615 Solution 6 Holdings Ltd v Industrial Relations Commission of NSW [2004] NSWCA 200; (2004) 60 NSWLR 558 State of New South Wales v Stanley [2007] NSWCA 330 Stevenson v Barham [1977] HCA 4; (1977) 136 CLR 190 Sydney Ferries v Morton (No 2) [2010] NSWCA 238 Thaina Town (On Goulburn) Pty Ltd v City of Sydney Council [2007] NSWCA 300; (2007) 71 NSWLR 230 Turkmani v Visvalingam (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 279 Waters v P C Henderson (Aust) Pty Ltd (Court of Appeal, 6 July 1994, unreported) Williams v Stanley Jones & Company Ltd [1926] 2 KB 37 Yim v Industrial Relations Commission of NSW [2007] NSWCA 77; (2007) 162 IR 62 Zisis v Knighton [2008] NSWCA 42 Texts Cited: Ritchie's Uniform Civil Procedure, Vol 1, Butterworths, 2005 Category: Costs Parties: Gough & Gilmour Holdings Pty Limited (First Applicant) Harcourt David Gough (Second Applicant) Anthony Lansley Gilmour (Third Applicant) Caterpillar of Australia Limited (First Respondent) Caterpillar Inc (Second Respondent) Caterpillar SARL (Third respondent) Caterpillar Overseas Credit Corporation SA (Fourth Respondent) Representation: Mr M J Kimber SC with Mr A B Gotting of counsel (Applicants) Mr A R Moses SC with Mr M R Elliott of counsel (Respondents) Harmers Workplace Lawyers (Applicants) Mallesons Stephen Jaques (Respondents) File Number(s): IRC 5227 of 2000