Warragamba Winery Pty Ltd v State of New South Wales (No 9) [2012] NSWSC 701

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Warragamba Winery Pty Ltd v State of New South Wales (No 9) [2012] NSWSC 701 Hearing dates: 24-28, 31 October, 1-4, 7-11, 14-18, 21-25, 28-30 November 5-8, 12-16 December 2011, 30, 31 January, 1-3, 6-10, 13-17, 20-22, 27-29 February, 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, 19, 20-23, 26-30 March, 2-5, 10-13 April, 21-24 May 2012 Decision date: 26 June 2012 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: Walmsley AJ Decision: 1. Judgment in favour of the defendants in all matters. 2. Order the plaintiffs in each case to pay the defendants' costs. 3. Direct the Principal Registrar to refer the judgment as it concerns Mr Nix to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Catchwords: Torts - negligence - public authorities - bushfire caused by lightning strike spreading to and burning houses and factories in towns near national park - whether a duty of care - occupiers duties - whether breach of duty - nuisance - whether breach of statutory duty - Civil Liability Act 2002, s 43A - Rural Fires Act 1997, s 128 - whether immunity available - Jones v Dunkel - unexplained failure to call witnesses - experts - bias allegation - assumptions - whether expert ought go beyond them - damages - method of valuation for tortiously destroyed buildings - emergency grants - whether defendants should benefit - real property - whether demountable home has become part of the land Legislation Cited: Civil Liability Act 2002 Crown Proceedings Act 1988 Community Welfare Act 1987 Evidence Act 1995 Fire Brigades Act 1989 Local Government Act 2007 National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 Public Sector Management Act 1988 Rural Fires Act 1997 Sydney Water Catchment Management Act 1998 Cases Cited: Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd v Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW; Kelly v Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW [2010] NSWCA 328 Anthoness v Bland Shire Council (1960) 60 SR (NSW) 659 Australian National Airlines Commission v Newman [1987] HCA 9; (1987) 162 CLR 466 Australian Softwood Forests Pty Ltd v Attorney-General (NSW); Ex rel CAC (1981) 148 CLR 121 Bankstown City Council v Alamdo Holdings Pty Ltd [2005] HCA 46; (2005) 223 CLR 660 Bennett & Wood Ltd v Orange City Council (1967) 67 SR (NSW) 426 Billing v Pill [1953] 3 WLR 758 Board of Fire Commissioners (NSW) v Ardouin (1961) 109 CLR 105 Board of Fire Commissioners v Rowland (1960) 60 SR (NSW) 322 Boatswain v Crawford [1943] NZLR 109 Bourne v Australian Oil Refining Pty Limited (Unreported, Supreme Court of New South Wales, Court of Appeal, Hutley, Mahoney, Reynolds JJ, 2 July 1979) Brodie v Singleton Shire Council; Ghantous v Hawkesbury Shire Council [2001] HCA 29; (2001) 206 CLR 512 Browne v Dunn (1893) 6 R 67 Burnie Port Authority v General Jones Pty Ltd [1994] HCA 13; (1994) 179 CLR 520 Caltex Refineries (Qld) Pty Ltd v Stavar [2009] NSWCA 258; (2009) 259 ALR 616 Capital & Counties Plc; Digital Equipment Co Ltd v Hampshire County Council [1997] QB 1004 Crimmins v Stevedoring Industry Finance Committee [1999] HCA 59; (1999) 200 CLR 1 Dilosa v Latec Finance Pty Ltd [1966] 1 NSWR 259 Dodd Properties Ltd v Canterbury City Council [1980] 1 WLR 433 Edwards v Blue Mountains City Council [1961] NSWR 803 Elitestone Ltd v Morris [1997] 1 WLR 687 Elliot v Ivey (Unreported, New South Wales Supreme Court, Sperling J, 23 April 1998) Evans v Balog [1976] 1 NSWLR 36 Fabre v Arenales (1992) 27 NSWLR 437 Gagner Pty Ltd t/as Indochine Cafe v Canturi Corp Pty Ltd [2009] NSWCA 413; (2009) 262 ALR 691 Gardner v Northern Territory of Australia [2004] NTCA 14 Gill v Australian Wheat Board [1980] 2 NSWLR 795 Gillett v Murphy [2001] NSWCA 199 Goldman v Hargrave [1967] 1 AC 645 Graham Barclay Oysters Pty Ltd v Ryan [2002] HCA 54; (2002) 211 CLR 540 Harbutt's Plasticine Ltd v Wayne Tank & Pump Co Ltd [1970] 1 QB 447 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298 Kent v Griffiths [2001] QB 36 Little v The Commonwealth (1947) 75 CLR 94 Manly Council v Byrne [2004] NSWCA 123 Maynard v Rover Mowers Ltd [2000] QCA 26 Mid Density Developments Pty Ltd v Rockdale Municipal Council (1993) 44 FCR 290 Murphy v Brentwood District Council [1990] 2 All ER 269 National Justice Compania Naviera SA v Prudential Assurance Co Ltd (The Ikarian Reefer) [1993] 2 Lloyd's Rep 68 Oceanview Holdings Ltd v Clarry M O'Byrne Ltd [1989] 1 NZLR 574 O'Connor v SP Bray Ltd (1937) 56 CLR 464 Parramatta City Council v Lutz (1988) 12 NSWLR 293 Parry v Cleaver [1970] AC 1 Payne v Parker [1976] 1 NSWLR 191 Precision Products (NSW) Pty Ltd v Hawkesbury City Council [2008] NSWCA 278; (2008) 74 NSWLR 102 Puntoriero v Water Administration Ministerial Corp [1999] HCA 45; (1999) 199 CLR 575 Pyrenees Shire Council v Day [1998] HCA 3; (1998) 192 CLR 330 The Queen in right of Ontario v Eliopoulous (2006) 276 DLR (4th) 411; (2006) 288 DLR (4th) 411 Re Cosslett (Contractors) Ltd [1998] Ch 495 Rickard v Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd [2009] NSWSC 1115 R & W Vincent Pty Ltd v Board of Fire Commissioners of New South Wales [1977] 1 NSWLR 15 Sheridan v Borgmeyer [2006] NSWCA 201 Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd v Lindley [2010] NSWCA 357 Standard Portland Cement Co Pty Ltd v Good [1982] 2 NSWLR 668 State of New South Wales v West [2008] ACTCA 14; (2008) 165 ACTR 47 Stephens v Stephens [1970] 3 NSWR 168 Stuart v Kirkland-Veenstra [2009] HCA 15; (2009) 237 CLR 215 Sullivan v Moody; Thompson v Connon [2001] HCA 59; (2001) 207 CLR 562 Sutherland Shire Council v Heyman [1985] HCA 41; (1985) 157 CLR 424 Warren Shire Council v Kuehne [2012] NSWCA 81 Westwood v Cordell [1983] 1 Qd R 276 Whitehouse v Jordan [1981] 1 All ER 267 Williams v The Queen in right of Ontario (2009) 310 DLR (4th) 710; (2009) CanLII 71462 (SCC) Wood v The Queen [2012] NSWCCA 21 X and Y v Pal (1991) 23 NSWLR 26 Texts Cited: Cherie Booth QC, Dan Squires, The Negligence Liability of Public Authorities (2006) Oxford University Press Peter Butt, Land Law, 6th ed (2009), Lawbook Co Michael Eburn, Emergency Law, 2nd ed (2005) Federation Press Harold Luntz, Assessment of Damages for Personal Injury and Death, 4th ed (2002), LexisNexis Butterworths Halsbury's Laws of Australia, Loose-leaf Service (1991), LexisNexis Harvey McGregor, McGregor on Damages 18th ed (2010) Sweet and Maxwell Online Oxford English Dictionary Pearce and Geddes, Statutory Interpretation in Australia, 7th ed (2011), Lexis Asia Pacific Carolyn Sappideen, Prue Vines, Fleming's The Law of Torts, 10th ed (2011) Lawbook Co Pam Stewart, Anita Stuhmcke, Australian Principles of Tort Law, 3rd ed (2012), Federation press Category: Principal judgment Parties: Warragamba Winery Pty Ltd (Plaintiff) Lionel Rupert Fowler (Plaintiff) Joseph David and Jodie Ann Gauci (Plaintiffs) Ernest and Gillian Hausler (Plaintiffs) Vitomir Kuzmanovic (Plaintiff) Michelle and Mark Larden (Plaintiffs) Bruno Lopreiato (Plaintiff) Alexander and Suzanne Lynch (Plaintiffs) Darryl and Tracy Nix (Plaintiffs) Michael O'Brien (Plaintiff) Michael and Jane Passlow (Plaintiffs) Antol and Wanda Plachozki (Plaintiffs) Paul and Josephine Mary Quigley (Plaintiffs) Richard and Joanne Sheppard (Plaintiffs) Russell and Joanne Sheppard (Plaintiffs) State of New South Wales (First defendant) Sydney Catchment Authority (Second defendant) Representation: D Nock SC with K Odgers, J A Rose (from 5 December) (Plaintiffs) L King SC with S Gregory, C A Webster, N Newton (Defendants) McLachlan Chilton (Plaintiffs) GILD (Defendants) File Number(s): 2005/00269559 and Others