Collins v Clarence Valley Council [2015] NSWCA 263

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Collins v Clarence Valley Council [2015] NSWCA 263 Hearing dates: 6 August 2014; final submissions 11 August 2014 Date of orders: 03 September 2015 Decision date: 03 September 2015 Before: McColl JA at [1]; Macfarlan JA at [193]; Emmett JA at [200] Decision: Appeal dismissed with costs. Catchwords: TORTS – negligence – duty of care – public authority –breach of duty – where plaintiff cyclist seriously injured when she fell over low guard rails of wooden bridge after the front wheel of her bicycle became stuck in a gap between the planks of the bridge – whether primary judge correctly identified risk of harm for the purposes of s 5B, Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW)

TORTS – negligence – duty of care – whether risk of harm that materialised an "obvious risk" within Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), s 5F(1) such that public authority did not owe plaintiff duty of care to warn of it –whether public authority required to establish plaintiff voluntarily assumed obvious risk before Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), s 5H applied TORTS – negligence – whether erection of warning sign involved exercise of a "special statutory power" for purposes of Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), s 43A TORTS – negligence – breach of duty – standard of liability – Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), s 43A – whether failure to erect sign warning cyclists of danger bridge posed an omission no public authority could properly consider a reasonable exercise of its power TORTS – negligence – breach of duty – whether public authority had actual knowledge of risk bridge posed to cyclists TORTS – negligence – breach of duty – s 42(b), CLA –whether plaintiff's contention public authority breached duty of care in not taking other precautions in relation to the bridge surface a challenge to public authority's general allocation of resources Legislation Cited: Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) Roads Act 1993 (NSW) Transport Administration Act 1988 (NSW) Cases Cited: Action Paintball Games Pty Ltd (In liquidation) v Barker [2013] NSWCA 128 Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd v Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales; Kelly v Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales [2010] NSWCA 328; (2010) MVR 80 Angel v Hawkesbury City Council [2008] NSWCA 130 Associated Provincial Picture Houses Ltd v Wednesbury Corporation (1948) 1 KB 223; [1947] 2 All ER 680 Baden Cranes Pty Ltd v Smith [2013] NSWCA 136 Benic v State of New South Wales [2010] NSWSC 1039 Blatch v Archer [1774] EngR 2; (1774) 1 Cowp 63; 98 ER 969 Bolton v Stone [1951] UKHL 2; [1951] AC 850 Botany Bay City Council v Latham [2013] NSWCA 363; (2013) 197 LGERA 211 Brodie v Singleton Shire Council [2001] HCA 29; (2001) 206 CLR 512 CG Maloney Pty Ltd v Hutton-Potts [2006] NSWCA 136 Colavon Pty v Bellingen Shire Council [2008] NSWCA 355; (2008) MVR 549 Collins v Clarence Valley Council (No 4) [2013] NSWSC 1735 Council of the City of Liverpool v Turano [2008] NSWCA 270; (2008) 164 LGERA 16 Curtis v Harden Shire Council [2014] NSWCA 314; (2014) 88 NSWLR 10 Endeavour Energy v Precision Helicopters Pty Ltd [2015] NSWCA 169 Fallas v Mourlas [2006] NSWCA 32; (2006) 65 NSWLR 418 Garzo v Liverpool Campbelltown Christian School [2012] NSWCA 151 Glad Retail Cleaning Pty Ltd v Alvarenga [2013] NSWCA 482; (2013) 86 NSWLR 191 Graham Barclay Oysters Pty Ltd v Ryan [2002] HCA 54; (2002) 211 CLR 540 Great Lakes Shire Council v Dederer & Anor; Roads & Traffic Authority of NSW v Dederer & Anor [2006] NSWCA 101; (2006) Aust Torts Reports ¶81-860 Jaber v Rockdale City Council [2008] NSWCA 98; (2008) Aust Rep ¶81-952 Jones v Dunkel [1959] HCA 8; (1959) 101 CLR 298 Laoulach v Ibrahim [2011] NSWCA 402 Leichhardt Council v Serratore [2005] NSWCA 406 Liverpool Catholic Club Ltd v Moor [2014] NSWCA 394 Macquarie Hastings Council v Mooney [2014] NSWCA 156; (2014) 201 LGERA 314 Minister Administering the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 v San Sebastian Pty Ltd [1983] 2 NSWLR 268 New South Wales v Fahy [2007] HCA 20; (2007) 232 CLR 486 North Sydney Council v Roman [2007] NSWCA 27; (2007) 69 NSWLR 240 O'Donnell v Reichard [1975] VR 916 Perisher Blue Pty Ltd v Nair-Smith [2015] NSWCA 90; (2015) 320 ALR 232 Rickard v Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd [2009] NSWSC 1115; (2009) 54 MVR 214 Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW v Dederer [2007] HCA 42; (2007) 234 CLR 330 Rockdale City Council v Simmons [2015] NSWCA 102; (2015) 207 LGERA 285 Shaw v Thomas [2010] NSWCA 169 Shirt v Wyong Shire Council [1978] 1 NSWLR 631 Shoalhaven City Council v Pender [2013] NSWCA 210 Streller v Albury City Council [2013] NSWCA 348 Vairy v Wyong Shire Council [2005] HCA 62; (2005) 223 CLR 422 Wyong Shire Council v Vairy [2004] NSWCA 247; (2004) Aust Torts Reports ¶81-754 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Ann Collins (Appellant) Clarence Valley Council (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: CT Barry QC and M Tanevski (Appellant) R Sheldon SC (Respondent)