Workers’ Compensation Dust Diseases Board of NSW v Cook [2015] NSWCA 270

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Workers' Compensation Dust Diseases Board of NSW v Cook [2015] NSWCA 270 Hearing dates: 17 July 2015 Decision date: 09 September 2015 Before: Basten JA at [1]; Macfarlan JA at [25]; Sackville AJA at [61] Decision: Appeal dismissed with costs. Catchwords: STATUTORY INTERPRETATION – application of general law principles to statutory compensation scheme – construing two statutes of the same legislature conformably – whether provisions of one statute picked up by second statute

WORKERS' COMPENSATION – dust diseases – whether qualified claimant entitled to payment of benefit – whether Dust Diseases Board entitled to refuse claim where damages recovered – whether general law prohibition on double recovery applies to a claim for compensation under Workers' Compensation (Dust Diseases) 1942 (NSW) Legislation Cited: District Court Act 1973 (NSW), ss 142G, 142J, 142N Workers Compensation Act 1987 (NSW), ss 4, 9, 33, 46, 151Z; Sch 6 Workers' Compensation (Dust Diseases) Act 1942 (NSW), ss 1, 5, 6, 8, 8E, 8I, 12D; Sch 1A, cl 4 Cases Cited: Annetts v McCann (1990) 170 CLR 596 Downes v Amaca Pty Ltd [2010] NSWCA 76; 78 NSWLR 451 Federal Commissioner of Taxation v Consolidated Media Holdings Ltd [2012] HCA 55; 250 CLR 503 Federal Commissioner of Taxation v Unit Trend Services Pty Ltd [2013] HCA 16 250 CLR 523 Franklins Self Serve Pty Ltd v Wyber (1999) 48 NSWLR 249; [1999] NSWCA 390 Harris v Commercial Minerals Ltd [1996] HCA 49; 186 CLR 1 Kuenzel v Workers Compensation (Dust Diseases) Board of New South Wales [2012] NSWDC 243 Lacey v Attorney General for the State of Queensland [2011] HCA 10; 242 CLR 573 Parry v Cleaver [1970] AC 1 Texts Cited: Stephen Gageler, "Common Law Statutes and Judicial Legislation: Statutory Interpretation as a Common Law Process" (2011) 37 Monash UL Rev 1 at 12-13