OXS Pty Ltd v Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority [2016] NSWCA 120

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: OXS Pty Ltd v Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority [2016] NSWCA 120 Hearing dates: 9 June 2015 Decision date: 23 May 2016 Before: Macfarlan JA at [1]; Gleeson JA at [2]; Leeming JA at [279] Decision: (1) Appeal dismissed. (2) Appellant to pay the respondent's costs of the appeal. Catchwords: CONTRACTS - existence of contract - where respondent leased premises to appellant - where current lease not yet expired - whether concluded agreement for lease for new term of 10 years arose from correspondence between parties - whether intention of parties to be immediately bound – where absence of agreement on initial rent, rent reviews and turnover rent – whether lease on "commercial terms" is sufficiently certain – specificity of terms – Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority Act s 19 requirements – whether Ministerial consent was given for entry into lease with term exceeding five years – challenge to primary judge's finding no consent was given – circumstances of alleged consent – application of s 19(3) Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority Act – construction of word "lease" – whether includes agreement for lease – implied terms of agreement – that parties would do all that was reasonable to obtain consent – that grant of lease subject to Ministerial consent and such conditions as Minister may impose EQUITY - equitable remedies - specific performance - agreement for lease – where appellant asserts agreement for lease and seeks order for specific performance – where lease or licence of "core land" vested in respondent for term exceeding five years – where statutory requirement of Ministerial consent and subject to conditions Minister may impose – whether contingent condition fulfilled and contract emerged from inchoate stage TRADE PRACTICES - misleading or deceptive conduct - whether alleged representations were made by respondent - whether representations were misleading or deceptive or likely to mislead or deceive – where appellant alleged respondent failed to disclose alleged consensus within the respondent of intention to proceed to open tender when current lease expired – whether appellant had reasonable expectation of disclosure where parties in commercial negotiations – whether respondent had concluded view of whether binding agreement had been entered– where both parties had access to legal advice and appellant had no reason to think that it could look to the respondent for advice – whether appellant relied on non-disclosure – challenge to primary judge's findings as to credit of witnesses – whether consistent with considering inherent probabilities of competing accounts and objective indicators TRADE PRACTICES - misleading or deceptive conduct – loss of opportunity claim by appellant – causation – whether opportunity lost was of some commercial value – whether evidence established respondent would have sold business had it known the true position PRODEDURE - Miscellaneous procedural matters – declarations - where findings of misleading conduct by primary judge – where primary judge made no declaration that respondent engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct – discretion of the Court - where respondent sought declaration in general terms – where declaration would be merely prefatory to an order for damages – whether declaration of no utility Legislation Cited: Australian Consumer Law (Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) Schedule 2) ss 2(2)(c)(i), 18, 20, 22 Closer Settlement Amendment (Conversion) Act 1943 (NSW) Crown Lands Consolidation Act 1913 (NSW) s 272(2) Fair Trading Act 1987 (NSW), s 42 Industrial Arbitration Act 1940 (NSW) s 88B Real Property Act 1900 (NSW), s 53 Retail Leases Act 1994 (NSW) ss 62B, 62D Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) s 69 Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority Act 1988 (NSW) ss 5, 10, 12(2), 19, 28, 29, 30, Sch 5 cl 13 Town Planning and Development Act 1928 (WA) s 20 Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) s 52 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) r 42.1 Cases Cited: Ainsworth v Criminal Justice Commission [1992] HCA 10; 175 CLR 564 Alcan (NT) Alumina Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Territory Revenue [2009] HCA 41; 239 CLR 27 ANZ Banking Group Ltd v Ciavarella [2003] NSWCA 304 Attorney -General (NSW); Ex rel Corporate Affairs v Australian Softwood Forests Pty Ltd (1979) 2 NSWLR 73 Australian Broadcasting Corporation v XIVth Commonwealth Games Ltd (1988) 18 NSWLR 540 Australis Media Holdings Ltd v Telstra Corporation Ltd (1998) 43 NSWLR 104 Banque Commerciale S.A., En Liquidation v Akhil Holdings Ltd [1990] HCA 11;169 CLR 279 Baulkham Hills Private Hospital Pty Ltd v GR Securities Pty Ltd (1986) 40 NSWLR 622 Biotechnology Australia Pty Ltd v Pace (1988) 15 NSWLR 130 BP Refinery (Westernport) Pty Ltd v Shire of Hastings (1977)180 CLR 266 Brambles v Bathurst City Council [2001] NSWCA 61; (2001) 53 NSWLR 153 Brown v Heffer [1967] HCA 40; 116 CLR 344 Butts v O'Dwyer [1952] HCA 74; 87 CLR 267 Byrne v Australian Airlines Ltd [1995] HCA 24; 185 CLR 410 Campbell v Backoffice Investments Pty Ltd [2009] HCA 25; 238 CLR 304 Chan v Cresdon Pty Ltd [1989] HCA 63; 168 CLR 242 Clifton v Palumbo [1944] 2 All ER 497 Codelfa Constructions Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority of New South Wales [1982] HCA 24; 149 CLR 337 Corpers (No 664) Pty Ltd v NZI Securities Australia Ltd [1989] ANZ Conv R 548 Craig v Silverbrook & Ors [2013] NSWSC 1687 Custom Credit Corporation Ltd v Cenepro Pty Ltd (NSWCA, 7 August 1991) Daniels v Anderson (1995) 37 NSWLR 438 Demagogue Pty Ltd v Ramensky (1992) 39 FCR 31 Dunlop v Woollahra Municipal Council [1975] 2 NSWLR 446 Fabcot Pty Ltd & Anor v Port Macquarie-Hastings Council [2011] NSWCA 167 Federal Commissioner of Taxation v Consolidated Media Holdings Ltd [2012] HCA 55; 250 CLR 503 Fightvision Pty Ltd v Onisforou (1999) 47 NSWLR 473 Fox v Percy [2003] HCA 22; 214 CLR 118 Fraser v NRMA Holdings Ltd (1995) 55 FCR 452; 127 ALR 543 Geebung Investments Pty Ltd v Varga Group Investments (No 8) Pty Ltd [1995] NSWCA 166; 7 BPR 14,551 Glass v Ralph [1966] WAR 91; 13 LGRA 90 G R Securities Pty Ltd v Baulkham Hills Private Hospital Pty Ltd (1986) 40 NSWLR 631 Heenan v Di Sisto & Ors [2008] NSWCA 25 Helmoss Enterprises Pty Ltd v Jaylor Pty Ltd [2005] NSWCA 235 Hillas & Co Ltd v Arcos Ltd [1932] All ER 494; 147 LT 503 Hill End Gold Ltd v First Tiffany Resource Corporation [2010] NSWSC 375 House v The King [1936] HCA 40; 55 CLR 499 Hughes Aircraft Systems International v Airservices Australia (1997) 146 ALR 1 Kimberley NZI Finance Ltd v Torero Pty Ltd (1989) ATPR (Digest) 46-054 Krakowski v Eurolynx Pty Ltd [1995] HCA 68; 183 CLR 563 Kuru v State of New South Wales [2008] HCA 26; 236 CLR 1 Malec v JC Hutton Pty Ltd [1990] HCA 20; 169 CLR 638 Masters v Cameron [1954] HCA 72; 91 CLR 353 McGraddie v McGraddie [2013] UKSC 58; 1 WLR 2477 Miller & Associates Insurance Broking Pty Ltd v BMW Australia Finance Ltd [2010] HCA 31; 241 CLR 357 OXS Pty Ltd v Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and Minister for Planning and Environment [2014] NSWSC 1174 OXS Pty Ltd v Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and Minister for Planning and Environment [2014] NSWSC 1284 OXS Pty Ltd v Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and Minister for Planning and Environment [2014] NSWSC 1702 Pan American World Airways Inc v Commonwealth of Australia (1977) 7 BPR 15,145 Project Blue Sky v Australian Broadcasting Authority [1998] HCA 28; 194 CLR 355 Pyrmont Point Pty Ltd v Westacott [2016] NSWCA 33 Re Colorado Products Pty Ltd (in prov liq) [2014] NSWSC 789 Rivers v Bondi Junction-Waverley RSL (1986) 5 NSWLR 362 Sellars v Adelaide Petroleum NL [1994] HCA 4; 179 CLR 332 Sinclair, Scott & Co v Naughton [1929] HCA 34; 43 CLR 310 Taluja v Australian International Academy of Education Ltd [2011] NSWCA 416 Tanna v Deutsche Bank (Asia) AG [1997] ANZ Conv R 588 The Commonwealth of Australia v Amann Aviation Pty Ltd (1991) HCA 54; 174 CLR 64 Thorby v Goldberg [1964] HCA 41; 112 CLR 597 Tobacco Institute of Australia Ltd v The Australian Federation of Consumer Organisations Inc (No 2) (1993) 41 FCR 89 Traderight (NSW) Pty Ltd v Bank of Queensland Ltd [2015] NSWCA 94 Travinto Nominees Pty Ltd v Vlattas [1973] HCA 14; 129 CLR 1 Westpac Banking Corporation v The Bell Group Ltd (in Liq) (No 3) [2012] WASCA 157; 44 WAR 1 Wilson International Pty Ltd v International House Pty Ltd [1983] WAR 243; (1981) 52 LGRA 216 Texts Cited: PW Young, C Croft and ML Smith, On Equity (2009, Lawbook Co) NSW Legislative Assembly, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) 28 October 1998 at 9293 Category: Principal judgment Parties: OXS Pty Ltd (Appellant) Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: G Inatey SC with A Zahra (Appellant) M Cashion SC with R Carruthers (Respondent)