Free Serbian Orthodox Church Diocese for Australia and New Zealand Property Trust v Bishop Irinej Dobrijevic [2017] NSWCA 28

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Free Serbian Orthodox Church Diocese for Australia and New Zealand Property Trust v Bishop Irinej Dobrijevic [2017] NSWCA 28 Hearing dates: 1 – 2 September 2016 Decision date: 07 March 2017 Before: Ward JA at [1]; Gleeson JA at [2]; Payne JA at [16]. Decision: (1) Leave to file an amended notice of appeal is refused;

(2) Appeal dismissed;

(3) Within 14 days of the publication of this judgment the respondents to file and serve any submissions (of no more than 20 pages) they wish to make on the question of costs or indemnification of any party from the trust property;

(4) Within 21 days of the publication of this judgment the appellants to file and serve any submissions (of no more than 20 pages) they wish to make on the question of costs or indemnification of any party from the trust property;

(5) Within 28 days of the publication of this judgment the respondents to file and serve any submissions (of no more than 10 pages) in reply they wish to make on the question of costs or indemnification of any party from the trust property. Catchwords: APPEAL – charitable trust without a trust instrument –application of property under a cy-près scheme under s 9 of the Charitable Trusts Act 1993 (NSW) –whether the primary judge erred in his application of s 9

PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – leave sought to file amended notice of appeal on day one of the hearing –whether this would give rise to unfairness of the kind in Coulton v Holcombe (1986) 162 CLR 1 Legislation Cited: Charitable Trusts Act 1957 (NZ) Charitable Trusts Act 1993 (NSW) s 9 Charitable Trusts Bill 1993 (NSW) Charities Act 1960 (UK) s 13 Charities Act 2011 (UK) s 62 Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) s 64 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 51.18(2), 51.36(2) Cases Cited: A-G ex rel Elisha v Holy Apostolic Church (1989) 37 NSWLR 293 Alcan (NT) Alumina Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Territory Revenue (Northern Territory) (2009) 239 CLR 27; [2009] HCA 41 AON Risk Services Australia Limited v Australian National University (2009) 239 CLR 175; [2009] HCA 27 Attorney General for NSW v Fulham [2002] NSWSC 629 Attorney-General (NSW) v Grant (1976) 135 CLR 587 Bishop Irinej Dobrijevic & Anor v Free Serbian Orthodox Church, Diocese for Australia & New Zealand Property Trust & Ors [2015] NSWSC 637 Bishop Irinej Dobrijevic & Anor v Free Serbian Orthodox Church, Diocese for Australia & New Zealand Property Trust & Ors (No. 2) [2015] NSWSC 1976 Board of Bendigo Regional Institute of Technical and Further Education v Barclay (2012) 248 CLR 500; [2012] HCA 32 Coulton v Holcombe (1986) 162 CLR 1 Craigdallie v Aikman (No. 2) (1820) 2 Bli 529, 4 ER 435 Craigie v Marshall (1850) 12 D 523 Federal Commissioner of Taxation v Consolidated Media Holding Ltd (2012) 250 CLR 503; [2012] HCA 55 General Assembly of Free Scotland v Lord Overtoun [1904] AC 515 Hamod v State of New South Wales [2011] NSWCA 375 Harington v Sendall [1903] 1 Ch 921 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499 Lewis v Heffer [1978] 1 WLR 1061 Long v Bishop of Cape Town (1863) 1 Moo PC (NS) 411 Macqueen v Frackelton (1909) 8 CLR 673 Metwally v University of Wollongong (1985) 60 ALR 68 Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland v Interim Moderator of the Congregation of Strath Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) (No. 3) (2011) SLT 1213; [2011] CSIH 52 Norbis v Norbis (1986) 161 CLR 513 Radmanovich v Nedeljkovic (2001) 52 NSWLR 641; [2001] NSWSC 492 Re Lepton's Charity [1972] Ch 276 RSL Veterans' Retirement Villages Ltd v NSW Minister for Lands [2006] NSWSC 1161 Singer v Berghouse (1994) 181 CLR 201; [1994] HCA 40 Sullivan v Stefanidi [2009] NSWCA 313 Taylor v Princess Margaret Hospital for Children Foundation Inc (2012) 42 WAR 259; [2012] WASC 83 The Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for the United States of America and Canada v Milivojevich 426 US 696 (1976). Varsani v Jesani [1999] Ch 219 Water Board v Moustakas (1998) 180 CLR 491; [1998] HCA 12 Watson v Jones 80 US 679 (1871) Whisprun Pty Ltd v Dixon (2003) 77 ALJR 1598; [2003] HCA 48 White v Williams [2010] EWHC 940 (Ch); [2010] PTSR 1575 Zheng v Cai (2009) 239 CLR 446; [2009] HCA 52 Texts Cited: Church and State in Yugoslavia since 1945 (S Alexander, 1979, Cambridge University Press) Justice McPherson "The Church as Consensual Compact, Trust and Corporation" (2000) 74 ALJ 159 Report of the Committee on the Law and Practice relating to Charitable Trusts (1952) (the Nathan Report) (UK) Report on Charitable Trusts 1965 (Vic) Serbs in Australia Volume 1 (Fr T Kazich, ed., 1989, Monastery Press) Serbs in Australia Volume 2 (Fr T Kazich, ed., 1992, Monastery Press) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Free Serbian Orthodox Church Diocese for Australia and New Zealand Property Trust (First Appellant) Branko Rupar (Second Appellant) Ratomir Nesic (Third Appellant) Ilija Cubrilo (Fourth Appellant) Petar Mandic (Fifth Appellant)