Randren House Pty Ltd v Water Administration Ministerial Corporation (No 4) [2019] NSWLEC 5

Land and Environment Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Randren House Pty Ltd v Water Administration Ministerial Corporation (No 4) [2019] NSWLEC 5 Hearing dates: 2-6 July 2018; 9-10 July 2018; 30-31 July 2018; 2 August 2018; 28 September 2018 Date of orders: 15 February 2019 Decision date: 15 February 2019 Jurisdiction: Class 4 Before: Molesworth AJ Decision: See orders at [603] Catchwords: JUDICIAL REVIEW - licence under the Water Act 1912 and subsequently the Water Management Act 2000 - whether making of the Water Sharing Plan for the Murrumbidgee Regulated River Water Source 2003 and thereafter the Water Sharing Plan for the Murrumbidgee Regulated River Water Source 2016 were invalid for failing to consider particular water body on applicants' property - whether Water Sharing Plan for the Murrumbidgee Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources 2012 invalid due to failure to consider impacts on a particular water body on the first applicant's property - examination of application of water management principles - whether classification of water sources at 'high level' permissible - whether mandatory to classify all water sources in NSW - whether consent orders made in 2012 required allocation to be in regulated or unregulated system - whether applicants required leave under r 59.10 of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005, and if so whether discretion to extend time ought to be exercised - whether proceedings are time-barred by s 47 of the Water Management Act 2000 - whether damage to the applicants' property is evidence of decisions affected by legal error - insufficient evidence that certain of the impugned decisions were in fact made - condition of first applicant's licence was to construct a regulator, which was intended to prevent inundation of the applicants' land - first applicant's failure to construct regulator relevant to the Court's exercise of its discretion - applicants could not demonstrate how the licence being within the unregulated system rather than the regulated system would have a negative environmental impact - claim with respect to s 100 of the Australian Constitution not made out as the Commonwealth did not make the impugned decisions Legislation Cited: Land and Environment Court Act 1979, s 34 The Commonwealth Constitution s 100 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005, Pt 59 (rr 59.1, 59.10) Water Act 1912 Water Act 2007 (Cth) Water Management Act 2000, ss 5, 9, 50, 372 Water Management (Application of Act to Certain Water Sources) Proclamation (No 2) 2012 Water Sharing Plan for the Murrumbidgee Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources 2012 Cases Cited: Agricultural Equity Investments Pty Ltd v Westlime Pty Ltd [2013] NSWLEC 122 Arnold v Minister Administering the Water Management Act 2000 (No 6) [2013] NSWLEC 73 Arnold v Minister Administering the Water Management Act 2000 (2010) 240 CLR 242; [2010] HCA 3 Bryan v Lane Cove Council and Anor (2007) 158 LGERA 390; [2007] NSWLEC 586 Caldera Environment Centre Inc v Tweed Shire Council [1993] NSWLEC 102 Capital Airport Group Pty Ltd v Director-General of the NSW Department of Planning [2011] NSWLEC 22 Capital Airport Group Pty Ltd v Director-General of the NSW Department of Planning (No 2) (2011) 210 LGERA 247; [2011] NSWLEC 83 Commonwealth v Tasmania (1983) 158 CLR 1; [1983] HCA 21 Dietrich v The Crown (1992) 177 CLR 292; [1992] HCA 57 Gartner v Kidman (1962) 108 CLR 12; [1962] HCA 27 Great Lakes Council v Lani; Great Lakes Council v Lani and Lampo Pty Limited (2007) 158 LGERA 1; [2007] NSWLEC 681 Hanna v Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions [2016] NSWSC 325 Harvey and Tubbo v Minister Administering the Water Management Act 2000 (2008) 160 LGERA 50; [2008] NSWLEC 165 ICM Agriculture Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (2009) 240 CLR 140; [2009] HCA 51 John Young and Company v The Bankier Distillery Company [1893] AC 691 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298; [1959] HCA 8 Katter v Melhem (2015) 90 NSWLR 164; [2015] NSWCA 213 Khan v Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs (1987) 14 ALD 291; [1987] FCA 713 Lee v Commonwealth (2014) 229 FCR 431; [2014] FCAFC 174 Manly Council v Byrne [2004] NSWCA 123 Mason v Hill (1833) 110 ER 692 Maxwell v Murphy (1957) 96 CLR 261; [1957] HCA 7 Minister Administering the Water Management Act 2000 v Sharkey (2017) 226 LGERA 322; [2017] NSWCA 319 Minister for Aboriginal Affairs v Peko-Wallsend Ltd (1986) 162 CLR 24; [1986] HCA 40 Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v SZJSS (2010) CLR 164; [2010] HCA 48 Minister for Local Government v Blue Mountains City Council (2018) 229 LGERA 197; [2018] NSWCA 133 Mitchforce Pty Ltd v Industrial Relations Commission of NSW (2003) 57 NSWLR 212; [2003] NSWCA 151 Moorebank Recyclers Pty Ltd v Tanlane Pty Ltd [2017] NSWLEC 97 Morgan v Commonwealth (1947) 74 CLR 421; [1947] HCA 6 Mosman Municipal Council v IPM Pty Ltd (2016) 216 LGERA 252; [2016] NSWLEC 26 MSPR Pty Ltd v Advanced Breaking Technology [2013] NSWCA 416 Murrumbidgee Groundwater Preservation Association Inc v Minister for Natural Resources (2005) 138 LGERA 11; [2005] NSWCA 10 NA&J Investments Pty Ltd v Minister Administering the Water Management Act 2000 (2011) 181 LGERA 166; [2011] NSWLEC 51 Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales Inc v Minister Administering the Water Management Act 2000 (2005) 137 LGERA 320; [2005] NSWCA 9 O'Connor v New South Wales [2017] NSWSC 598 Onesteel Reinforcing Pty Ltd v Sutton [2012] NSWCA 282 Patsalis v Attorney General of NSW [2013] NSWCA 98 Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority (1998) 194 CLR 355; [1998] HCA 28 Randren House Pty Ltd v Water Administration Corporation (No 3) [2018] NSWLEC 106 Randren House Pty Ltd v Water Administration Ministerial Corporation [2017] NSWLEC 151 Randren House Pty Ltd v Water Administration Ministerial Corporation (No 2) (2017) 228 LGERA 354; [2017] NSWLEC 185 Re Refugee Tribunal; Ex parte Aala (2000) 204 CLR 82; [2000] HCA 57 Regional Express Holdings Ltd v Dubbo City Council (No 2) [2013] NSWLEC 113 Riva NSW Pty Ltd v Mark A Fraser and Christopher P Clancy trading as Fraser Clancy Lawyers (No 3) [2018] NSWCA 326 Royal Insurance Co Ltd v Myelius (1926) 38 CLR 477; [1926] HCA 49 Sean Investments Pty Ltd v MacKellar (1981) 38 ALR 363; [1981] FCA 191 Sharkey v Minister Administering the Water Management Act 2000 [2017] NSWLEC 3 Sharkey v Minister Administering the Water Management Act 2000 [2017] NSWLEC 47 Swift v SAS Trustee Corporation [2010] NSWCA 182 Telstra Corp Ltd v Hornsby Shire Council (2006) 67 NSWLR 256; [2006] NSWLEC 133 Telstra Corporation Ltd v Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (2008) 171 FCR 174; [2008] FCA 1436 The Movie Network Channels Pty Ltd v Optus Vision Pty Ltd [2009] NSWSC 132 Thorpes Ltd v Grant Pastoral Co Pty Ltd (1955) 92 CLR 317; [1955] HCA 10 Vanmeld Pty Ltd v Fairfield City Council (1999) 46 NSWLR 78; [1999] NSWCA 6 Woolworths Limited v Wyong Shire Council & Ors [2005] NSWLEC 400 Woolworths Ltd v Pallas Newco Pty Ltd (2004) 61 NSWLR 707; [2004] NSWCA 422 Yates Property Corporation Pty Ltd (In Liq) v Darling Harbour Authority (1991) 24 NSWLR 156 Yirrell v Yirrell [1939] HCA 33; (1939) 62 CLR 287 Yrttiaho v The Public Curator of Queensland (1971) 125 CLR 228; [1971] HCA 29 Texts Cited: A B Paterson, The Man From Snowy River and Other Verses (1st ed, 1895, Angus & Robertson) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Randren House Pty Ltd (First Applicant) Mr Paul Andrew Andrews (Second Applicant) Water Administration Ministerial Corporation (First Respondent) State of New South Wales (Second Respondent) Minister Administering the Water Management Act 2000 (Third Respondent) Representation: Counsel: Mr P E King and Ms F Sinclair (Applicants) Ms Z Heger (Respondents)