The Pharmacy Guild of Australia v Ramsay Health Care Ltd [2019] NSWSC 1045

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: The Pharmacy Guild of Australia v Ramsay Health Care Ltd [2019] NSWSC 1045 Hearing dates: 29 April 2019 Date of orders: 16 August 2019 Decision date: 16 August 2019 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Ward CJ in Eq Decision: 1. Pursuant to r 13.4 of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), order that the proceedings be dismissed. 2. Reserve the question of costs to be dealt with, if possible, on the papers. Catchwords: CIVIL PROCEDURE — application for dismissal of proceedings – r 13.4 of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) – application for strike out of the statement of claim – r 14.28 of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) – whether the plaintiffs lack a special interest sufficient to give them standing to seek the relief claimed – whether the plaintiffs are seeking declarations that the defendants committed a criminal offence – whether the commencement of the proceedings was an abuse of process – whether the commencement of the proceedings was based on confidential information of the defendants

CIVIL PROCEDURE — Discovery — Practice Note SC Eq 11 — Exceptional circumstances warranting early disclosure – whether preliminary discovery application more appropriate Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), ss 56, 57, 67 Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 (Cth), s 26 Freedom of Information Act 1992 (WA), ss 24, 33, 34 Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (NSW), sch 5F, ss 23, 41B, Pharmacy Act 2010 (WA), ss 42, 67, 68 State Administrative Tribunal Rules 2004 (WA), r 4(2) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 5.3, 13.4, 14.28, 21.2 Cases Cited: Ainsworth v Criminal Justice Commission (1992) 175 CLR 564; [1992] HCA 10 Australian Conservation Foundation Inc v Commonwealth (1980) 146 CLR 493; [1980] HCA 53 Australian Securities and Investments Commission v Fuelbanc Australia Ltd (2007) 162 FCR 174; [2007] FCA 960 Australian Securities and Investments Commission v HLP Financial Planning (Aust) Pty Ltd (2007) 164 FCR 487; [2007] FCA 1868 Bateman's Bay Local Aboriginal Land Council v Community Benefit Fund Pty Ltd (1998) 194 CLR 247; [1998] HCA Bauen Constructions Pty Limited v New South Wales Land and Housing Corporation [2014] NSWSC 684 Blatch v Archer (1774) 1 Cowp 63; 98 ER 969 Bourns Inc v Raychem Corporation [1999] 1 All ER 908 Bourns Inc v Raychem Corporation [1999] 3 All ER 154 Brightwater Care Group (Inc) v Rossiter (2009) 40 WAR 84; [2009] WASC 229 British American Tobacco Australia Ltd v Gordon [2007] NSWSC 230 Commercial Union Assurance Co of Australia Ltd v Ferrcom Pty Ltd (1991) 22 NSWLR 389 Commonwealth v John Fairfax & Sons Ltd (1980) 147 CLR 39; [1980] HCA 44 Commonwealth v Sterling Nicholas Duty Free Pty Ltd (1972) 126 CLR 297; [1972] HCA 19 Contour Building and Construction Pty Ltd v Kerr [2008] NSWSC 883 Corrs Pavey Whiting & Byrne v Collector of Customs (Vic) (1987) 14 FCR 434; [1987] FCA 266 Crane v Gething (2000) 97 FCR 9; [2000] FCA 45 CrownBet Pty Ltd v State of New South Wales [2017] NSWSC 1470 Danihel v Manning [2012] NSWSC 556 Edwards v Santos Limited (2011) 242 CLR 421; [2011] HCA 8 General Steel Industries Inc v Commissioner for Railways (NSW) (1964) 112 CLR 125; [1964] HCA 69 Harman v Secretary of State for the Home Department [1983] 1 AC 280 Hearne v Street (2008) 235 CLR 125; [2008] HCA 36 Helicopter Aerial Surveys Pty Ltd v Garry Robertson [2015] NSWSC 2104 Imperial Tobacco Ltd v Attorney General [1981] AC 718 Johns v Australian Securities Commission (1993) 178 CLR 408; [1993] HCA 56 Leda Manorstead Pty Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue [2012] NSWSC 913; (2012) 89 ATR 102 Lord Ashburton v Pape [1913] 2 Ch 469 McGuirk v The University of New South Wales [2009] NSWSC 1424 Meckiff v Simpson [1968] VR 62 Michael Wilson & Partners Limited v Nicholls (2011) 244 CLR 427; [2011] HCA 48 Moorgate Tobacco Co Ltd v Philip Morris Ltd (No 2) (1984) 156 CLR 414; [1984] HCA 73 Murray v Wheeler [2013] NSWSC 137 North Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service v Bradley [2001] FCA 1728; (2001) 192 ALR 625 Onus v Alcoa of Australia Ltd (1981) 149 CLR 27; [1981] HCA 50 Optiver Australia Pty Ltd v Tibra Trading Pty Ltd (2008) 196 FCR 435; [2008] FCAFC 133 Pharmacy Guild of Australia v Australian Community Pharmacy Authority (1996) 70 FCR 462 Pharmire Pty Ltd and the Pharmacy Registration Board of Western Australia [2018] WASAT 88 R (Pretty) v Director of Public Prosecutions (Secretary of State for the Home Department intervening) [2002] 1 AC 800 R (Rusbridger) v Attorney General [2004] 1 AC 357 R v Director of Public Prosecutions, Ex p Kebeline [2000] R v DPP Ex p, Camelot Group Plc (1997) 10 Admin L Rep 93 Re Metal Storm Ltd (subject to a deed of company arrangement) [2016] NSWSC 306 Riddick v Thames Board Mills Ltd [1977] QB 881 RSA (Moorevale Station) Pty Ltd v VDM CCE Pty Ltd [2013] NSWSC 534 Sapphire (SA) Pty Ltd (trading as River City Grain) v Barry Smith Grains Pty Ltd (in liq) [2011] NSWSC 1451 Shop Distributive & Allied Employees Association v Minister for Industrial Affairs (1995) 183 CLR 552; [1995] HCA 11 Smith Kline & French Laboratories (Aust) Limited v Secretary, Department of Community Services and Health (1990) 22 FCR 73 St George Bank Ltd v Rabo Australia Ltd [2004] FCA 1360; (2004) 211 ALR 147 Sullivan v Sclanders (2000) 77 SASR 419; [2000] SASC 273 Tom & Bill Waterhouse Pty Ltd v Racing New South Wales (2008) 72 NSWLR 577; [2008] NSWSC 1013 Texts Cited: Practice Note SATWA 2 Practice Note SC Eq 11 Ritchie's Uniform Civil Procedure NSW J Woolf, The Declaratory Judgment (4 ed, 2011, Thomson Reuters) Category: Principal judgment Parties: The Pharmacy Guild of Australia (First Plaintiff) George Parker t/as Priceline Pharmacy Nowra (Second Plaintiff) South Grafton Pharmacy Pty Ltd atf the South Grafton Pharmacy Trust Trading as Southside Pharmacy and Masen's Pharmacy (Third Plaintiff) Jennifer Anne Nelson t/as Coady's Pharmacy (Fourth Plaintiff) Ramsay Health Care Limited (First Defendant) Ramsay Pharmacy Retail Services Pty Ltd (Second Defendant) Pharmire Pty Ltd (Third Defendant) Lekarna Pty Ltd (Fourth Defendant) Representation: Counsel: IE Davidson SC with JE Curtin and A Mykkeltvedt (Plaintiffs) B Walker SC with D Sulan and B Hancock (Defendants)