New South Wales Land and Housing Corporation v Orr [2019] NSWCA 231

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: New South Wales Land and Housing Corporation v Orr [2019] NSWCA 231 Hearing dates: 26 July 2019 Date of orders: 19 September 2019 Decision date: 19 September 2019 Before: Bell P at [1]; Ward JA at [109]; McCallum JA at [115] Decision: 1. Grant leave to appeal.

2. Allow the appeal.

3. Set aside the orders of Adamson J made on 11 December 2018. Catchwords: LEASES AND TENANCIES – Social Housing Tenancy Agreement – Agreement terminated by order of NCAT pursuant to s 91 of Residential Tenancies Act – whether termination would occasion undue hardship to tenant – meaning of undue hardship in context of Residential Tenancies Act – discretion to terminate notwithstanding undue hardship – whether NCAT had regard to hardship in exercise of its discretion – adequacy of reasons for exercising discretion

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW – requirement for NCAT to give reasons – adequacy of reasons for making of a discretionary decision to terminate a social housing tenancy agreement – whether NCAT had regard to hardship to the tenant of termination – whether reasons for decision adequately disclosed how hardship was taken into account

TRIBUNALS – New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal – required to give reasons – adequacy of reasons – reference to "all of the circumstances of the case" Legislation Cited: Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 (Cth), s 5(2)(f) Administrative Decisions Tribunal Act 1997 (NSW) (repealed) Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW) Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013 (NSW), ss 62, 80, 81, Sch 4, cl 12(1)(b) Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW), ss 91, 154D, 154E, 154G, Pt 7 Div 5 Cases Cited: Absolon v NSW TAFE [1999] NSWCA 311 Attorney General for New South Wales v Gatsby [2018] NSWCA 254; 361 ALR 570 Azriel v NSW Land & Housing Corporation [2006] NSWCA 372 Bisley Investment Corporation v Australian Broadcasting Tribunal (1982) 40 ALR 233 Cain v New South Wales Land and Housing Corporation (2014) 86 NSWLR 1; [2014] NSWCA 28 Camden v McKenzie [2008] 1 Qd R 39; [2007] QCA 136 Campbelltown City Council v Vegan (2006) 67 NSWLR 372; [2006] NSWCA 284 Canham v Australian Guarantee Corporation Ltd (1993) 31 NSWLR 246 Collector of Customs v Pozzolanic Enterprises Pty Ltd (1993) 43 FCR 280; [1993] FCA 456 Collins v Urban [2014] NSWCATAP 17 Cypressvale Pty Ltd v Retail Shop Leases Tribunal [1996] 2 Qd R 462 Hogan v Hinch (2011) 243 CLR 506; [2011] HCA 4 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499; [1936] HCA 40 Housing Commission of New South Wales v Tatmar Pastoral Co Pty Ltd [1983] 3 NSWLR 378 Khan v Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs [1987] FCA 713; (1987) 14 ALD 291 Liberian Shipping v King [1967] QB 86 Lodhi v Attorney General (NSW) [2013] NSWCA 433; 241 A Crim R 477 Minister for Aboriginal Affairs v Peko-Wallsend Ltd (1986) 162 CLR 24; [1986] HCA 40 Minister for Immigration & Ethnic Affairs v Wu Shan Liang (1996) 185 CLR 259; [1996] HCA 6 Parramatta City Council v Hale (1982) 47 LGERA 319 Pettitt v Dunkley [1971] 1 NSWLR 376 Pollard v RRR Corporation Pty Ltd [2009] NSWCA 110 Public Service Association and Professional Officers' Association Amalgamated Union of New South Wales v Secretary of the Treasury [2014] NSWCA 112 Public Service Board (NSW) v Osmond (1986) 159 CLR 656; [1986] HCA 7 R v Hunt; ex parte Sean Investments Pty Ltd (1979) 180 CLR 322 R v Kay; Ex parte Attorney-General (Qld) [2017] 2 Qd R 522; [2016] QCA 269 Re Maria Politis v Commissioner of Taxation [1988] FCA 739; 20 ATR 108 Re Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Re; Ex parte Applicant S20/2002; Appellant S106/2002 v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs [2003] HCA 30; 77 ALJR 1165 Resource Pacific Pty Ltd v Wilkinson [2013] NSWCA 33 Soulemezis v Dudley (Holdings) Pty Ltd (1987) 10 NSWLR 247 Strbak v Newton (Court of Appeal (NSW), Samuels JA, 18 July 1989, unrep) Sydney Supermarkets Pty Ltd v Xu (RLD) [2009] NSWADTAP 28 Wade v Burns (1966) 115 CLR 537; [1966] HCA 35 Wainohu v New South Wales (2011) 243 CLR 181; [2011] HCA 24 Weal v Bathurst City Council [2000] NSWCA 88; (2000) 111 LGERA 181 Wingfoot Australia Partners Pty Ltd v Kocak (2013) 252 CLR 480; [2013] HCA 43 Xuereb v Viola (1988) 18 NSWLR 453 Yonan v NSW Land and Housing Corporation [2017] NSWCATAP 37 Zhang v Canterbury City Council (2001) 51 NSWLR 589; [2001] NSWCA 167 Texts Cited: M Gleeson, 'Judicial Accountability' (1995) The Judicial Review 117 R Sackville, 'The Evolution of the duty of decision-makers to give reasons' (2016) 23 Australian Journal of Administrative Law 128 T F Bathurst, 'Writing Better Judgments', speech delivered to the COAT Annual Conference, 7 September 2018 New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Annual Report 2017-2018 Category: Principal judgment Parties: New South Wales Land and Housing Corporation (Applicant) Susan Orr (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: J O'Connor, N Simpson (Applicant) P Batley (Respondent)