Edenmead Pty Ltd v Commonwealth

Case [1984] FCA 475


C A T C H W O R D S

-

SPENDER :.

BR

I S SANE

3 DECEMBEP IQ84

1.

Application

G 1 3 4

2f

1985 IX

dlsnissed

with

ccsts

tct be taxed.

u n l e s s otherwise

acrreed.

11.

No

order as

t o

cczts o f

l n t e r l o c u t c r y

3pp l l ca t i . x on

2 2 &

33 Ncvember

l9F4.

Pespsnderts

SPENDER J.

Mr

Mark Alm hderson and

h15 w ~ F P , Aurlrey Elizabeth

Ander scn , the other applicants, cwn a prxdr. trswler named "Pac l f lc Venture", whlc'll apparently has slmllar 11cences to the

vessel

Barameda.

Mr

Anderson

1 s the

s l r l ? p r

zf tne

vessel

"Baram?da"

.

r

>.

SCHEDSrLE 1

Area of Droclalmed Waters

The area

of proclaimed. waters north

of the

parallel 37'30'

scuth latitude and east cf the

merldlan 142'l)S' east longitude."

XhEEUiE

1

Area nf Proclalmcl WatPrs

The

s r e a of

?roclslmed waters

n o r t n

of the

parallel

31'04C.

s n u t h

l a t i t u d e

3rd +IY+. nf

I-?.?

0

q e r z d l m

1 4 2

0 3 '

eq?t

LonqltIJde;

aqd

(b)

d e c l a r e

that

t h i s

n o t i c e

s h a i l

h a v e

e f f e c t on and from 1 Harch 19R4.

Dated thls 24tn day of February 19A4

JOHN KERIN

Mlnls te r

of

S t a t e f o r Prlmary

Indus t ry"

%he arguments f o r the appi-cant may be shortly put as

fol l9ws:

the flrst and baszc submlsslon was that power Lnder s . 3

Ncf

the Act

1 s not a power to make

In Instrument, but a power te

do snmethlng.

n d w l y , C O

prohlblt, and

therefore S. 3 3

nf the

Commonwealth Acts Ipterpretablons Art 14ilL ,does n o t 39~1:~.

In suFport cf khat sucmlsslon, reliance was placed on

the s e v - r s i

2udTments of the

members of the Full

Court of thl5

Ceurt I n NZsllector c,f Cu:tgms

(N.S.W. I v. Brian Lawlor Automot1r.e

- -

Pty Ltd !1979' 24 A.L.R. 307;

( 1 9 7 3 ) 41 F.L.R. 338.

?.

I t

1 s t h e r e f o r e

3 q.:estlm

nf

wheL:her that

power c m

p r o p e r l y c?me

wi th ln

t he

description "a power

t o make, g ran t cr

1ssnAe

aqy

lnst r ruaent" .

I f

I t dces,

then

the

Acts

In te rpre ta t - -on

.9ct of

lSl?l I d e n t i f i e s

t h a t

power

3 s inc ludin?

3

pawer,

i n t e r

3113. tc vary o r amend any

such

instrument .

I ,

wlth r e spec t .

a ccep t

the

proper

a~prm,::?

1 s

t h a t

sdnpted by

S n l t h e r s J .

i n L a w l n r ' s C1se ,

where

3t

p .319 ,

l l n e 44,

he 1dent:ll':a

the

p rocess

as

o re

p rgpe r ly

of

c h a r a c t e r l z a t l o n .

He said:-

"To

c h a r a c t e r i z e

t h e n a t u r e

of

t h e

power

whlci=

1s

confer red

upon

the

Minls te r

and

t n e

S 'n l i ec to r ,

as

his

delega te ,

under

tne

Custnms

0:

chat submission Lee J .

sa13 a t p . 2 3 1 ,

l i n e 25 :

I, _I bect lon

3 ? ( 3 )

should

not

be

re?arded

3 s

opera t ing so

as t o ccrfer

pnwer. h t merely

9 s o p e r a i l r q

t n

d e f i n e

+-he

r x t e n c 0:'

a p~2wer

I n

f a c t

c n n f e r r e d

by

another

A r t .

I t s e f f e c t

1 4 t h a t ,

u n l e s s

t h e r e

be

3

c m r r a r y

m t e n t i c r !

the power

t o make

ar!

l n s t r t m e n t 13

a power

t h e amhlt ,?f

whrch 1ni.ludes p ~ w e r

t o

repea l ,

resc lnd ,

revoke ,

amend

or vary .

I n a11

cases

S

33(3) opera t e s

t o d e f i n e

t h e

e x t e n t

of

t he

Instrument

maklnq

power

( ~ ~ n l e s s

of course

there is a cont ra ry

ln ten t lon shown) ."

LL.

In addltlon,

therr

a r e

o t h e r factnrz

w:r:cP.

serve

!?

dlst~nguish the corcluslon re3ched in Lawlor's C3se from the cor.clus;on which nuqht properly t o follow in thls case. Here the

publlcatlon of the

Instrument 1 s essential t o the valld exercise

of Che power.

it 1 s . 13 Mr Fryberq's w5rd5, the very act by

w u c h

the

p~wer 1 s exercised,

and

conceptually

there

1 s

ne

?lstlnc!:on

to be drawn between the publlcatlor~ of the rctlce arid

the exercrse of the power.

It 1 s a s t e r l i e a?.d ar ld d:stl?ctlcn

t n

s'~7~r-t

cat t h e

qraarnatlcal

form 13

w h ~ c ! ,

t he pcwer

1 s

qrsnte.1 aetermlres Its tr-e rharacterlsatlor.

In regpect of both arguments advanced by the

Commonwealth as to the exIste7ce of 3 power tcr amend or vary the

orlglnal notlee elther by appllcatlqn ?f sub-S. 3 3 ( 3 ) o r by a?

L m F i l c a t i o n

oi a

power conralned

ln a power

t'3 p r + l t l t

2f 3

power t n amend or

vary, the Irratloral '3r aSsurd conseq- tev-es of

the absence cf a n y suocr.

power mlqh? be referre.4 to.

I accept

that ~f there were P.C) power t*3 awnd ' 3 ~ revoke, thpre wnclld be qulte startlln? ccnsequences. As submitted, once published, a prohlbltion could never be revoked. That improblble consequence

would o n l y

be corrected by a further Act

of Parllampnt. Havlnq

I t is

therefore

unnecessary

f o r me

t @

ccrnclude

whether

t h e r e

a l s n exists

t h e lmplled pcwer

t o r whlch

the

respondents

c o n t e v i

l n

the

a l t e r n a t l v e .

I

' j l T p i y express

t h e view

t h a t

cons lde ra t lms

advanced

i n Vespect cf

t h e existence qf

such

an

lmplled power are by no

means

x ~ c o n v l n c l n g ,

b u t

I t

15

s t r l c t l y

unnecessary

to

conclude whether

such a power

is t o be

Implied.

.

15

" ( 2 I

P.

r lot lce I!?

f 3 r c e lnweqlstely befcre the

ccmnenccment

of

s e c t l c r ur.der

paraqraph

3fl)idl of t h e

P r l n c l p a l

Act

c o n t i n u e s

t o

h s v e

f f e c t

a f t e r

t h e

commencement

of t h l s

s e c t l o n

as

I f

It

were

a

nocrce

under

paracrrsph 8(1)

(a) of

the

P r l n c l p a l Act

ss

amended by th19

Act and if t h e

n n t l c e

provlded ,

pursuant

to

sub-sec t lon

8!4D)

of

t h e

P r i n c i p a l

Act

as amended

by

t h i s A c t ,

t h a c

t h e

a c t l v l t i e s

p r c h i b l t e d

by

tne

n o t l c e

were

a c t l v l t l e s i n

respect

of

whlch an

evdorsement

could

be made

under

sun-secr icn

9 ( 4 ) of

t h e

P r l n c l p n l

Act

as

amended

3y

this

Act.

' I

I

~n those c~rc;mstarces, neither the ieclaratlon nor the

in3unctlon sou7ht by t h e applicants wlll 5e granred.

The appllcatlon 1 s

dism1sse.l with c o s t s to be taxed, If

n o t otherwise agreed.

1’.

Details
AGLC
Edenmead Pty Ltd v Commonwealth [1984] FCA 475
Case
[1984] FCA 475
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

Edenmead Pty Ltd and others brought an application in the Federal Court of Australia against the Commonwealth. They sought a declaration that the Minister for Primary Industry did not have the power to amend a notice of prohibition without parliamentary approval, as well as an injunction to prevent the Minister from exercising that power. The applicants argued that the power to prohibit activities under the Fisheries Act was not a power to make, grant, or issue an instrument, but a power to do something directly, and therefore the power to amend or vary the notice was not implied. The Commonwealth submitted that the power to amend the notice existed either by applying section 33(3) of the Commonwealth Acts Interpretation Act or by implication from the power to prohibit. The Court considered the arguments and concluded that the power to amend or vary the notice was not necessarily implied from the power to prohibit. The Court found that if there were no power to amend or revoke, there would be problematic consequences, such as a prohibition that could never be revoked once published. However, the Court found it unnecessary to conclude whether such an implied power existed, as the applicants' arguments were not convincing. The Court dismissed the application with costs to be taxed unless otherwise agreed.

Orders

Orders of the court

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Background

Background to the litigation

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Evidence

Evidence Before The Court

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Decision

Reasons for decision

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Ratio Decidendi

Legal Principle Established

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