State of New South Wales v Canellis & Ors; State of New South Wales v A.B.

The matters before the High Court of Australia concerned appeals by the State of New South Wales against decisions in favour of the respondents, Canellis and A.B. The precise nature of the dispute is not detailed in the provided transcript, but it involved legal proceedings initiated by the State of New South Wales.

The primary legal issue before the Court was whether to grant leave to the Attorneys-General for Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia to intervene in the appeals. The Solicitors-General for these States sought to intervene in support of the appellant, the State of New South Wales.

The reasoning for seeking intervention centred on significant potential implications for the States. These included substantial cost implications, the impact on the interpretation and application of various state statutes concerning inquiries (such as those relating to royal commissions), and the effect on the executive's ability to establish inquiries, particularly those exercising compulsive powers or whose reports would be made public. The Solicitors-General also referred to the precedent of intervention being permitted in *Dietrich's* case, where a similar issue was at stake.