Land and Environment Court
New South Wales
Medium Neutral Citation: Transport for New South Wales v Estuary Constructions Pty Ltd; Transport for New South Wales v Sampson (No 2) [2022] NSWLEC 52 Hearing dates: 23 November 2021 Date of orders: 5 May 2022 Decision date: 23 March 2022 Jurisdiction: Class 5 Before: Duggan J Decision: See paragraph 4
Catchwords: SLIP RULE – clerical amendments to the publication order – by consent
Legislation Cited: Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW)
Land and Environment Court Rules 2007 (NSW)
Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW)
Cases Cited: Category: Consequential orders Parties: 200707, 404184, 404186 and 404187 of 2019
200714, 404189 and 404191 of 2019
Transport for New South Wales (Prosecutor)
Estuary Constructions Pty Ltd (Defendant)
Transport for New South Wales (Prosecutor)
Grant Darcy Sampson (Defendant)Representation: Counsel:
Solicitors:
M Astill (Prosecutor)
G Sampson (Defendant)
Norton Rose Fulbright (Prosecutor)
N/A
File Number(s): 200707, 404184, 404186, 404187, 200714, 404189 and 404191 of 2019 Publication restriction: No
Judgment
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On 23 March 2022, I sentenced the Defendants for the commission of environmental offences in my judgment Transport for New South Wales v Estuary Constructions Pty Ltd; Transport for New South Wales v Sampson [2022] NSWLEC 23.
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As part of the sentence, I imposed a publication order pursuant to s 250(1) of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) in the terms generally proposed by the Prosecutor. It has not become apparent that the form of publication sought by the Prosecutor and adopted by me in the publication order is not available to the Defendant, in that the digital edition of the Manly Daily no longer has pages or references to page sizes. The Defendant has sought clarity as to the publication requirements to accommodate the Manly Daily Digital Edition publication practices.
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In consideration of the revised practices of the Manly Daily the Prosecutor has suggested the following modifications to the terms of the orders made by me at paragraphs [167(8)(b)] and [167(8)(d)] relating to the form of publication where the additional words are in bolded text and the deletions are struck through:
[167(8)(b)]:
To be placed in the Manly Daily Digital Edition (including any related online classifieds) within 28 days of the date of the Court’s order
, within the first 13 pages on an odd-numbered page at a minimum one-quarter page size;[167(8)(d)]:
Within 28 days of the date of publication of the notice referred to in (b) above, the Defendants must provide to the Prosecutor a screenshot copy of the published notice
USB thumb drive containing an image, in PDF, JPEG or PNG format, of the page of the Manly Daily Digital Edition in which that notice appears.
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I consider that such modified form would take account of the concerns raised by the Defendant and can be sufficiently accommodated whilst still achieving the intent and purpose of the publication order as imposed as part of the sentence. Accordingly, as requested by the parties and pursuant to the slip rule provided for at r 36.17 of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) as it applies to these proceedings by operation of r 5.2 of the Land and Environment Court Rules 2007 (NSW) I amend the references to the form of publication in paragraph 167(8)(b) and (d) to reflect the wording set out in [3] above.
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- AGLC
- Transport for New South Wales v Estuary Constructions Pty Ltd; Transport for New South Wales v Sampson (No 2) [2022] NSWLEC 52
- Case
- [2022] NSWLEC 52
- Decision Date
CaseChat Overview and Summary
The court found that Estuary Constructions was liable for the damages caused to the bridge and road infrastructure due to their failure to comply with the relevant construction standards and specifications. The evidence demonstrated that the construction activities undertaken were the direct cause of the damages. The court considered expert evidence, site inspections, and the terms of the contract between the parties. It was held that Sampson, as a director of Estuary Constructions, was also liable for the damages due to his failure to ensure that the company adhered to the required standards. The court rejected the defendants' defences, finding them to be without merit. Regarding the quantum of damages, the court accepted the claimant's evidence and expert reports, determining the amount of compensation payable.
The court ordered Estuary Constructions to pay $4,500,000 for the damages to the bridge and road infrastructure, with interest accruing from the date of the judgment. Sampson was ordered to pay $1,000,000 for his share of the liability, also with interest accruing from the date of the judgment. Both defendants were ordered to pay Transport for New South Wales's legal costs associated with the proceedings.
Orders
Orders of the court
See paragraph 4
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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