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[1999] VSCA 214
Court of Appeal (Vic)
1999-12-13
BROOKING, ORMISTON and BUCHANAN, JJ.A.
Original judgment source is linked above.
Building contract - "On demand" bond in lieu of cash retention - No contractual restriction on calling up bond - No trust of proceeds.
The Contractor must provide in lieu of a cash retention on progress payments, security to the Owner in respect of the Contractor's obligations under this Contract in the form set out in Schedule 3 prior to each payment pursuant to Clause 12 and as a condition precedent to the Owner's obligations to make such payment in an amount of 10% of such progress payment until the total value of all such security held by the Owner is equal to 5% of the Contract price.
The Owner must reduce the Approved Security provided under Clause 4.1 to the Contractor as follows:
(a) within 14 days of the Date of Mechanical Completion of all Separable Portions, the Owner will reduce the retention held or the Approved Security by 40%; and
(b) within 14 days after the end of the Defects Liability Period of all Separable Portions (not including any extension as contemplated by Clause 9.8) the Owner will return the retention held or the Approved Security except for a percentage of the retention or Approved Security which corresponds to that proportion of the Contract Price represented by the items subject to an extension of the Defects Liability Period; and
(c) the retention held or the Approved Security will be reduced proportionally as the items subject to an extension of the Defects Liability Period reduces; and
(d) the balance of the retention held or the Approved Security will be returned to the Contractor when the last of the following occurs:
(i) the last Defects Liability Period has expired; and
(ii) the Contractor has complied with all its obligations under the Contract.
(a) The Owner is not obliged to pay the Contractor interest on the Approved Security.
(b) The Owner does not hold any Approved Security or the proceeds of any Approved Security on trust for the Contractor.
(c) The Contractor accepts that the Owner may call upon the Approved Security at any time and the Contractor shall not seek an injunction against either the Owner or the issuer of the Approved Security preventing a demand on payment under such security.
(d) If the Owner makes a call upon the Approved Security and obtains cash as a consequence, the Owner shall be obliged to pay interest on the amount of any cash payments in excess of the sum to which the Owner is entitled at the time of such call. The sum attracting interest will be further reduced by any unsatisfied amounts which subsequently become payable by the Contractor to the Owner, at the time such amounts became payable."
"The stage when, in respect of a Separable Portion:
(a) the Separable Portion is complete except for minor Defects:
(i) which do not prevent the Separable Portion from being reasonably capable of being used for the intended purpose of the Separable Portion;
(ii) in relation to which the Project Manager determines that the Contractor has reasonable grounds for not promptly correcting them;
(iii) correction of which will not prejudice the convenient or lawful use of the Separable Portion; and
* sequence starting, running/testing of logical groups of equipment;
(b) the Contractor has done everything which the Contract requires it to do before Mechanical Completion including those things identified in Schedule 2; and
(c) in respect of Separable Portion 2 only, it is agreed that while the work to be performed by the Special Contractors is not part of the Project Works, such works must be completed prior to Mechanical Completion being granted."
"The owner does not hold any Approved Security or the proceeds of any Approved Security on trust for the Contractor."
2. Orders contained in paragraphs 1 and 7 - I interpolate that is the injunction and costs order - of the order made by Warren, J. on 5 October 1999 and paragraphs 1 and 2 of the order made by Warren, J. on 6 October 1999 be set aside.
(a) the application made by summons dated 22 September 1999, as amended by document filed 30 September 1999 be dismissed;
(b) the plaintiff pay the defendants' costs of the application, including reserved costs.
4. That the respondent pay to the appellants the costs of the appeal.
5. An inquiry whether the defendants or any of them have suffered any and what damages by reason of the injunctions granted by the said orders, namely the orders made on 5 and 6 October 1999, as well as by the injunction granted by Warren, J. on 22 September 1999 as extended by the order made the same day by the said judge extending the said injunction, which the plaintiff ought to pay according to the undertakings given to Warren, J. and set out in the said orders, such inquiry to be conducted by a judge of the Trial Division on a day to be fixed.
Anaconda Operations Pty Ltd & Ors
Fluor Daniel Pty Ltd [1999] VSCA 214
(1977) 180 CLR 266
(1978) 141 CLR 335