BGC Contracting Pty Ltd v The Construction Forestry Mining &
[2005] FCA 908
At a glance
Source factsCourt
Federal Court of Australia
Decision date
2005-07-01
Before
French J
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Judgment (17 paragraphs)
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT ON COSTS Introduction 1 On 17 February 2004 BGC Contracting Pty Ltd (BGC) instituted proceedings in this Court seeking declarations that representatives of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union of Workers (CFMEU), a State-registered union, had no right under the Industrial Relations Act 1979 (WA) (the IRA) to enter a construction site for an ammonia plant on the Burrup Peninsula. The basis of the application was that the workers at the site were employed under Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) made under the Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Cth) (the WRA). The rights of entry created by the WRA in respect of AWA employees were said to be inconsistent with, and therefore to render inoperative, the rights of entry conferred under the IRA in so far as they purported to apply to the Burrup site. Shamrock Holdings Pty Ltd (Shamrock) and SNC-Lavalin (SA) Inc (SNC) were joined to the proceedings as applicants. The Attorney-General of Western Australia and the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations of the Commonwealth intervened. 2 The hearing proceeded over two days on 5 and 6 July 2004. On 29 July 2004 the application was dismissed. The parties were given leave to file written submissions on the question of the costs of the application. The CFMEU submitted that it was entitled to an order for costs. The applicants and the Minister made submissions opposing the CFMEU's application for costs. They did so on the basis that the proceedings were proceedings in a matter arising under the WRA and that in such cases s 347 of the WRA confines the power to award costs to circumstances in which the proceedings have been instituted frivolously or vexatiously. The legal debate in the submissions about costs turned on whether these proceedings were proceedings in a matter arising under the WRA. For the reasons that follow I am satisfied that they were and that no order for costs should be made. Statutory framework 3 The WRA contains a provision limiting the power of the Court to award costs in matters arising under that Act. Section 347 provides: 'Costs only where proceeding instituted vexatiously etc. (1) A party to a proceeding (including an appeal) in a matter arising under this Act (other than an application under section 170CP) shall not be ordered to pay costs incurred by any other party to the proceeding unless the first-mentioned party instituted the proceeding vexatiously or without reasonable cause. (2) In sub-section (1): costs includes all legal and professional costs and disbursements and expenses of witnesses.' The restrictive provisions of s 347 do not apply to the Minister intervening in a proceeding. Section 471 confers the right upon the Commonwealth Minister to intervene in the public interest in a proceeding before the Court in a matter arising under the WRA. It also provides in s 471(2): 'If the Minister intervenes in a proceeding before the Court, the Court may, despite section 347, make an order as to costs against the Commonwealth.' 4 The principal issue debated in the written submissions was whether the application answered the description of a proceeding in a matter arising under the WRA. Reference was made to the general jurisdiction of the Court in matters arising under laws of the Commonwealth and the argument advanced that the proceedings did not in truth arise under the WRA and so did not attract the restrictive application of s 347. In that connection the relevant sources of the Court's jurisdiction should be set out. 5 Section 19 of the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) provides: '(1) The Court has such original jurisdiction as is vested in it by laws made by the Parliament. (2) The original jurisdiction of the Court includes any jurisdiction vested in it to hear and determine appeals from decisions of persons; authorities or tribunals other than courts.' 6 Section 39B of the Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) confers a wide ranging jurisdiction on the Federal Court in respect of various classes of matter and relevantly provides: '(1) Subject to subsections (1B) and (1C), the original jurisdiction of the Federal Court of Australia includes jurisdiction with respect to any matter in which a writ of mandamus or prohibition or an injunction is sought against an officer or officers of the Commonwealth. (1A) The original jurisdiction of the Federal Court of Australia also includes jurisdiction in any matter: (a) in which the Commonwealth is seeking an injunction or a declaration; or (b) arising under the Constitution, or involving its interpretation; or (c) arising under any laws made by the Parliament, other than a matter in respect of which a criminal prosecution is instituted or any other criminal matter.' Section 39B(1A) was inserted into the Judiciary Act by the Law and Justice Legislation Amendment Act 1997 (Cth), No 34 of 1997 and became effective on 17 April 1997. The qualification in par (c) relating to criminal matters was introduced by the Law and Justice Legislation Amendment Act 1999 (Cth) No 125 of 1999. The succeeding subsections of s 39B deal with qualifications and limitations on the jurisdiction, particularly by reference to criminal proceedings and are not relevant for present purposes. 7 The WRA has a specific provision conferring jurisdiction on the Federal Court. Section 412 provides: 'Jurisdiction of Court (1) The Court has jurisdiction with respect to matters arising under this Act in relation to which: (a) applications may be made to it under this Act; or (b) actions may be brought in it under this Act; or (c) questions may be referred to under this Act; or (d) appeals lie to it under section 422; or (e) penalties may be sued for and recovered under this Act; or (f) prosecutions may be instituted for offences against this Act. (2) For the purposes of section 44 of the Judiciary Act 1903, the Court is taken to have jurisdiction with respect to any matter in which a writ of mandamus or prohibition or an injunction is sought against an officer or officers of the Commonwealth holding office under this Act or the Coal Industry Act 1946. (3) The Court has jurisdiction with respect to matters remitted to it under section 44 of the Judiciary Act 1903.' As explained below however, the jurisdiction conferred upon the Court by s 39B(1A)(c) of the Judiciary Act is additional to and subsumes that conferred by s 412 of the WRA. 8 In addition to the original jurisdiction defined by the WRA, the Court has an appellate jurisdiction conferred by s 422 of the WRA: 'Appeals from State and Territory Courts (1) An appeal lies to the Court from a judgment of a court of a State or Territory in a matter arising under this Act. (2) It is not necessary to obtain the leave of the Court or the court appealed from in relation to an appeal under subsection (1). (3) An appeal does not lie to the High Court from a judgment from which an appeal may be made to the Court under subsection (1).' That appellate jurisdiction which is confined to appeals from the courts of the States and Territories in matters arising under the WRAis supplementary to the general appellate jurisdiction of the Court in respect of decisions of its own judges exercising original jurisdiction. That general appellate jurisdiction is conferred by s 24 of the Federal Court Act which also picks up, in an ambulatory way, appellate jurisdiction relating to State and Territory courts exercising federal jurisdiction where specific statutes so provide. 9 The Court has conferred upon it by the Federal Court Act, general powers in the exercise of its original and appellate jurisdiction. Section 21 of the Federal Court Act provides: '(1) The Court, may in relation to a matter in which it has original jurisdiction, make binding declarations of right, whether or not any consequential relief is or could be claimed. (2) A suit is not open to objection on the ground that a declaratory order only is sought.' Section 23, also relied upon by the CFMEU in this case, provides: 'The Court has power, in relation to matters in which it has jurisdiction, to make orders of such kinds, including interlocutory orders, and to issue, or direct the issue of, writs of such kinds, as the Court thinks appropriate.' 10 The general power of the Court to award costs in the exercise of its jurisdiction is conferred by s 43 of the Federal Court Act which provides, inter alia: '(1) Subject to subsection (1A), the Court or a Judge has jurisdiction to award costs in all proceedings before the Court (including proceedings dismissed for want of jurisdiction) other than proceedings in respect of which any other Act provides that costs shall not be awarded. ... (2) Except as provided by any other Act, the award of costs is in the discretion of the Court or Judge.' The nature of the proceedings - contentions 11 The CFMEU submitted that the proceeding was in a matter in which the question to be resolved was whether the rights of entry and inspection created by the IRA were rendered invalid in respect of the Burrup site by virtue of s 109 of the Constitution. The 'matter' involved the existence of a justiciable controversy as to the immunity from the requirement to observe the right of entry provisions of the State law. The source of the immunity was s 109 of the Constitution. The matter therefore involved the interpretation of the Constitution and consequently an exercise of federal jurisdiction. The CFMEU referred to cases in which, it said, disputes involving an alleged inconsistency between State and Federal law under s 109 of the Constitution have been regarded as involving the interpretation of the Constitution - Collins v Charles Marshall Pty Ltd (1955) 92 CLR 529 and Hume v Palmer (1926) 38 CLR 441. In the alternative it said that s 109 of the Constitution having been raised, the matter could be described as 'arising under' the Constitution - Ex parte McLean (1930) 43 CLR 472; AMS v AIF (1999) 199 CLR 160 and Croome v Tasmania (1997) 191 CLR 119. 12 The CFMEU submitted that the application involved an interpretation of the Constitution or arose under it and that neither of those descriptions would bring the matter within s 347 of the WRA. Although the proceedings required the Court to address the issue of construction of both State and Federal Acts it was said that 'a matter does not arise under a law made by the Parliament merely because the interpretation of the law is involved' - Felton v Mulligan (1971) 124 CLR 367; LNC Industries Ltd v BMW (Australia) Ltd (1983) 151 CLR 575 and Collins v Charles Marshall. 13 The CFMEU placed reliance upon Collins v Charles Marshall as standing for the proposition that s 109 proceedings do not involve a matter arising under the federal legislation relied upon as the paramount Act. By parity of reasoning, it was said, the present case did not involve a proceeding or matter under the WRA. It involved applications seeking orders under ss 21 and 23 of the Federal Court Act in relation to relief sought in the applications pursuant to jurisdiction conferred on the Court under s 39B(1A)(b) of the Judiciary Act.