Craig Jackson Henderson v Pioneer Homes Pty Ltd Craig Jackson Henderson v Pioneer Agencies Pty Ltd [1980] FCA 61

Federal Court of Australia|1980-05-12|Before: Northrop JJ, Smithers J

Case stated - trade practices - advertisements - misleading statements - promotion by any means of the supply of services - statements "with respect to" price - statements concerning

effect of any condition - questions of fact or law.

Craig Jackson Henderson v. Pioneer Agencies Pty. Ltd,

Coram: Smithers, Franki & Northrop Jd, Melbourne 12 May 1980.

ORDER Judges Making Order: Smithers, Franki & Northrop JJ. Date of Order: 12 May 1980 Where Made: Melbourne.

(a) "Yes" in respect of each advertisement, (b) (i) "Yes" (b) (ii) "Yes" (c) 'WWegtt 2. Either party is at liberty to apply for an

order for costs for these proceedings upon notification to the Deputy Registrar within fourteen days of this date of its desire to

Smithers J.: This matter is now before the Court pursuant

to an order of the High Court directing this Court to exercise

in relation to the special case stated by me as the trial

judge, the jurisdiction conferred upon the Full Court of

the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976. The relevant parts

of the agreed facts upon which the answers to the questions stated

in the special case and the relevant sections of the Trade

Practices Act1974 (the Act)are sufficiently set out in the judgments of the members of the Full Court delivered

The first question stated to this Full Court was:- Were the contents of the advertisements which referred to $100 deposit and payments of weekly amounts statements made in connection with the promotion by any means of the supply of services ?" The answer to this question is in the affirmative. Indeed it was not seriously contested to the contrary. The contents of the advertisements were obviously "made" in connection with the promotion of the sale of rights and interests in real property and thus of services as defined in s.4 of the Act and accordingly of services within the meaning of

(i) were the said statements made with respect to the price of services; and

(ii) were the said statements made concerning the effect of any condition?"

In considering this second question it is convenient to deal, first with the advertisement exhibit "E", This advertisement announces that it is inserted by Pioneer Homes and displays representations of attractive looking houses, It speaks of a last chance to buy one of two remaining houses including house, land, carpet, paving and fencing, for the full price of $37,600. It announces in very prominent type "$100 deposit and $45 per week", And it does so in a way that suggests that this statement is unqualified and definite. If one reads on, the first words encountered are "That's right, the home deal that really stands up". It invites the reader to "Invest In Your Future", and then tells him that the deal is one which involves him in an outlay of "less than 30¢ an hour for the first twelve months", It then comments "So much for so little, House, Land, Carport, Paving, Fencing, Carpets". After the word "Carpets" is an asterisk. This directs one to the following in comparatively and actually very

A further 12 months' temporary finance can be arranged, if required, to approved clients from $.G.I.C. and Lensworth Finance Ltd., FULL PRICE $37,600."

proposed transaction will be "a fixed price contract". One section of the advertisement asks, "How low can we go - from $45 a week for a new house. That's cheaper than rent (only 27¢ an hour for 12 months)". Another section of the advertisement states "from $100 deposit" and comments, "That's right, only $100 deposit lays the base for the house (just

As is pointed out in the discussion hereinafter appearing the advertisement is to be interpreted as offering a transaction of sale to a potential purchaser of the specified land at the price of $37,600 payable by a deposit of $100 and $45 per week in respect of which the price payable would be paid to the vendor and would be paid to him not later than ' at the expiration of twelve months, out of moneys borrowed by the purchaser on a loan which the vendor would arrange and the terms of which would be such that the loan interest and other charges relating thereto could be discharged by payments of $45 per week.

It is clear from the stated case that after twelve months the purchaser who entered into the proposed transaction would have to make payments of considerably more than $45 per week until the amount required to be paid by the purchaser to discharge his obligation to the vendor and in respect of the loan which it was contemplated he would require to complete the

purchase was paid. So far as the first twelve months were concerned

the statement in the advertisements were accurate. But the state- ments as to the payments to be made thereafter were not accurate, But whether the Latter were statements with respect to price

is another matter. In a sense they were because they state

the rate of payment that the purchaser will be required to make

to complete the transaction. However I do not think that one

can assert that a reasonable reader would reasonably understand from the advertisement that the vendor was offering to sell the house on the basis that he himself would accept payment of the price, presumably including interest thereon, at the rate of

$45 per week, I do not think it could be said that a reasonable reader would reasonably understand that the vendor was offering

to stand out of his money on account of the price required by - him for the land after the contemplated settlement date which would be not later than at the expiration of the first twelve months, From then on some third party lender is certainly in prospect. Accordingly, I conclude that it could not be asserted in simple terms that the statements concerning the repayments after the first twelve months are statements with respect to

the price to be paid to the vendor for the land. However, the offences alleged are concerned with the price not for the land

but for the service which was offered, Certainly the rights in the land which were the subject of the proposed transaction were a service within the definition of "services" in s.4 of the

Act, But the proposed transaction involved another service.

It was what may be called, a package deal. It offered land and it also offered a loan of money. The loan offered was not one

in which the vendor of the land or the person advertising the package would necessarily be the vendor, But the promise

as part of a total transaction to arrange a loan clearly falls

within the description "any contract for or in relation to the

lending of money". See part (d) of the definition of services

in s.4(1)(d) of the Act. Accordingly each part of the proposed transaction, namely the sale of the land and the promise to

arrange a loan constituted a service within the meaning of the

Act. The answer must be that there was a price to be paid by

the purchaser for the total services offered. According to the advertisement that price was $100 deposit and $45 per week until

the loan was repaid. It is impossible to say how much of that

price was attributable to the land and how much to the loan,

But it is clear that the $400 deposit and $45 per week was

what according to the advertisement would secure to the : purchaser both land and loan. It was the price for these

services. Accordingly the answer to question (b)(i) with respect to the statements in annexure "E" so far as they concern repay- -

ments after the first twelve months is in the affirmative.

It is not necessary to answer question (b){i) with respect to the payments to be made in the first twleve months

because it is not said that they were false or misleading.

It is convenient at this stage to consider the answer

to question (b)(ii) namely whether the statements concerning the $100 deposit and weekly payments of $45 were made concerning the effect

of any condition. Section 53(g) is in the following terms:

connexion with the supply or possible supply of goods or services or in connexion with the promotion by any means of the supply or use of goods or services

(g) make a false or misleading statement concerning the existence, exclusion or effect of any condition, warranty, guarantee right or remedy."

For the purpose of ascertaining the scope of the expression

"condition" in s.53(g) it is useful to refer to what is said by

Donald & Heydon in Volume 2 of Trade Practices Law (1978) at

"The reference to 'condition' and 'right or remedy' : were inserted in 1977 in order to avoid problems arising from the ambiguity of 'warranty' as meaning 'contractual term sounding only in damages', or 'any contractual term', or 'any promise (i.e., including the normally non-enforceable promises made by manufacturers when retailers sell durables to customers). The ambiguity is now resolved: , 'condition! will catch warranties as opposed to conditions, and statements about terms which are not classifiable either as conditions or warranties will be statements, directly or indirectly, about a 'right or remedy': see Hong Kong Fir Shippin Co, Ltd. v. Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha [td./1962/

There can be little doubt that in a contract for the sale and purchase of land, whatever sense the expression "condition" in s.53(g) is to be understood, a term that the vendor would arrange the necessary loans for the purchaser to be repayable at not more than $45 per week, would be such a condition. It obviously goes to the root of the contract. I would refer to and adopt the comments of the Australian Industrial Court in Ballard v. Sperry Rand Australia Ltd. (1975) 6 A.L.R. 696 where, speaking of the offence created by s.53(g) in its then form, the Court said at p.697:-

",,..the essence of the offence was a false statement concerning a warranty and that 'existence' or 'effect! could overlap in many cases. To state the effect of a warranty is also to state the existence of a warranty in terms having such effect. The instant case provides a good illustration. To state that there is a 'one year's warranty' when the truth is that the warranty is for a 90 day period is both a false statement as to the existence of a one year warranty and a false statement as to the effect

Of course, in this case, the advertisement is concerned not with a transaction which has been entered into by the parties. It is one of those cases referred to in the opening words of s.53 where, whatever statements are made in the advertisement,

are made in connexion with the promotion of the supply of

services. In this context, the only conditions which are relevant are those which the advertisement states will be part of the transaction being promoted if the parties actually

enter into it. The alleged condition, the existence or

effect of which is said to have been the subject of false

or misleading statements in this case, is a condition to

the effect that the vendor would arrange for finance by way

of loan or mortgage or in some form which the purchaser would accept from a lender or lenders sufficient in amount to pay

the vendor his full price of $37,600 and which would provide

for repayments of loan and interest and other charges at the rate of not more than $45 per week, and that such payments

vould be sufficient to discharge such charges in the fulness

of time. If a statement were made that the proposed transaction, if entered into, would contain a provision to this effect,

then that statement was an assertion that such condition

did exist,that is, that it was a condition of the actual transaction being promoted or offered. It also stated the effect of a condition which did exist, because it asserted that in

the transaction being offered there was a term relating to the financing of the transaction by the purchaser and that its effect was as stated above. Of course it erroneously stated the

effect of the actual condition in the transaction being

The concept invoked by s.53(g) is that of a transaction being promoted. In relation thereto, what does exist is the collection of rights and duties which will be

acquired or assumed by the parties to the transaction being

promoted as between the proposed vendor and the proposed purchaser, if they enter into the transaction which the promotor actually has in mind, and is promoting. So far as finance

is concerned the condition which is part of the transaction actually being promoted is made clear in the special case.

It shows that weekly payments provided for in that transaction are substantially in excess of $50 per week after the first twelve months. When s.53(g) refers to a condition which is existing or not existing, or stated accurately or otherwise

it is inevitably referring to a condition to be observed by one of the parties in the actual transaction in the mind of the promoter and which he is actually promoting. The conditions in the transaction being promoted are to be identified as those which the vendor is actually offering, not what he says in his advertisement that he is offering.

If the advertisement states that one of those conditions is of a particular kind, but that condition is not included in the bundle of rights and duties in the transaction which the vendor intends to make, then it is correct to say that that condition does not exist and the statement that a transaction with that condition in it is being offered is false or misleading. Similarly if the advertisement states that the finance provisions of the proposed transaction are of a particular kind, but the finance provisions in the transaction actually being promoted are different then the effect of the condition

is falsely or misleadingly stated. In this case the transaction

and its conditions concerning finance which were actually in the mind of the promoter and those which he was actually promoting as stated in the special

The question is therefore what would a reasonable reader of the class to which the advertisement was directed reasonably understand from the advertisement. Would he understand that he was being offered a deal in respect of which he would pay $45 for twelve months, or two years if he happened to be approved, and then have to do the best for himself that he could in the open market? The kind of reader concerned is quite likely to be a man or woman of indifferent education, unacquainted with conveyancing practice or the law and unaccustomed to analysing business documents.

The advertisement invites the reader to have full confidence in Pioneer Homes, to rely on the advertisement as candid and bona fide, meaning what it says, speaking the language of the reader and to be read without suspicion. In World Series Cricket v. Parish (1977)

16 A.L.R. 181 at pp. 202-203 Brennan J. in an application for interlocutory relief made the following relevant

"Although knowledge may be a valuable barrier against deception, the question for the Court to determine is whether there is a prima facie case that the use of the terms complained of would mislead or deceive the class of persons to whom the advertising is addressed. In the present case, there is substantial evidence thatthe advertising is directed to the general public - the knowledgeable and those who are not, the superficial reader or viewer or listener as well as the profound, the gullible as well as the cautious." (see also per Bowen C.J. at

The man or woman the target of the advertisement would

read that Pioneer homes were presenting the last two

houses available at $100 deposit and $45 per week. Those simple words convey that the house is to be bought for

-those payments. He or she is told that the deposit is $100 and would understand that the $45 was the weekly instalment not merely the rate of payments for a year or two 'with

some unstated rate of instalments thereafter, And when he or she reads that the payments work out at 30¢ an hour or 27¢ an hour for twelve months and that the deposit works out at 1¢ an hour for twelve months the reader would be impressed by the cheap

rates he was being offered, but it is going a long way to suggest that although he was supposed to be "investing in

his future" at the rate of $100 down and $45 per week that future was only of twelve months duration. Similarly when that person read about the bridging finance the terms would

possibly be unfamiliar to him. But they were expressed in language which promises him something. Was he to

understand that in addition to promising him something the com- pany was to be read as contradicting the impression he

had gathered from the plain prominent exciting words at the

head of the advertisement? I do not think so and I do not think the

draftsman of this advertisement intended him to so understand.

Explanations of that kind would be in order after Mr. & Mrs. Truckdriver had come into the office and paid their $100

The advertisement conveys to persons to whom it is addressed, that the transaction offered is one in which the purchaser will become the owner of the real estate concerned upon payment of a deposit of $100 and weekly payments of $45 until the purchase price, or money borrowed to pay the purchase price, and interest and incidental charges in respect of the purchase price, or the relevant loan, is discharged. It implies that the transaction promoted therein contains the conditions, first, that the transaction promoted contains a term that the vendor will arrange finance for the purchaser, adequate for him to pay to the vendor the balance of the stated price and in respect of which the purchaser would be required to execute appropriate documents, presumably a mortgage or mortgages, vhich would require him to pay off the relevant loans by weekly instalments of not more than $45, and secondly that the loan to be arranged by the vendor would be on such terms that $45 per week would be sufficient to discharge that loan and the interest thereon and its incidental charges at some time in the future. This seems rather a complex term to read into the advertisement, but notwithstanding that the transaction was the simple one that the purchaser was to become the owner of the home on payment of $100 and $45 per week and borrowing was involved, the apparent complexities are merely the accurate statement of the

Accordingly it is my view that statements in the advertisement in the form of annexure "E" to the special

case were statements as to the price of the total service offered

and to the effect of a condition of the transaction promoted by

conclusion concerning the advertisement in the form of annexure "E" are applicable to the advertisements in the form of annexures

pe, "qt and "K", The answers to both questions concerning

The advertisement in the form of annexure "H" states that Pioneer Homes Pty. Ltd. can offer homes on terms that the purchaser will be able to become the owner of one, or even more than one of them, by payments of as little as $100 deposit and $50 per week, and impliedly invites a purchaser to communicate with the company with a view to the making of a transaction of purchase on such terms, The adver- tisement does not indicate whether the transaction will be a contract between the vendor and the purchaser under which the vendor will accept payment of the price at the stated rate, or whether the purchaser would be required to enter into mortgages to acquire the money to pay the price forthwith, The advertisement seeks to promote the supply of a service and it does impliedly say that the promoted transaction, if it is entered into will be on terms that the payments to be made by the purchaser will not exceed $100 deposit and $50 weekly in the case of certain of the "quality" homes available. It follows that the advertisement does state the effect of one of the conditions of the promoted transaction. The discussion with respect to annexure "E" is relevant and the answer to both questions in respect of the advertisement in the form

The advertisement, in the form of that in annexure "J'', states that Pioneer Homes Pty. Ltd. has in being a "special new home" offer an respect of homes in certain Adelaide suburbs. It states that it is a feature of this home purchase offer that $100 is the deposit and weekly payments are $45, It seems clear that the reader is being told that he can become the owner of one of these homes on payment by him of $100 deposit and $45 per week thereafter for some unspecified period. The reader is told also that bridging finance as above will be made available, apparently, for twelve months to approved applicants and can be arranged for a further twelve months if required and that the full price is $37,600.

The advertisement is clearly intended to promote the supply of services. But for the intimation concerning bridging finance it is clear that the transaction being promoted is one in which the obligations of the reader will be limited to $100 deposit and $45 weekly. It is said that the intimation concerning bridging finance shows the reader, that if he had gained that impression on reading the prominent part of the advertisement, that impression was mistaken. I refer to the observations earlier in these reasons as to the class of reader involved. I

consider that talk of bridging finance for one or two years does

not with any clarity qualify the simple message of the prominent part of the advertisement. If a document is addressed to simple or ordinary people and contains a firm,

prominent and simple assertion which all can understand, the

impression created thereby is not to be washed away by implication

said to be lurking in statements positive,rather than negative

in form,in a legend in the advertisement, the alleged full import

of which is not stated. The sort of reader in contemplation is hardly likely to think that what is stated so plainly and attractively in lines one and two,is being cancelled by implications to be gathered from the small print. The result is,in my opinion,that the statements of the advertisement in the form of annexure "J" to the special case with reference to.the deposit and weekly payments were made with respect to the price of services and were made concerning the effect of a condition in the terms of that arising as stated above in the discussion of the advertisement in the form of annexure "E", Accordingly, in my opinion the answers to question (b) in respect of the advertisement in the form of annexure "J" are:-

The advertisement in the form of annexure "I",is clearly a step in the promotion of a transaction in which the reader will purchase the home

referred to therein at an undisclosed price for $100

deposil and $50 per week. In my opinion the statements therein concerning the deposit and weekly payments are made with respect to the price of the services to be supplied. They state the rate of payment required to discharge the purchaser's contemplated liability to pay the price of the real property he will be purchasing. That they may relate also to the discharge of interest and other incidental charges is not inconsistent with this. Similarly, the statements were made concerning the effect of a condition. The condition which the advertisement says is or will be part of the transaction being promoted is that the

purchasers liability in respect of payments to be made by

him will not exceed a deposit of $100 andpayments of $45 per week.

If the condition as to the payments to be made which was part of the actual transaction being promoted was different from those of the condition referred to in the advertisement then

the statements were probably false, certainly misleading. Similar observations may be made in respect of the advertisement

Accordingly in respect of these advertisements being annexures "I'' and "L" to the special case, the answer to question (b) is:-

I turn to the advertisement being annexure uM" which was published by the defendant Pioneer Agencies Pty. Ltd,

That advertisement directs the attention of readers

lo a proposal that they should purchase a new home in one of a number of Adelaide suburbs from "the Pioneer Range"

for the price of $37,600 on terms that the purchaser

should pay $700 deposit and $50 per week. If no more appeared, it would be quite clear that the references to the deposit and the weekly payments would be statements as to

the amounts of weekly payments which would be accepted by

the vendor to discharge the purchase price. But more does appear, as the potential purchaser is informed that

money would have to be borrowed, presumably by him, and that the vendor might arrange for "bridging finance" for

"twelve months to approved applicants " or possibly for

two years. Nothing is said about the source of the money to be borrowed to cover the outstanding liability of the purchaser in default of bridging finance, or at the expiration of the term of such bridging finance, The terms of the advertisement do not indicate that the transaction being promoted by the advertisement is dependent upon finance being arranged. The suggestion is that if bridging finance is required it may be arranged by the promoters, Nevertheless, it may be read into the advertisement that long term finance in the form of "long term loans" may be required by the purchaser to pay the price. The advertisement quotes "$100

full deposit, $50 per week" and adds "with no addition to

long term loans". It is to be understgod from this, that when the long term loan was arranged, there would be no liability

It seems clear therefore that the statements in the advertisement indicate that the purchaser will be required to borrow money to discharge the balance of purchase monies after payment of the $100 deposit. It follows that the payments of $50 per week are really with respect to the discharge of the obligations arising out of the borrowing of

But for reasons indicated, in relation to advertisements considered above I am of the opinion that the statements were made with reference to the effect of a condition, the condition being in the terms of that defined in the consideration above of the advertisement being annexure "E", The answers to question

(b) in respect of the advertisement in annexure "M" are therefore:-

As to the advertisement being annexure "N" I see no distinction in principle between the statements in that advertisement and that being annexures "I" and "L", Accordingly

As to the advertisement being annexure "0" I see no

distinction in principle between the statements in that

advertisement and those in the advertisement being annexure

| teaons do Judgment herem of the Honmmable ih. Justice G mira ecg

IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA) ) GENERAL DIVISION ) S.A. Nos. G6-G41 inclusive

On 21 May 1979 (25 A.L.R. 179) this Court delivered judgment in this matter wherein it struck out the stated case on the ground that it had no jurisdiction to answer the questions posed. The High Court on 7 November 1979 (54 A.L.d.R. 16), in proceedings seeking a writ of mandamus, made an order that a writ of mandamus issue directed to this Court and the judges of this Court who had heard the matter commanding them to exercise, in relation to the Special Case stated by Mr. Justice Smithers, the jurisdiction conferred upon them by s.25(6) of the Federal Court of Australia Act,1976. At the same time the High Court dismissed the application for special leave to appeal from the judgment of this Court. The relevant parts of the agreed facts set out in the stated case and the relevant sections of the Trade Practices Act 1974 ("the Act") have been sufficiently set out in the

It will be seen from the agreed facts in the stated case that no point is made that any difference between the various advertisements is of any substantial significance. The agreed facts make it clear that the transactions which the advertisements were promoting comprised the sale of a block of land together with a house thereon, or to be built thereon, and in some cases some or all of specified extras, namely carport, fencing, paving, vinyl and carpets were included. These houses

were said to be available for purchase at certain locations on

finance plans specified in the said advertisements. The transaction being promoted involved the purchaser entering into a contract for the sale of house and land (and specified extras, if any) or two contracts, one for the sale of land and the other for the building of a house (and specified extras, if any). At settlement temporary finance would be provided for the purchaser. At least a year but not more than three years, after settlement,

long term finance would be substituted for temporary finance.

The advertisements referred to the payment of a deposit of $100 and weekly payments of $40, $45 or $50. Some of the advertisements did use the word "from" before mentioning the weekly payment but no reference is made to this fact in the

stated case nor do I consider it of any significance.

In reality the transactions being promoted provided for a payment of a $100 deposit and weekly payments of $40, $45 or $50 per week during the period before the substitution of long term finance. Thereafter the weekly payments by a purchaser were

In my opinion, each of the advertisements annexed to the case and referred to as exhibits E to O, would appear to the appropriate class of reader as an offer of a home for $100 deposit and either $40, $45 or $50 per week depending upon the particular advertisement. In some of the advertisements reference

was made in small type to the cost for the first 12 months and to

bridging finance and some were cast in a way that might suggest to a well educated and cautious reader that the attractive proposition of paying only $40-$50 per week might be subject to some qualification. However, these advertisements were directed to the general purchasing public and not only to the well educated and cautious reader. Some of the potential readers were

uneducated people on low incomes and, in some cases, people badly

I repeat what I said in relation to s.52 of the Act in

McDonald's System of Australia Pty. Ltd. Vv. McWilliam's Wines

"Broadly speaking it is fair to say that the relevant persons are those not particularly intelligent or well informed but perhaps of somewhat less than average intelligence and background knowledge, although the test is not the effect ona person who is quite unusually stupid."

The informations fall into two general categories. fThe first is in relation to advertisements alleged to be "...in connection with the promotion by advertising of the supply of services..." and it is alleged that the defendant"... did make a misleading statement with respect to the price of services..." The misleading statement alleged is then particularised as a statement that the price of the services was payable by $100 deposit and instalments "of" or "of from" whatever is the amount

The second category is in relation to advertisements alleged to be "...in connection with the promotion by advertising ef the supply of services..." and it is alleged that the defendant "did make a misleading statement concerning the effect of a condition..." The misleading statement alleged is then particularised as a statement that "the amount of each weekly instalment due upon $100 deposit in payment of the said price".

The opening words of s.53 include the words "in connection with the supply or possible supply of goods or services or in connection with the promotion by any means of the supply or use of goods or services". The section prohibits a corporation, in trade or commerce, from doing any of the acts set out in the section in the circumstances which I have just mentioned. The informations are "in connection with the

promotion by advertising of the supply of services".

I proceed now to consider the questions separately.

Were the contents of the advertisements which referred to $100

deposit and payments of weekly amounts statements made in

connection with the promotion by any means of the supply of

transactions to which the advertisements were directed were not

statements made in connection with the promotion by any means of the supply of services. It may be thought rather strange that those transactions would fall within the supply of services. However, the definition of "services" in s.4 includes interests in real or personal property and "any contract for or in relation to the lending of moneys" and s.4Cc(d) provides that a reference to the supply of services, unless the contrary intention appears, includes a reference to the supply of services together with property or other services or both. I am satisfied that question

(a) should be answered "Yes" in respect of each advertisement.

(i) Were the said statements made with respect to the price of

(ii)Were the said statements made concerning the effect of any

It was argued by the respondent that a statement with respect to finance was not a statement with respect to price and that the statements in the advertisements, the subject of the charges, related to repayment of mortgages and not to the payment of the purchase price. In my opinion this argument should not be

I consider that a statement setting out the way in which the price is to be paid is a statement "with respect to" the price although not a statement with respect to the amount of the price. A statement prescribing the manner in which and the time by which the obligation to satisfy the payment of the price may be discharged is, in my opinion, a statement with respect to

The words "with respect to" have been given a wide meaning where they appeear in relation to the powers conferred by s.51(1) of the Constitution. As an illustration Dixon C.J., McTiernan, Webb and Kitto JJ. in Grannall v. Marrickville

Margarine Pty. Ltd. (1955) 93 ¢C.L.R. 55 at p. 77 in a joint

judgment said in relation to the words "with respect to":

"For what they require is a relevance to or connection with the subject assigned to the Commonwealth Parliament, a conception very different from those which have been employed in the exposition of s.92".

The Oxford English Dictionary, (1933), Vol. VIII at p. 534 gives "with reference or regard to something" as one meaning of "with respect to". It also gives the phrase "with respect to

'in respect of". In my opinion there is little difference between the words "with respect to" and "in respect of" although if anything the words "with respect

to" may very well be somewhat broader than the words "in respect

of", The words "in respect of" have received considerable Pp

judicial interpretation and in State Government Insurance Office

(Qld.) v. Rees (1979) 26 A.L.R. 341 at p. 351 Mason J. with whose

"The crucial question, then, is the Meaning to be given to the words 'in respect of workers' compensation'. The expression 'in respect of' denotes a relationship or connection between two things. In State Government Insurance Office (Queensland) v. Crittenden (1966) 117 CLR 412 at 416; [1967] ALR 237 at 239, Taylor J quoted, with evident approval, the remarks of Mann CJ in Trustees Executors & Agency Co Ltd v. Reilly [1941] VLR 110 at 111; [1941] ALR 105 at 106: 'The words 'in respect of' are difficult of definition, but they have the widest possible meaning of any expression intended to convey some connection or relation between the two subject-matters to which the words refer.' The same view was taken later in Club Motor Insurance Agency Pty Ltd v Sargent (1969) 118 CLR 658; [1969] ALR 670. But, as with other words and expressions, the meaning to be ascribed to 'in respect of' depends very much on the context in which it is found."

Barwick C.J. and Stephen J. did not express views which differed to any material extent on this question. The words "with respect to" appear in the case under consideration by us in the context of Division 1 entitled "Unfair Practices". Although it is necessary to bear in mind that proceedings for a contravention of s.53 of the Act are criminal proceedings I am satisfied that the meaning I have attributed to the words "with respect to" is a fair meaning of those words in the context in which they appear and is consistent with the views I expressed in relation to

the construction of a penal section in Thompson v. Mastertouch

T.V. Services Pty. Ltd. (1977) 15 A.L.R. 487 at pp. 496-497.

This view is in accord with a recent decision of the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal in Reg. v. M. & Ors. (1979) c.L.c. 40-565. The Court was considering the meaning of the

words "with respect to" in s.73 of the Securities Industry Act

1970 (N.S.W.). That section dealt with a criminal offence and

"A person shall not with respect to any securities, make any statement or disseminate any information..."

"Because the section is limited only to statements or information the subject matter of which is securities, does not mean that the statement or information ceases to be 'with respect to securities' at any point at which ''securities' as such are not being dealt with by the words actually used. A statement 'with respect to securities' may refer to all sorts of matters. It may refer to dividends. It may equally refer to profits, and not cease to be a statement 'with respect to securities'."

I proceed now to (b)(ii). The breach of s.53(g) as charged requires proof of a "misleading statement concerning the effect of a condition". In my opinion the transactions which the advertisements sought to promote were transactions whereby a

purchaser could become the owner of a house and they included the

At a glance

Court

Decision date

Before

Catchwords

Source

Catchwords

Judgment (219 paragraphs)

Cases Cited (2)