This reads:
Did I err in failing to determine that the offence with which the defendant is charged, as particularised by the prosecution, cannot be a continuous offence?
40 CSR submitted that the judge erred in refusing to decide that the offence charged, as it was particularised, could not be a continuing offence. This was because the offence as particularised could not be constituted by continuous activity and does not involve disobedience to a statutory obligation to do some act.
41 As earlier mentioned, the particulars furnished reveal that the EPA's case was that from 1992 CSR became aware that the Blue Lagoon was insufficiently impervious to receive effluent and was leaking effluent and that CSR failed to take any or any sufficient steps to prevent the reception of further effluent into the Blue Lagoon and the leaking of the effluent from the Blue Lagoon. It was the leaking which was critical.
42 CSR attached importance to the alleged activity of placing effluent in the Blue Lagoon. It contended that the alleged "negligently causing" depended upon it carrying out some activity and that activity was placing the polluting substance in the Lagoon. However, the offence alleged focuses on the leaking or perhaps more correctly negligently causing any substance to leak. The element of negligently causing is, in the context of s 6(1) satisfied by the appellant using a storage area which it knew was not impervious and leaked. I have not overlooked the discussion of 'causing' in Environment Agency v Empress Car Co. 1998 2 WLR at 355 & following.
43 The EPA would face considerable difficulties in pin pointing when effluent was placed in the Blue Lagoon or establishing individual leaks. They would be hard to see or detect. With earth lagoons leaks tend to be gradual as the effluent works its way through the earth or soil in sufficient quantities to harm or be likely to harm the environment. This is a continuing and often slow process. The EPA has taken the practical course in formulating its case of relying upon statements in CSR documents as to leaking of effluent occurring from 1992 and the failure of CSR to stop such leaks.
44 In Hodgetts v Chiltern District Council (1983) 2AC 120 at 128 Lord Roskill, with whom the other members of the House agreed, said:
"It is not an essential characteristic of a criminal offence that any prohibited act or omission, in order to constitute a single offence, should take place once and for all on a single day. It may take place whether continuously or intermittently over a period of time."
45 In Walsh v Tattersall (1996) 188 CLR 77 at 91 Gaudron & Gummow JJ indicated that an offence could be defined in terms of a course of conduct or state of affairs. At 107 Kirby J recognised that conduct which need not, but in some circumstances might, be constituted by activity over time could be charged in a single count.
46 The EPA pointed out that conduct which literally continues without a break, such as failing to pay wages (R v Industrial Appeals Court (1965) VR 615) and conduct and a result which continues over a period of time, for example, failing to submit a report to the liquidator (Ganke v Corporate Affairs Commission (1990) 19 NSWLR 449 may constitute a continuing offence.
47 In EPA v Bathurst City Council (1995) 89 LGERA 79 Hunt CJ at CL at 85-86 accepted that environment offences could be continuing offences. CSR did not dispute that proposition.
48 The EPA relied on a series of cases to support the proposition that where the offending conduct of offences is described as "caused" or "causing" the offences can be continuing offences. They included Kirkheaton District Local Board v Ainley Sons & Co (1892) 2QB 274 at 281, 283; Butterworth v West Riding of Yorkshire Rivers Board (1909) AC 45 at 53; Alphacell v Woodward (1972) AC 824; Environment Agency v Empress Car Co. (Supra) and Majury v Sunbeam Corporation Ltd (1974) 1 NSWLR 659. These authorities are directed to the meaning of "caused" or causing in various statutory contexts. Attempts to give those words a restricted or narrow meaning failed. The underlying facts revealed continuing activity and thus a continuing offence. However, there was no debate and no discussion as to whether the offences were continuing offences. Those cases are of little assistance.
49 The EPA submitted that the offence created by s 6(1) has as its premise that the leak, spill or escape of the substance will take place over a period of time. That puts the matter too highly. Some spills, for example, may happen quickly and be over in a few minutes. On the other hand it would be anomalous if, when there was a long slow leak with consequent slow permeation of the surrounding earth or water or both, there was not a continuing offence but a series of offences. Of course there could be a continuing slow leak if the quantities of effluent in the lagoon were replenished on a regular basis or from time to time.
50 The EPA submitted that ss 9(a) and 14(1) of the EO & P Act supported the view that s 6(1) created continuing offences as well as discrete offences. The EPA relied upon the provision in s 9(a) that the extent of the harm be taken into account. I do not find this to be a persuasive argument. The penalty provisions do not drive the liability or offence provisions. The EPA relied on the power in s 14(1) of the Court to order the person convicted to take specified steps to prevent the continuance of the offence. While not a strong factor this provision tends to suggest that an offence under s 6(1) may be a continuing one.
51 The EPA's case was that CSR engaged in a course of continuing conduct both by way of negligent act (continuing to pump or place effluent in the Lagoon) and negligent omission (failing to take any steps to rectify or rectify adequately what was apparent to it, ie, the lagoon was leaking). The EPA cannot say whether the leaking occurred as frequent episodes or as an uninterrupted flow.
52 Having regard to the subject matter and language of s 6(1) offences under that provision can be continuing offences. The provision applies to a wide variety of circumstances. In some instances the leaks can be expected to be prolonged and slow. The permeability of ground may, for example, be poor. Further, the alleged offence as particularised is capable of being a continuing offence.
53 The final determination whether the offence particularised is a continuing one must await the trial and the completion of the evidence.
54 Question (c) - Particulars
55 This reads:
Did I err in failing to hold that the particulars as to the date of the offence provided by the prosecutor (from 1992) were inadequate for the offence charged if it could not properly be characterised as a continuous offence?
56 CSR renewed its submission that the offence as charged and particularised was not a continuing offence. It submitted, in the alternative, that even if the summons properly charged a continuing offence the particulars were inadequate and that further and better particulars should be supplied. CSR submitted that it was entitled to know in substantially more detail than had been particularised the nature of the continuing charge. This submission applies with even greater force to the next question.
57 The EPA does not know and cannot further particularise the precise date or precise period during which the offence was committed. The evidence on which it can rely as to dates and knowledge of the leak comes from documents emanating from CSR and its officers.
58 Question (d)
59 This reads:
Did I err in holding that the prosecutor has furnished the further particulars which I ordered to be provided on 18 December 1997?
60 I have earlier set out the orders and the replies (see paras 8 & 9).
61 CSR submitted that whether or not the offence charged was a continuing offence, it was unfair to it to particularise the date of the alleged offence as "from 1992". CSR relied on this passage from the earlier decision of this Court in this matter (1998) 45 NSWLR 357 at 360-361 relating to the supply of particulars of the charge. Hidden J, with whom McInerney & Ireland JJ agreed, said:
"Those particulars would normally include the date or dates on which the offence is alleged to have been committed: Ex parte Bignell (1915) 32 WN (NSW) 91 at 92-93 per Ferguson J. In some cases the date may be of little significance, but in others it might be crucial to the preparation of the defendant's case."
62 CSR contended that the date was crucial to the preparation of its case. It submitted that the offence turned on the quality of its conduct at a particular time and that the statutory defence in section 7 of the EO & P Act cannot comprehensibly be considered in the absence of proper particulars of the date of the alleged offence. Section 7 provides that it is a defence for the defendant to prove that the commission of the offence was due to causes over which it had no control and that it took reasonable precautions and exercised due diligence to prevent the commission of the offence.
63 CSR submitted that the EPA should be directed to provide particulars of:
(i) the acts of CSR said to have negligently caused the leak;
(ii) the omissions of CSR said to have negligently caused the leak;
(iii) the date or dates of the acts referred to in (i);
(iv) the date or dates of the omissions referred to in (ii).
64 The EPA contended that the answers it had supplied effectively covered these matters. The EPA contends that the Blue Lagoon was used by CSR when it was not impervious and that CSR failed to rectify the leaking adequately - see paragraph 43. The EPA is dependant for dates upon the material supplied by CSR, that is, that it was aware from 1992 until the decommissioning of the Blue Lagoon that it was leaking. The matter is relatively simple. Effluent should not be pumped into the Lagoon when it is known that it leaks. If it is desired to continue to use the Lagoon the leak must be stopped. This can no doubt be done in a number of ways including making the sides and bottom of the Lagoon impervious.
65 The judge was right not to order further particulars.
66 Pursuant to previous directions given by the Land & Environment Court the EPA has served CSR with the principal affidavits upon which the EPA proposes to rely. This is in accordance with the procedures often adopted by the Land and Environment Court. CSR now knows the case and the evidence which it has to meet in some detail.
67 The court has not seen the affidavits filed by the EPA, the report which led to the application to amend the summons, and the documents handed by officers of CSR to the EPA including annexures H and I to the affidavit of Robert Monteith of 24 October 1996 referred to in the particulars supplied. The court was not provided with a copy of the letter of 19 March 1999 from CSR's solicitor to the EPA. The court has therefore not directed its attention to the alternative submission of CSR that the court should direct the prosecutor to supply the particulars requested in that letter. Notwithstanding this, the issue of particulars has been well canvassed. The principles enumerated in Johnson v Miller (1937) 59 CLR 469 and Stanton v Abernathy (1990) 19 NSWLR 656 have been kept steadily in mind. The judge does not refer to the letter of 19 March 1999. Apparently, it was written after she heard the applications.
68 CSR complained that the EPA had at no times provided particulars of the manner in which the conduct of the defendant was "likely to harm" the environment. The EPA responded that CSR had never sought such particulars but that in any event the Amended Summons contained such particulars. This Court has not seen the Amended Summons. This is a matter which is better left to the judge rather than being agitated on appeal for the first time.
69 The submissions of both parties contained much extraneous material. The court has preferred to confine its attention to the case stated and the annexed judgments.
70 Costs
71 After judgment was reserved a written submission was received from the EPA seeking an order for costs if the Court did not answer each of questions 4(a) to 4(d) in the affirmative.
72 In response CSR submitted that if all the questions were answered in the negative the EPA should be ordered to pay costs and that if only some questions were answered in the negative the court should make no order as to costs. The words "the negative" seem to be a slip and should read "the affirmative", that is, in CSR's favour. That is how I have read them. While this Court did deal with and answer the questions whether the offence as charged and particularised was capable of being a continuing offence it answered each of the actual questions in EPA's favour. There is no good reason why costs should not follow the event. CSR should pay EPA's costs of the Case Stated.
73 Each of the Questions asked in the Case Stated should be answered in the negative and the case remitted to the Land & Environment Court with that expression of opinion. CSR is ordered to pay the costs of the EPA of the Case Stated.