'On the same page his Lordship referred to the evidence by which the presumption can be rebutted. He cited a passage from Snell's Equity 24 th edition (1954), p 153: "The acts and declarations of the parties before or at the time of the purchase, or so immediately after it as to constitute a part of the transaction, are admissible in evidence either for or against the party who did the act or made the declaration … But subsequent declarations are admissible as evidence only against the party who made them, and not in his favour." '
44 Of Viscount Simonds' formulation, the New South Wales Court of Appeal observed in Damberg v Damberg & ors [2001] NSWCA 87 [at 45]:
'Viscount Simonds' formulation is generally taken implicitly to exclude not only subsequent declarations which are not admissions, but subsequent conduct: see Snell's Equity (30th ed, 2000) para 9-16; Lewin on Trusts (17th ed, 2000) para 9-36; Underhill and Hayton, Law Relating to Trusts and Trustees (15th ed, 1995) p 329; Ford and Lee, Principles of the Law of Trusts (3rd ed), [21130] and [21160] and Jacobs' Law of Trusts in Australia (6th ed, 1997) [1213]. The principles are old: eg Sidmouth v Sidmouth (1840) 2 Beav 448 at 455; 48 ER 1254 at 1257 per Lord Langdale MR. They stem from an age when party-witnesses were disqualified on grounds of interest. Read by itself, Viscount Simonds' formulation might suggest that testimony by the husband in his own favour was inadmissible, as being a subsequent declaration. However, Viscount Simonds' formulation does not exclude testimonial evidence of intention. The reference to "declarations" is a reference to out of court declarations. In truth the propositions enunciated by Viscount Simmonds are not peculiar to this field, nor are they an exhaustive statement: they merely summarise parts of the common law rules relating to res gestae evidence and admissions. "[Q]uestions … as to the relevancy and admissibility of evidence … can best be considered … by reference to the principles and authorities to be found in a textbook on evidence. There are no special rules relating to cases of this kind; such cases merely illustrate general evidentiary principles": Davies v The National Trustees Executors and Agency Co of Australasia Ltd [1912] VLR 397 at 402 per Cussen J. In general a person whose intention at an earlier time is in issue may give evidence of it, and the position is the same here, even though the weight of the evidence, coming as it does from an interested witness, must be scrutinised with care: Devoy v Devoy (1857) 3 Sim & Giff 403 at 406; 65 ER 713 at 714 per Stuart V-C; Dumper v Dumper (1862) 3 Giff 583 at 590; 66 ER 540 at 543 per Stuart V-C; Davies v The National Trustees Executors and Agency Co of Australasia Ltd [1912] VLR 397 at 403; Drever v Drever [1936] ALR 446; and Martin v Martin (1959) 110 CLR 297 at 304 per Dixon CJ, McTiernan, Fullagar and Windeyer JJ. It follows from the proposition that the rules for admissibility of evidence tendered to rebut the presumption are simply those of the general law that any modifications effected by the Evidence Act 1995 (Cth) are applicable.'