Healthcare Australia Pty Ltd v Randstad Pty Limited
[2016] NSWSC 1407
At a glance
Source factsCourt
Supreme Court of NSW
Decision date
2016-09-27
Before
Ball J
Catchwords
- [1982] HCA 24 Dura (Australia) Constructions Pty Ltd v Hue Boutique Living Pty Ltd (2013) 41 VR 636
- [2013] VSCA 179 Electricity Generation Corporation v Woodside Energy Ltd (2014) 251 CLR 640
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Catchwords
Judgment (10 paragraphs)
Introduction
- By a business sale agreement dated 1 May 2015 (the BSA) made between the plaintiff, Healthcare Australia Pty Ltd (HCA), and the defendant, Randstad, HCA agreed to buy a healthcare and personnel placement business (more particularly identified in the BSA) carried on by Randstad for the sum of $7,700,000 subject to certain adjustments. Clause 22.2 of the BSA imposed on Randstad a restraint from conducting a rival business for a period of three and a half years from the date of completion of the agreement. The question in this case is whether Randstad has breached that restraint by recruiting for the Uniting Church of Australia Property Trust for Uniting (NSW.ACT) (Uniting) persons to fulfil the role of National Disability Insurance Scheme Local Area Coordinators (LACs) and, if so, whether HCA is entitled to an injunction to restrain Randstad from providing recruitment services in relation to LAC roles for the term of the restraint. The answer to that question turns on whether recruitment services in relation to LAC roles are part of the restrained business. It is not disputed that the restraint is reasonable. Nor is it disputed that, if the restraint has been breached, an injunction substantially in the form sought by HCA would be appropriate.