Relevant Principles and Three Arguments
87 The appellants raised three matters which require an examination of the relevant principles.
88 This Court's power to punish for contempts of its power and authority is contained in s 31(1) of the Federal Court of Australia Act. The power is the same as that of the High Court to punish for contempts of that Court. The High Court's power is the same as that of the Supreme Court of Judicature in England at the commencement of the Judiciary Act (Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) s 24).
89 An application by a party who alleges a contempt of court is governed by Division 42.2 of the Rules. The application must be made by an interlocutory application, and it must be accompanied by a statement of charge and the affidavits on which the person making the charge intends to rely to prove the charge (r 42.12). Service and the procedure on the hearing are dealt with in rr 42.13 and 42.15 respectively. The enforcement of judgments and orders of the Court are dealt with in Part 41 of the Rules. If non-compliance with an order may result in "committal, sequestration or punishment for contempt", then there must be an appropriate endorsement on the order (r 41.06). Rule 41.08(2) deals with the potential liability of a director of a corporation or an organisation where the corporation or organisation is in default and provides that a party may apply for the committal of an officer of the corporation or organisation.
90 Historically, there was a well-established distinction between civil and criminal contempts. In Australian Meat Industry Employees' Union and Others v Mudginberri Station Pty Ltd (1986) 161 CLR 98, the High Court decided that a court could impose a fine for a contempt where there was a deliberate commission or omission which was in breach of an injunctive order or an undertaking unless the respondent's conduct was casual, accidental or unintentional. Gibbs CJ, Mason, Wilson and Deane JJ put the matter in the following way (at 113):
In our view the reasons supporting the recent decisions are compelling and they should be accepted by this Court. It follows that a deliberate commission or omission which is in breach of an injunctive order or an undertaking will constitute such wilful disobedience unless it be casual, accidental or unintentional. ...
This conclusion disposes of the appellants' submission that there is no power to fine, because it is plain that the appellants' non-compliance with the interlocutory injunction was wilful and not casual, accidental or unintentional. ...
91 It is important to bear in mind that a direct intention to disobey an order is not a necessary element in a finding of wilful disobedience or a deliberate commission or omission in relation to an order. In other words, a contempt may be made out even where there is no intention to disobey an order or knowledge that acts or omissions were in breach of an order. Where that intention or knowledge is proved, the disobedience amounts, in all likelihood, to a criminal contempt (Miller CJ, Contempt of Court (3rd ed, Oxford University Press, 2000) at [14.52]; Borrie and Lowe, The Law of Contempt (4th ed, Lexis Nexis, 2010) at [6.10]).
92 The elements of a contempt charge, whether it be civil or criminal, must be proved beyond reasonable doubt: Witham v Holloway.
93 A person, other than a person to whom the order is directed, may be found guilty of contempt in connection with a contravention of the order. We have already referred to r 41.08(2) of the Rules and the potential liability of an officer of a corporation to committal. In addition, a third party may be guilty of contempt if they know of the order and aid and abet the respondent in contravening it or otherwise do an act that obstructs or frustrates the object of the order (Miller (2000) at [14.60]-[14.65]; Borrie & Lowe (2010) at [6.13]-[6.17]). In certain cases, the liability of the third party is direct and not as an accessory (Zhu v Treasurer of the State of New South Wales (2004) 218 CLR 530 at 571-572 [121]).
94 The three matters raised by the appellants were as follows. First, Zomojo was required to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the appellants did not act in good faith and it failed to prove this. Secondly, Zomojo was required to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the appellants' conduct was not casual, accidental or unintentional and it had failed to do this. Thirdly, the primary judge had not explained the basis of Mr John Hurd's liability and, had he addressed the matter, he would have exonerated Mr John Hurd.
95 The first argument must be rejected because the law does not require Zomojo to prove that the appellants were not acting in good faith. We assume that good faith is a reference to a state of mind.
96 It is true that in parts of his reasons the primary judge referred to whether Mr John Hurd and the relevant company concerned had made a bona fide attempt to comply with the order (paras 106, 115, 121, 128 and 135). However, we do not think his Honour was referring to Mr John Hurd's state of mind. In our opinion, his Honour was simply using the expression "bona fide attempt" as a characterisation of what had occurred. In a case where a party has responded to an order, the extent of the compliance may be relevant in that the Court may decline to exercise its contempt jurisdiction where there has been substantial compliance or compliance other than in technical respects. His Honour was using "bona fide attempt" to characterise the difference between what was required and what had occurred.
97 As to the second argument, the Court did not have the benefit of detailed submissions, and we hesitate to express a concluded view. In terms of the authorities to which the Court was referred, there appear to be two different approaches.
98 In Advan Investments v Dean Gleeson Motor Sales, Gillard J said that while the prosecutor had to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the conduct was deliberate and voluntary, it did not have to negate the possibility that it was casual, accidental or unintentional. His Honour said (at [44], [45], and [51]):
The English position is summarised in a leading Text, "Contempt of Court" by C. J. Miller (3rd Edition), where the learned author says at p. 657 -
... a civil contempt will usually require no more than proof of an intentional act or a bare omission which is in breach of it. The obligation to comply with the order is in this sense strict. An intention to disobey it is unnecessary and any additional element of mens rea is relevant only as to the penalty to be imposed. Nonetheless, it seems that liability for civil contempt (and not simply one which is deserving of punishment) will be negated where the act alleged constituted a contempt is itself accidental and unintentional.
In my opinion, save for the last sentence, what the learned author says is the law in this State. The last sentence reflects the English Rules of Court. In my opinion, it would not be a defence to a contempt proceeding to show that the disobedience came about by some casual or accidental and unintentional act. Putting it around the other way, it is not part of the prosecution's proof once the matter is raised to establish that the breaching act or omission was something that was not casual or accidental and was intentional. However, in my opinion if the evidence revealed that the breach was casual or accidental and unintentional, that would be relevant to whether or not this court should exercise its contempt jurisdiction and, on any view, is relevant to the question of penalty if the court comes to the view that it should exercise the jurisdiction.
In my opinion, the plaintiff must establish that the contemnor had knowledge of the terms of the order and that he deliberately committed an act or omitted to do some act which had the effect of breaching the order. Unless the terms of the order require otherwise, the plaintiff does not have to prove that the act or omission constituting the breach was accompanied by an intention to deliberately breach the order.
99 By contrast, Tracey J said in Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia v Morrison Country Clothing Australia Pty Ltd [2008] FCA 604 ("Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia") at [40]-[41]:
In Australian Meat Industry Employees' Union v Mudginberri Station Pty Ltd (1986) 161 CLR 98 Gibbs CJ, Mason, Wilson and Deane JJ said (at 112-113) that:
…lying behind punishment for a contempt which involves wilful disobedience to a court order, is the very substantial purpose of disciplining the defendant and vindicating the authority of the court. … a deliberate commission or omission which is in breach of an injunctive order or an undertaking will constitute such wilful disobedience unless it be casual, accidental or unintentional.
It is clear that Mr Morrison's affidavit does not, in terms, comply with the Order. A breach of an order will be considered deliberate if it is not found to be casual, accidental or unintentional. The onus remains on the party seeking to prove the contempt to prove that the alleged contemnor's conduct is not casual, accidental or unintentional.
100 We do not need to choose between the two views in this case because, even following the view of Tracey J in Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia, Zomojo established the necessary "mental" element of the charges. This is not a case where it is necessary to give consideration to casualness, in the relevant sense of accidental, or so irregular as to be insignificant or accidental (The Concise Oxford Dictionary (8th ed, Clarendon Press, 1990) p 175). Nor does "accidental" arise. The appellants placed emphasis on the "unintentional" limb of the phrase and submitted by way of example that partial compliance coupled with an apology meant that any alleged contravention was unintentional. It seems to us that that is to give "unintentional" a meaning that it does not bear. As we have already said, there is no requirement that an alleged contemnor intended to breach the order. To take a somewhat extreme example, it is clear that a person may be guilty of civil contempt even though they were acting on legal advice (see, for example, Miller (2000) at [14.52]).
101 We are satisfied that the conduct in this case was not casual, accidental or unintentional in the relevant sense and, therefore, was deliberate and voluntary as found by his Honour.
102 The third argument must be rejected. In Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Goldstar Corporation Pty Ltd [1999] FCA 585, Kiefel J, when a judge of this Court, said (at [41]-[42]):
Directors who have notice of a Court order (as to which see Madeira v Roggette, 364) are under a duty to take reasonable steps to ensure that it is obeyed, and if they wilfully fail to do so and the Order is breached they may also be held liable for contempt: Attorney-General for Tuvalu v Philatelic Distribution Corporation Ltd [1990] 1 WLR 926, 336. As the judgment there shows, it may be a defence that the director reasonably believed some other director or officer was taking those steps. Omission may also suffice for a finding of contempt since a failure to supervise, investigate, "or wilful blindness" on the part of a director may qualify the conduct as contemptuous: A-G for Tuvalu, 938.
Mr Hudson defends these charges principally on the basis that he relied upon Mr McMillan in ascertaining the extent of Goldstar's obligations and that he took all reasonable steps to bring the terms of the Order to the attention of staff.
103 The appellants submitted that the primary judge did not address in his written reasons the question of whether Mr John Hurd was knowingly involved in the contraventions. There was a reference to this issue in the appellants' closing submissions to the primary judge, and at one point his Honour asked how it could be said that, if a company could only act through one person, that person was not involved in the contravention. Nevertheless, it is true that his Honour did not discuss the issue in his written reasons. However, on a number of occasions in his written reasons, he refers to Mr John Hurd as the sole director or a director of one or more of the corporate respondents (for example, [70, [90], [97]) and to the fact that Mr John Hurd swore his affidavits on behalf of the corporate respondents. It seems that the primary judge considered those facts to be sufficient to make him liable for aiding and abetting or otherwise causing the contraventions.
104 Mr John Hurd was the sole director of the corporate respondents at the relevant time. If the companies were to comply or fail to comply it was because of his conduct or inaction. He swore his first affidavit on behalf of those companies (and others) to deal with compliance with paragraphs 16 to 21 inclusive by those companies of which he was the sole director. He swore his second affidavit in support of compliance with the orders. We think he was liable in relation to contraventions by the corporate respondents because he assisted or procured the contraventions.