And it is, I think, sensible that it be so. For part of the scheme of the Act and rules was to set up a body of judicial officers who were, or who would quickly become, expert in the practice and procedure of the court and who, could readily and expertly decide practice and procedural problems. Providing they exercised their discretion judicially - as normally they would - that was to be the end of the matter. So likely were their decisions to be invulnerable that appeals from those decisions were not included in Pt 60, r 17, and the Court of Appeal was thus relieved of the necessity of hearing appeals from such decisions. A single judge was empowered to do that; and he was to apply exactly the same approach to the exercise of the master's discretion-the master being the court (s 118(5)) - as the Court of Appeal would adopt in relation to an appeal from the discretion of a judge when he is the court (by s 40(1)) or of a master when he is the court: see Knight v Kelly (Court of Appeal, 25th
July, 1978, unreported)."
The respondents' pleading
4 The proceedings were commenced in the District Court by the filing of an ordinary statement of claim on 11 September 2000.
5 By their claim the respondents pleaded causes of action against the appellants under s 52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) (the TPA); s 42 of the Fair Trading Act 1987 (NSW) (the FTA); and in negligence.
6 The respondents are corporations who at the relevant time were in the business of catering and operating kiosks/coffee lounges. They plead their claim in this way. PWS is a corporation engaged in trade and commerce, having the managerial care and control of the Penrith Whitewater Stadium (the Stadium) as sub-lessee from the Council for reward. The Council is a corporation or body corporate, engaged in trade and commerce in that it leased the Stadium to PWS for reward, "together with associated commercial activity it undertook at the said Stadium to assist the first defendant to lease and operate the said premises": paragraph 3, statement of claim.
7 On or about 6 October 1998, the Council published an advertisement calling for expressions of interest in the lease of a kiosk/coffee lounge at the Stadium and the respondents submitted a written expression of interest. Thereafter, around 23 November 1998 PWS represented to the respondents in writing that they been nominated as the preferred operators of the kiosk/coffee lounge for the Stadium.
8 The respondents and the appellants entered into a series of discussions and meetings during the months November 1998 to February 1999.
9 Paragraphs 10 and 11 of the statement of claim are important in the way the TPA claim is formulated. They are pleaded as follows:
"10. During the said meetings the first and second defendants conveyed the following oral representations to persons representing the respondents namely, Ms Maria Mihas and Mr Arthur Alexiou:
i. That the respondents would be granted a 5 x 5 year lease of the demised premises where the café would be situated.
ii. That the respondents could trade into the evening and offer a dinner menu.
iii. That there would be no charge for garbage disposal.
iv. That the respondents could have the exclusive use of a terraced area located adjacent to the café as part of their café business.
v. That the respondents would be catering for all functions at the Stadium except for the period of the running of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games from the commencement of the Games, being the opening ceremony, until conclusion, being the close of the Games, namely the closing ceremony, otherwise on an exclusive basis.
vi. That the respondents would be trading in their café as at March of 1999.
vii. That the Stadium would be open during public holidays.
viii. That the respondents would be the exclusive caterers for the Stadium.
Reliance
11. Between November 1998 and mid-March of 1999 the respondents spent in excess of $100,000.00 in set-up and fit-out costs."
10 Paragraphs 12 to 22 of the statement of claim are under the subheading "Subsequent representations and conduct" and plead facts and representations made by one or more of the appellants in the period after 11 February 1999. I do not propose to set them out in full but they include:
s by mid-March 1999 the handover in respect of the café had not occurred,
s in January 2000 PWS represented to the respondents that they had to pay for the cost of the collection of garbage bins,
s on or about 8 May 2000 the respondents were served with an "unofficial notice to leave" for the exclusive Games period being a period commencing 7 July 2000 and concluding 12 October 2000,
s as at 5 June 2000 PWS did not have a firm agreement with the Olympic Co-Ordination Authority that would guarantee a date for the plaintiff's business to move back to the Stadium to resume operations.