On 31 March 2017 the Appeal Panel published its decision in this appeal. The decision varied the decision of the Tribunal Member at first instance by reducing the amount that the appellant was required to pay to the respondent. Otherwise the appellant's application for Leave to Appeal was refused and its Appeal was dismissed.
The appeal Panel made orders for the filing of submissions in the event that either party wished to make a costs application.
The respondents have made an application for a costs order and filed and served submissions in support. No cost application or submissions in response have been received from the appellant.
The respondents have applied for an order that the appellant pay their costs of the Appeal and the proceedings at first instance in a fixed amount of $39,965.60 or in the alternative, an order that the appellant pay their costs as agreed or assessed.
In the proceedings appealed from the Tribunal Member was dealing with two applications commenced in the Consumer and Commercial Division of the Tribunal. As stated at [4] and [5] of our decision disposing of the Appeal:
'The owners claimed against the builder for a refund of unused provisional allowances, for overpayment of the contract price and for liquidated damages. The builder claimed against the owners for payment of what were described as informal variations.
The order of the Tribunal required the builder to pay the owners $80,323.06.'
The Tribunal Member who heard the proceedings at first instance did not deal with the question of costs. Nor were any cost applications made.
Costs Jurisdiction
Section 60 of the Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013 (the 'Act') provides that:
'Costs
(1) Each party to proceedings in the Tribunal is to pay the party's own costs.
(2) The Tribunal may award costs in relation to proceedings before it only if it is satisfied that there are special circumstances warranting an award of costs.
(3) In determining whether there are special circumstances warranting an award of costs, the Tribunal may have regard to the following:
(a) whether a party has conducted the proceedings in a way that unnecessarily disadvantaged another party to the proceedings,
(b) whether a party has been responsible for prolonging unreasonably the time taken to complete the proceedings,
(c) the relative strengths of the claims made by each of the parties, including whether a party has made a claim that has no tenable basis in fact or law,
(d) the nature and complexity of the proceedings,
(e) whether the proceedings were frivolous or vexatious or otherwise misconceived or lacking in substance,
(f) whether a party has refused or failed to comply with the duty imposed by section 36 (3),
(g) any other matter that the Tribunal considers relevant.
(4) If costs are to be awarded by the Tribunal, the Tribunal may:
(a) determine by whom and to what extent costs are to be paid, and
(b) order costs to be assessed on the basis set out in the legal costs legislation (as defined in section 3A of the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014) or on any other basis.
(5) In this section:
costs includes:
(a) the costs of, or incidental to, proceedings in the Tribunal, and
(b) the costs of, or incidental to, the proceedings giving rise to the application or appeal, as well as the costs of or incidental to the application or appeal.'
Rule 38A of the Civil and Administrative Tribunal Rules 2014 states:
'38A Costs in internal appeals
(1) This rule applies to an internal appeal lodged on or after 1 January 2016 if the provisions that applied to the determination of costs in the proceedings of the Tribunal at first instance (the first instance costs provisions) differed from those set out in section 60 of the Act because of the operation of:
(a) enabling legislation, or
(b) the Division Schedule for the Division of the Tribunal concerned, or
(c) the procedural rules.
(2) Despite section 60 of the Act, the Appeal Panel for an internal appeal to which this rule applies must apply the first instance costs provisions when deciding whether to award costs in relation to the internal appeal.'
Part 4 of the Act deals with Practice and Procedure. Section 60 of the Act is in Part 4. Section 35 of the Act which is also in Part 4 states:
'Each of the provisions of this Part is subject to enabling legislation and the procedural rules.'
The effect of Section 35 of the Act makes it clear, in our view, that section 60 of the Act is subject to Rule 38A.
The appeal in these proceedings was lodged on 15 December 2016. The procedural rule which applied to the proceedings at first instance was Rule 38 of the Civil and Administrative Tribunal Rules 2014 which states:
'This rule applies to proceedings for the exercise of functions of the Tribunal that are allocated to the Consumer and Commercial Division of the Tribunal.
(2) Despite section 60 of the Act, the Tribunal may award costs in proceedings to which this rule applies even in the absence of special circumstances warranting such an award if:
(a) the amount claimed or in dispute in the proceedings is more than $10,000 but not more than $30,000 and the Tribunal has made an order under clause 10 (2) of Schedule 4 to the Act in relation to the proceedings, or
(b) the amount claimed or in dispute in the proceedings is more than $30,000.'
The proceedings at first instance were brought under the Home Building Act 1989. Pursuant to section 3 of Schedule 4 of the Act, proceedings under the Home Building Act are allocated to the Commercial and Consumer Division of the Tribunal. The amount claimed by the respondents in their proceedings at first instance was $39,900.00. The amount claimed by the appellant in its proceedings at first instance was $93,944.94.
By reason of the matters stated in the preceding paragraph, Rule 38 applied to the proceedings at first instance. The provisions of Rule 38 are different to the content of section 60 of the Act. By reason of this fact pursuant to Rule 38A(2) we must apply Rule 38 when deciding whether to award costs in relation to this Appeal. In proceeding under Rule 38 we will take into account what was said by the Appeal Panel in Thompson v Chapman [2016] NSWCATAP 6. At [66 - 70] of that decision the Appeal Panel stated:
`Each of Regulation 20 of the CTTT Regulation and Rule 38 provide a general discretion in respect to the award of costs.
The starting point in exercising such discretion is that the "usual order for costs" is that a successful party should be entitled to an order for costs in their favour: see Latoudis v Casey [1990] 170 CLR 534 per Mason CJ at 554 and Oshlack v Richmond River Council per McHugh J at 97.
The reason for such an order is that it is appropriate for the party who incurred costs caused by the other party in litigation to be reimbursed. Further, an award of costs is by way of an indemnity to the successful party and not as punishment of the unsuccessful party: see Latoudis v Casey per Mason CJ at 543 and McHugh J at 567 and in Oshlack v Richmond River Council per Brennan CJ at 75.
Where there is a general discretion for costs there is no absolute rule that, absent disentitling conduct, a successful party is to be compensated by the unsuccessful party nor is there any rule that a successful party might not be ordered to bear the costs of an unsuccessful party: see Oshlack v Richmond River Council per Gaudron and Gummow JJ at 88 and Kirby J at 121 - 123.
The factors to be considered in awarding costs in a particular case are not to be confined as to do so would constrain the general discretion. However it is clear from the authorities that factors that might influence whether the usual order for costs should apply and, if so, to what extent include:
Whether, by reason of the relative success of the parties on different issues and the time taken to determine those that an order for costs based on issues should be made: see for example Bostick Australia Pty Ltd v Liddiard (No 2) [2009] NSWSCA 304; and
Whether, by reason of the nature of the proceedings the usual rule should otherwise be displaced in whole or in part: see Oshlack v Richmond River Council per Gaudron and Gummo JJ at 41 - 44.'
At paragraph 76 The Appeal Panel stated in conclusion:
'In short, the proper exercise of the discretion requires the Tribunal to do justice between the parties and to exercise the discretion having regard to relevant considerations and in a manner which is not arbitrary or capricious: see Oshlack v Richmond River Council per Gaudron and Gummo JJ at [22] and McHugh J at 65.'
Costs of the proceedings at first instance
No costs application was made to the Tribunal Member at first instance as a result of his decision of 8 December 2016. As stated above, the respondents have applied for an order that we determine the costs of the proceedings below.
Section 81 of the Act states:
'(1) In determining an internal appeal, the Appeal Panel may make such orders as it considers appropriate in light of its decision on the appeal, including (but not limited to) orders that provide for any one or more of the following:
(a) the appeal to be allowed or dismissed,
(b) the decision under appeal to be confirmed, affirmed or varied,
(c) the decision under appeal to be quashed or set aside,
(d) the decision under appeal to be quashed or set aside and for another decision to be substituted for it,
(e) the whole or any part of the case to be reconsidered by the Tribunal, either with or without further evidence, in accordance with the directions of the Appeal Panel.
(2) The Appeal Panel may exercise all the functions that are conferred or imposed by this Act or other legislation on the Tribunal at first instance when varying, or making a decision in substitution for, the decision under appeal.'
We are of the view that section 81 of the Act does not allow us to make a costs determination in relation to the proceedings before the Tribunal Member at first instance, in circumstances where there was no application for an order for the costs of those proceedings. The Tribunal at first instance was not able to consider the question of costs if there was no application and therefore we as the Appeal Panel are not able to do so either.
However, the respondents may apply for an order for the costs of the proceedings at first instance. In that regard orders 2 and 3 of the orders made by the Tribunal Member on 8 December 2016 gave leave to the parties to make submissions on the question of costs.
Costs of the Appeal
At paragraph 13 of the respondents' written submissions it is conceded that:
'the builder had some success on appeal'
The respondents' written submissions point out that the respondents were put to unnecessary expense in preparing to answer several grounds of appeal, of which all but two were abandoned on the day of the Appeal. One of the grounds that was pressed, was rejected by us.
The respondents' submissions have been prepared on the assumption that we have the jurisdiction to determine the costs of the entirety of the proceedings. On that basis their submissions assert that they were the successful party and that in accordance with the principles set out in Latoudis v Casey (1990) 170 CLR 534 and Oshlak v Richmond River Council (1988) 193 CLR 72 they are entitled to the costs of the proceedings (as a whole) given that there are no circumstances that would disentitle them to such a costs order.
Despite the respondents' submissions regarding the abandonment of some of the appellant's grounds of appeal and the fact that one of the grounds pressed was unsuccessful, the fact remains, as conceded by the respondents, that the appellant had some success. It obtained an order which set aside an order of the Tribunal at first instance and varied the decision of the Tribunal to require the appellant to pay the respondents the sum of $63,670.03. The appellant was therefore successful in reducing the amount to be paid pursuant to the decision below by $16,653.03.
Given the outcome of the Appeal, we are unable to agree with the respondents that they had substantial success in the Appeal or that an order for costs should be made in their favour following the outcome of the Appeal.
We consider that the appropriate order under Rule 38 of the Civil and Administrative Tribunal Rules is that the respondents' application for the costs of the Appeal be dismissed. We will make an order to that effect.
[2]
Orders
The Appeal Panel makes the following order:
1. Koroush Changizi and Sujitra Boonta's application for the costs of the Appeal in these proceedings is dismissed.
[3]
I hereby certify that this is a true and accurate record of the reasons for decision of the Civil and Administrative Tribunal of New South Wales.
Registrar
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Decision last updated: 06 July 2017