Trade Practices Commission v Leslievale Pty Ltd & Ors [1986] FCA 70

the Trade Practices Act 1974, and injunctions restraining such

contraventions. The case for the applicant is that the respondents have contravened, or attempted to contravene, or been involved in contraventions of, s.45(2) of the Act, relating to the making of contracts or arrangements, or the arriving at of understandings of the sort therein mentioned. The respondents fall into two groups: the first, second, third, fifth, sixth,

seventh, and eighth respondents are petrol retailers at

Gladstone, Queensland, or persons associated with such retailers. The fourth respondent, Mobil Oil Australia Limited, is, of

The case for the applicant, as pleaded, depends upon the events which occurred at a meeting, which certain of the respondents are said to have attended, on 3 February 1984. The fourth respondent was not represented at the meeting, but the applicant says that it was informed of the fact that an arrangement or understanding was arrived at during the meeting, and that 1t subsequently so acted as to make itself liable, in

particular, by attempting to give effect to the arrangement or

The respondents have filed defences. The fourth respondent has, generally speaking, not put forward a positive case, but put the applicant to proof; 1t has, however, made some admissions. The other respondents, in their separate defence, have made certain admissions which become important in the case before me. In particular, they have admitted the occurrence of the meeting in question, and have admitted that certain events

With one or two exceptions, the requests, insofar as they have not been answered, raise one central point, and that is, to what extent, if at all, 1s the applicant entitled to be told about conversations during and events at the meeting, and

immediately consequent upon it, by way of particulars.

Of the exceptions, the only one that needs to be mentioned in a particular way, is that answer l(a) of the particulars supplied by the multiple respondents is

grade petrol was sold as at the date of the meeting

by wholesalers in Gladstone." As counsel for the applicant says, it is unhelpfully expressed. However, the explanation given by counsel for the multiple respondents during the hearing of what was intended has been recorded, and seems to me to make it unnecessary to order further particulars on the ground of the obscurity of the answer. Insofar as other points of detail have been raised, I do not think that any of them are of sufficient moment to warrant

particular attention, or to justify the making of an order in

The main point is whether the applicant is entitled to be told what the respondents' case is, in detail, concerning the

meeting and its immediate sequel. To make the general point more specific, 1t is desirable to take an example, and that is from the particulars supplied by the fourth respondent. The fourth respondent has been asked, by request No. 2, delivered on 13

State the substance of all that was said by each of Schweppes and Zelinski in their conversation at the

Mobil Big Wheel Service Station on the morning of 3 February 1984 and state the time at which such conversation occurred. The justification for that request is said to be that, in the defence of the fourth respondent, paragraph 9, it is admitted

that the two men mentioned had a conversation at the place

mentioned but denied that the conversation had the content alleged by the applicant. What is sought by the applicant, in requiring further particulars is, as was said by counsel for the fourth respondent, "You deny that the meeting had the content we

Another example is that, in the same request, the applicant seeks the substance: of all that was said by -each of the sixth respondents, Vincent John Smith and Schweppes in their telephone conversation which commenced at about 10.30 am on 3 February 1984 and... the whereabouts of Schweppes at the time that = such conversation occurred. That 1s said to be justified by an admission in the defence of the fourth respondent that a conversation between the two men occurred at a certain time and a denial that the conversation had

It was said during the course of argument, and I think rightly, that the point is a general one, not especially depending upon facts of this case. It could be expressed generally by asking whether or not, 1n a case depending on proof by the applicant of conversations at meetings, where the occurrence of the conversations and meetings is not denied, may the applicant obtain particulars from the respondents of the

content of what was said at such meetings and other details about

It seems clear enough that, if an allegation thata conversation took place is met with a denial or @ specific

non-admission, under o.1l1l 17.13, the applicant cannot obtain

particulars of the content of the meeting. What is urged upon me, however, by counsel for the applicant is that, 1f there is an

admission of a conversation, then prima facie the applicant is

I think the proper general answer to the question posed 1s that no further particulars need be supplied. I propose to refuse the request for particulars, except in certain respects to

The principal reason is that it would seem to be unfortunate that the practice of the court with respect to particulars in cases of this sort should arrive at the result that the applicant gains a significant tactical advantage, as it would seem to be, by the respondents' making an admission that a meeting took place or that a conversation occurred. 0.11, r.13 is framed in such a way as to encourage specificity in pleadings

and the multiple respondents, at least, have pleaded not only in accordance with the letter but in accordance with the spirit of

Although I appreciate the force of what counsel for the applicant says, that one must' take account of what the respondents have done in their pleading and not what they might have done, I am obliged to look at the matter more broadly and not deal with the point raised in such a way as to discourage

respondents in such cases from pleading in a responsive manner.

There are other reasons for refusal of the request for particulars. One of them is that, as was pointed out by counsel for the multiple respondents, the onus is on the applicant to prove its case and, although i1t appears that in some such circumstances the respondent may be ordered to give particulars even though it does not bear any onus, such an order should be unusual. Secondly, I am influenced by the fact that, although the proceedings are not of a criminal nature, the principal purpose of them is the imposition of penalties which may be substantial. Next, I take into account the circumstance that the events, the details of which are sought, occurred in early 1984, and the proceedings were not instituted until September 1985. Although I have been informed that some inquiries were made by the applicant about the matter earlier in 1985, it is unlikely that all the respondents would now have a clear recollection of the conversations in question. The applicant may well, 1f it obtains the particulars sought, use them, quite properly, by way of assisting in proof of its case that illegalities occurred during the conversations I have mentioned, and I consider that as

The matters in which particulars have to be given, as is

conceded, arise out of the defence of the fourth respondent.

The applicant has now intimated, however, that he is

content with the statement made in court by counsel for the

fourth respondent that particulars of these residual points will

It will be ordered that the fourth respondent pay to the applicant one-half of the applicant's taxed costs of this notice of motion. Otherwise the applications for particulars are

a ¥ ta P GES are a truz copy of the reasons for Judgment herein of His Honour