Lendlease Building Contractors Pty Limited v Australian Building and Construction Commissioner (No 2)

• Jurisdiction: Australia Federal only
• Judgment Date: 11 March 2022
• Neutral Citation: [2022] FCA 192
• Date: 11 March 2022
• Court: Federal Court

Federal Court of Australia

Lendlease Building Contractors Pty Limited v Australian Building and Construction Commissioner (No 2) [2022] FCA 192

File number:	VID 56 of 2020
Judgment of:	SNADEN J
Date of judgment:	11 March 2022
Catchwords:	INDUSTRIAL LAW – compliance notice issued under s 99 of Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Act 2016 (Cth) – compliance notice alleged contravention of the Code for the Tendering and Performance of Building Work 2016 (Cth) (“Building Code”) – display of union logos, mottos or indicia on project property and equipment – whether Building Code requires prevention of such display – validity of compliance notice challenged by alleged contravener – relevant provision of the Building Code ambiguous – proper construction of provision – principles of construction – regard to extrinsic material – whether compliance notice properly identified specified actions to be taken by alleged contravener – whether compliance notice properly identified alleged contravention – compliance notice valid – application dismissed ; CONSTITUTIONAL LAW – implied freedom of political communication – whether relevant provision of the Building Code constitutionally invalid as an impermissible burden upon the implied freedom – no impermissible burden – relevant clause of the Building Code not constitutionally invalid ; EVIDENCE – objections to evidence – constitutional facts – admissibility of constitutional fact evidence – whether normal rules of admissibility apply to factual matters relevant to the constitutional validity of a law or executive action – orthodox rules of admissibility not applicable – evidential objections dismissed
Legislation:	Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth) ss 15AA and 15AB Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Act 2016 (Cth) Crimes (Foreign Incursions and Recruitment) Act 1978 (Cth) Evidence Act 1995 (Cth) Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) pt 3-1 Federal Court Rules 2011 (Cth) pt 23 Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011 (Cth) Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) s78B Legislation Act 2003 (Cth) ss 8 and 15G Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Cth) Pitjantjatjara Land Rights Act 1981 (SA) Code for the Tendering and Performance of Building Work 2016 (Cth) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, opened for signature 16 December 1966, 999 UNTS 171 (entered into force 23 March 1976) arts 22 and 19 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, opened for signature 16 December 1966, 993 UNTS 3 (entered into force 3 January 1976) art 8 Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, signed 9 July 1948 (entered into force 4 July 1950)
Cases cited:	Australian Education Union v Department of Education (2012) 248 CLR 1 Alderton v Department of Police and Emergency Management [2008] TASSC 69 Amoonguna Community Inc v Northern Territory of Australia [2014] NTSC 33 Attorney-General (SA) v Corporation of the City of Adelaide (2013) 249 CLR 1 Australian Building and Construction Commissioner v Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (2017) 254 FCR 68 Australian Building and Construction Commissioner v Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (Footscray Station Case) (2017) 274 IR 460 Australian Building and Construction Commission v Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (Werribee Shopping Centre Case) [2017] FCA 1235 Australian Building and Construction Commissioner v Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (2018) 265 FCR 208 Australian Building and Construction Commissioner v Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (Geelong Grammar School Case) (No 2) [2019] FCA 1498 Australian Building and Construction Commissioner v Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (Castlemaine Police Station Case No 2) [2020] FCA 202 Australian Building and Construction Commissioner v Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (The North Queensland Stadium Case) [2020] FCA 947 Australian Communist Party v The Commonwealth (1951) 83 CLR 1 Breen v Sneddon (1961) 106 CLR 406 Brown v Tasmania (2017) 261 CLR 328 Chu Keng Lim v Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs (1992) 176 CLR 1 Civil Aviation Safety Authority v Boatman (2004) 138 FCR 384 Clubb v Edwards (2019) 267 CLR 171 Coco v The Queen (1994) 179 CLR 427 Collector of Customs v Agfa-Gevaert Ltd (1996) 186 CLR 389 Commissioner of Stamp Duties v Permanent Trustee Co Ltd (1987) 9 NSWLR 719 Commonwealth Freighters Pty Ltd v Sneddon (1959) 102 CLR 280 Cunliffe v Commonwealth (1994) 182 CLR 272 Director of the Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate v Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (The Mitcham Rail Case) [2015] FCA 1173 Director of the Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate v Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (No 2) [2016] FCA 436 Electrolux Home Products Pty Ltd v Australian Workers’ Union (2004) 221 CLR 309 Gerhardy v Brown (1985) 159 CLR 70 Gifford v Strang Patrick Stevedoring Pty Ltd (2003) 214 CLR 269 Gill v Donald Humberstone & Co Ltd [1963] 1 WLR 929 King Gee Clothing Co Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1945) 71 CLR 184 Lacey v Attorney-General (Qld) (2011) 242 CLR 573 Lange v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1997) 189 CLR 520 Lee v Minister for Home Affairs [2021] FCAFC 89 Lee v NSW Crime Commission (2013) 251 CLR 196 Lendlease Building Contractors Pty Ltd v Australian Building and Construction Commissioner & Anor [2020] FCA 240 Levy v Victoria (1997) 189 CLR 579 Maloney v The Queen (2013) 252 CLR 168 McCloy v New South Wales (2015) 257 CLR 178 Murphy v Electoral Commissioner (2016) 261 CLR 28 Owners Corporation PS 501391P v Balcombe (2016) 51 VR 299 Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority (1998) 194 CLR 355 R v Alqudsi (2015) 328 ALR 517 Re Day (2017) 91 ALJR 262 Sportodds Systems Pty Ltd v New South Wales (2003) 133 FCR 63 Stenhouse v Coleman (1944) 69 CLR 457 The Commonwealth v Baume (1905) 2 CLR 405 Thomas v Mowbray (2007) 233 CLR 307
Division:	Fair Work Division
Registry:	Victoria
National Practice Area:	Employment and Industrial Relations
Number of paragraphs:	232
Date of hearing:	3-9 December 2020
Counsel for the Applicant:	Mr PM O’Grady QC with Mr BJ Avallone
Solicitor for the Applicant:	Herbert Smith Freehills
Counsel for the Respondents:	Mr JL...