Westpac Banking Corporation v Lenthall

• Jurisdiction: Australia Federal only
• Court: Federal Court
• Judgment Date: 01 March 2019
• Neutral Citation: [2019] FCAFC 34
• Date: 01 March 2019

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Westpac Banking Corporation v Lenthall [2019] FCAFC 34

Appeal from:	Lenthall v Westpac Life Insurance Services Limited [2018] FCA 1422
File number:	NSD 1880 of 2018
Judges:	ALLSOP CJ, MIDDLETON AND ROBERTSON JJ
Date of judgment:	1 March 2019
Catchwords:	REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDINGS – representative proceeding under Part IVA of the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) – where primary judge determined making of common fund order appropriate to do justice in the proceedings – whether s 33ZF authorises the Court to make common fund order –– relevant considerations – width and purpose of s 33ZF – nature and purpose of common fund order – principle of legality – construction of Part IVA ; CONSTITUTIONAL LAW – JUDICIAL POWER – whether power to make common fund order part of or incidental to exercise of judicial power by the Court – conferral of power by Parliament – capacity of the Court to balance competing interests and rights – incidental resolution of legal rights ; CONSTITUTIONAL LAW – ACQUISITION ON JUST TERMS – whether common fund order amounts to acquisition of property other than on just terms – nature of power – order directed toward appropriate reward for funder upon bearing of costs and risk – whether nature of benefit to group members proprietary ; PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – whether primary judge erred in exercise of discretion
Legislation:	Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth) s 15A Australian Constitution s 51(xxxi), 71, 76, 77 Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) ss 5, 21, 22, 23, 33E, 33V, 33X, 33Z, 33ZA, 33ZB, 33ZF, 33ZJ Re-establishment and Employment Act 1945-1952 (Cth) ss 27, 28
Cases cited:	Airservices Australia v Canadian International Airlines Ltd [1999] HCA 62; 202 CLR 133 Anthony Hordern & Sons Ltd v Amalgamated Clothing and Allied Trades Union of Australia [1932] HCA 9; 47 CLR 1 Attorney-General (Cth) v Schmidt [1961] HCA 21; 105 CLR 361 Attorney-General (Cth) v Alinta Limited [2008] HCA 2; 233 CLR 542 Attorney-General (NT) v Emmerson [2014] HCA 13; 253 CLR 393 Australian Tape Manufacturers v Commonwealth [1993] HCA 10; 176 CLR 480 Bank of New South Wales v Commonwealth [1948] HCA 7; 76 CLR 1 Bass v Permanent Trustee Co Ltd [1999] HCA 9; 198 CLR 334 Blairgowrie Trading Ltd v Allco Finance Group Ltd (Receivers & Managers Appointed) (In Liq) (No 3) [2017] FCA 330; 343 ALR 476 Caason Investments Pty Ltd v Cao (No 2) [2018] FCA 527 Campbells Cash and Carry v Fostif Pty Ltd [2006] FCA 41; 229 CLR 386 CMA CGM SA v The Ship ‘Chou Shan’ [2014] FCAFC 90; 224 FCR 384 Coco v The Queen [1994] HCA 15; 179 CLR 427 Cominos v Cominos [1972] HCA 54; 127 CLR 588 Courtney v Medtel Pty Limited [2002] FCA 957; 122 FCR 168 Davis v Insolvency and Trustee Service Australia [2010] FCAFC 141 Falcke v Gray (1850) 4 Drew 651; 62 ER 250 Femcare Ltd v Bright [2000] FCA 512; 100 FCR 331 Fisher v Fisher [1986] HCA 61; 161 CLR 438 Fostif Pty Ltd v Campbells Cash & Carry Pty Ltd [2005] NSWCA 83; 63 NSWLR 203 Georgiadis v Australia and Overseas Telecommunications Corporation [1994] HCA 6; 179 CLR 297 Harris v Caladine [1991] HCA 9; 172 CLR 84 Health Insurance Commission v Peverill [1994] HCA 8; 179 CLR 226 Hodges v Sandhurst Trustees Limited [2018] FCA 1346 ICM Agriculture Pty Ltd v Commonwealth [2009] HCA 51; 240 CLR 140 Impiombato v BHP Billiton Limited [2018] FCA 1272 Jackson v Sterling Industries Ltd [1987] HCA 23; 162 CLR 612 Johnstone v HIH Limited [2004] FCA 190 JT International SA v Commonwealth [2012] HCA 43; 250 CLR 1 Mandurah Enterprises Pty Ltd v Western Australian Planning Commission [2010] HCA 2; 240 CLR 409 McMullin v ICI Australia Operations Pty Ltd (No 6) [1998] FCA 658; 84 FCR 1 Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs v Nystrom [2006] HCA 50; 228 CLR 566 Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd v Victoria [2002] HCA 27; 211 CLR 1 Momcilovic v The Queen [2011] HCA 34; 245 CLR 1 Money Max Int Pty Ltd (Trustee) v QBE Insurance Group Limited [2016] FCAFC 148; 245 FCR 191 Mutual Pools & Staff Pty Ltd v Commonwealth [1994] HCA 9; 179 CLR 155 Nicholas v The Queen [1998] HCA 9; 193 CLR 173 Nintendo Co Ltd v Centronics Systems Pty Ltd [1994] HCA 27; 181 CLR 134 Paciocco v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd [2015] FCAFC 50; 236 FCR 199 Peacock v Newtown Marrickville and General Co-operative Building Society No. 4 Limited [1943] HCA 13; 67 CLR 25 Pearson v State of Queensland [2017] FCA 1096 Perera v GetSwift Limited [2018] FCAFC 202 Perera v GetSwift Limited [2018] FCA 732; 127 ACSR 1 Potter v Minahan [1908] HCA 63; 7 CLR 277 Precision Data Holdings Ltd v Wills [1991] HCA 58; 173 CLR 167 Pyneboard Pty Ltd v Trade Practices Commission [1983] HCA 9; 152 CLR 328 Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital v Thornton [1953] HCA 11; 87 CLR 144 R & R Fazzolari Pty Ltd v Parramatta City Council [2009] HCA 12; 237 CLR 603 R v Davison [1954] HCA 46; 90 CLR 353 R v Spicer; Ex parte Australian Builders’ Labourers’ Federation [1957] HCA 81; 100 CLR 277 R v Trade Practices Tribunal; Ex parte Tasmanian Breweries Pty Ltd [1970] HCA 8; 123 CLR 361 Re JRL; Ex parte CJL [1986] HCA 39; 161 CLR 342 Re Tracey; Ex parte Ryan [1989] HCA 12; 166 CLR 518 Smith v ANL Ltd [2000] HCA 58; 204 CLR 493 Tabcorp Holdings Ltd v Victoria [2016] HCA 4; 328 ALR 375 The National Bolivian Navigation Company and Others v William Millar Wilson and Others (1880) 5 App Cas 176 The Owners of the Ship “Shin Kobe Maru” v Empire Shipping Inc. [1994] HCA 54; 181 CLR 404 Thomas v Mowbray [2007] HCA 33; 233 CLR 307 United Salvage Pty Ltd v Louis Dreyfus Armateurs SNC [2007] FCAFC 115; 163 FCR 183 Wong v Silkfield Pty Ltd [1999] HCA 48; 199 CLR 255
Date of hearing:	4-5 February 2019
Registry:	New South Wales
Division:	General Division
National Practice Area:	Commercial and Corporations
Sub-area:	Commercial Contracts, Banking, Finance and Insurance
Category:	Catchwords
Number of paragraphs:	139
Counsel for the Applicants:	A Leopold SC with S Free SC and A Lyons
Solicitor for the Applicants:	Allens
Counsel for the Respondents:	J Gleeson SC with W Edwards and Z Heger
Solicitor for the Respondents:	Shine Lawyers
Counsel for the Intervener:	N Hutley SC with B Lim and S Tame
Solicitor for the Intervener:	Roberts & Partners Lawyers

ORDERS

		NSD 1880 of 2018
BETWEEN:	WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION First Applicant ; WESTPAC LIFE INSURANCE SERVICES LIMITED Second Applicant
AND:	...