#mchigh

GUMMOW J: Lots of trust and confidence flowing between the parties.

MR DOUGLAS: A huge amount, your Honour.

GUMMOW J: They were not hammering out a deal.

MR DOUGLAS: No, but, BTA did repose confidence in the Government and the Agencies in its reliance on the Government's representations - - -

GUMMOW J: What, to look after its interests?

MR DOUGLAS: Absolutely, your Honour. Apparently Mallesons were not going to do that.

McHUGH J: There was a time when counsel who pleaded documents like this would have been sent running around the inner temple with the pleading over his head and a hole cut out.

MR DOUGLAS: Your Honour, I have been wishing to do that for some time, but I am not allowed to do it unfortunately.

McHUGH J: This is plain English pleading, is it?

MR DOUGLAS: Your Honour, there is nothing plain about this document.

GLEESON CJ: I thought a statement of claim was supposed to be a synopsis.

MR DOUGLAS: The relevant provisions of that pleading are well summarised, if I may say so, in the submissions by Mr Bathurst and Mr Gleeson in the first two paragraphs of those submissions.

GUMMOW J: Emperor Joseph II said to Mozart that there were too many notes. There are too many causes of action here.