Facts
5 The learned primary judge summarised the primary facts as follows at [19] and [23]-[30]:
19. On or about 28 October 2013 Ms Legg applied to Yooralla for employment in the role of "disability support worker 2" and on 3 December 2013 she was employed in that role. Her contract of employment provided that she was a disability support worker classified as an attendant carer award grade 2 year one. As mentioned above, it was common cause between the parties that Yooralla provided disability services including the provision of personal care and lifestyle support to persons with a disability in a community or residential setting including respite care and day services. One of those services was Naroo Day Service ("Naroo"). Persons who attended Naroo were called "clients" in this proceeding. They had varying degrees of disability and varying degrees of ability. The day service now known as Naroo was previously owned by Eastern Disability Access and Resource ("EDAR") and operated by Yooralla.
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23. On and from July 2014 Ms Legg reported to her supervisor, Sonia Marie Faulkner, Yooralla's programme manager.
24. Ms Legg gave evidence that at any given time she had responsibility for between four and six of Yooralla's clients. She said her duties that she was required to and in fact performed included ‒
a) training people with an intellectual, physical or sensory disability;
b) developing and maintaining and supporting individual training programs, in a variety of settings;
c) preparing and maintaining client and service documentation;
d) conducting client lifestyle programmes; and
e) administrative duties.
25. Ms Legg gave evidence that she did not usually assist people with a disability to perform day-to-day activities that a person without a disability would do for himself or herself, including eating, bathing, picking up items and so on.
26. Ms Legg said that person centred planning, as it was called at Naroo, involved the development of programmes, tailored to the specific needs and disabilities of Yooralla's clients on an individual basis. It focused on the specific goals each client sought to achieve. Ms Legg gave evidence that person centred planning was a key aspect of her role. She said she prepared various documents, individual versions of which were kept in folders for each client and on a regular basis Ms Legg and Ms Faulkner reviewed the content page to ensure each client was supported in the planned manner. The documents that Ms Legg prepared were identified by her as ‒
a) "client specific dictionaries";
b) "my lifestyle plan";
c) "lifestyle plan action plan"; and
d) "client support plan".
27. Ms Legg said she prepared individual weekly plans for each of the clients in consultation with Ms Faulkner. Ms Legg said she prepared progress notes and graph documents for each client. She also prepared programme outlines with specific client information concerning each client. The programmes Yooralla offered to its clients at Naroo included bowling, pamphlet collation, pamphlet delivery, cooking, swimming, disco, scrapbooking, iPad operation and café outings.
28. Ms Legg gave evidence that she took two programmes each day. She said that typically she ‒
a) informed clients where they were to keep food and medication;
b) assisted clients having lunch;
c) where another colleague was available, Ms Legg took half hour breaks;
d) kept records of clients who took medication at lunch;
e) assisted clients to use toilets prior to commencing the programme held after lunch; and
f) completed progress notes and assessments during the break.
29. On a monthly basis Ms Legg communicated with Ms Faulkner on feedback given about the services provided at Naroo. Ms Legg also prepared interim progress reports in respect of clients after evaluating each client's progress during each of the four terms during which Naroo was in operation.
30. According to Ms Faulkner, Ms Legg performed her duties to a high standard.
6 These findings of fact were not disputed before me. It is necessary, however, to consider the evidence in a little more detail. Ms Legg's description of her activities at the Naroo Centre was not challenged, although she was cross-examined about her employment by Mr Rinaldi of Counsel for Yooralla.
7 Ms Legg, who holds bachelor degrees in Applied Science (Physical Education) and in Occupational Therapy, usually started her day at the Naroo Centre at around 8 am. She was subject to the supervision of a "Service Manager". She worked with six employees who provided services to around 17 clients affected by a range of intellectual (and sometimes physical) disabilities. The clients arrived around 8.45 am. It would take an hour for them to settle in. They would be told to put their food away in the fridge (or, if an outing was planned for that day, to put it in their bags), to lock their medication away, and to go to the toilet (if needed). The day's planned activities would be discussed. These may sound like banal matters; but they may not be for a person affected by an intellectual disability. The clients would then participate in two programs: one in the morning (from about 9.45 am to noon), and one in the afternoon (from about 1 pm to 2.30 pm). Each program would be carried out by a Yooralla employee such as Ms Legg. I shall return to describe these. Lunch typically took place at around noon. Ms Legg would assist the clients to have lunch. She might heat up a meal, cut up food where this was needed, or assist those clients experiencing difficulty with using their hands. She also helped those who needed assistance to go to the toilet. She would record the medication taken. Save for the participation in the programs, the AEU did not dispute that these types of activities should be characterised as personal care and not as instructing. But they were, it was submitted, incidental to the essential role performed by Ms Legg, which was carrying out the programs. After completion of the second program, from about 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm, taxis would start to arrive to collect the clients. No client lived at Naroo Street. Ms Legg prepared and kept records concerning her clients' participation in the programs. She worked on these at lunchtime (for 30 minutes) and after the clients had left for the day.
8 Ms Legg prepared written plans for each of her clients for use in the programs. In that respect, one of the documents she would consider was called "My Lifestyle Plan". An example of one was in evidence. Amongst other things, it described what was important to the client, including key people in the client's life, and what the client did and did not like. Based on this document, and following consultation with the client and her or his advocate, Ms Legg would then prepare a "Lifestyle Plan Action Plan" ("Action Plan"). An example of one of these was before me. The first page of it described the client and then set out what she considered to be her best attributes, the matters important to her, and how she communicated. It recorded the following:
I use simple verbal language to communicate, however sometimes what I say does not always indicate what I would like to express. Alternatively I will communicate using pointing, gestures, facial expressions and sometimes using objects. I will understand and respond to simple sentences when being spoken to.
9 On the next page a desired goal was identified. This was then broken down into columns which addressed the "goal broken into chunks", what needed to happen to achieve the goal, the person responsible for achieving it, a timeline, and "outcome measurements". On this occasion, the goal identified was "[t]o further my practice and skills with my wallet and money handling". In the second column, the following was recorded:
Advise [client] firstly on the task she needs to undertake and then give her space to perform it before advising or putting prompts in place.
10 Another goal appeared on another page. It was "[t]o further increase and maintain my strength, flexibility and fitness for better health management". This was to be achieved by walking three laps in a pool with a water noodle. The plan recorded how Ms Legg was to achieve that outcome. At the end of the Action Plan, there was a space for Ms Legg to record the client's progress and to record suggestions for further support. For example, the following was recorded:
[The client] has performed well in the delivery program over the past 6 months. On occasions she has been able to complete it independently, but mostly she has required a gesture to ensure 100% completion.
11 In order to provide services to her clients, Ms Legg would also consult a "Client Support Plan" prepared for each client and updated from time to time. This set out, amongst other things, certain medical and behavioural details about the client.
12 At the end of the fourth term in each year, employees at the Naroo Centre, including Ms Legg, would plan the types of programs to be offered in the coming year. Before me was a document describing the programs to be offered in "Term 1 2017". The programs covered the delivery of activities in fields such as sport, work, recreation and health.
13 Ms Legg would meet with her supervisor, Ms Faulkner, to discuss the programs that she proposed should be allocated to her clients. Timetables would be prepared together with the Action Plans. Outlines for each program would also be prepared setting out the activities to be done and logistical information that needed to be taken into account.
14 During term, Ms Legg would also prepare progress notes for each client and program. She would handwrite notes of what occurred for each client on each day. An example of these was before me which I have reviewed. It recorded, in brief terms, the activities undertaken. It included comments such as "has had a good week this week reaching some goals set out".
15 Prior to term commencing, Ms Legg also prepared for each client an "Interim Progress Report". One of these was before me and it recorded the following goals (reproduced verbatim):
Goals that [the client] participates in are as follows, please refer to accompanying documentation for further information.
When arriving or leaving the disco venue, I will look for cars when crossing the road or entering the car park by looking both left and right before attempting to cross with 100% accuracy over 3 consecutive weeks.
When provided with an iPad I will use my finger in the screen in order to unlock or draw on the iPad with 80% accuracy over 3 consecutive weeks.
When ingredients are set up for me in the kitchen I will independently put my ingredients on the pizza base with 100% accuracy over 3 consecutive weeks.
When given the ipad and it is set up ready to take photo's I will learn how to push the shutter button on the ipad to take a photo with 100% accuracy over 3 consecutive weeks.
During the art program I will make myself a hot drink with help only with the hot water with 100% accuracy over 3 consecutive weeks.
When provided with my own brush I will independently pick up my own brush and brush my hair with 100% accuracy over 3 consecutive weeks.
16 This report contained a long table of "progress notes" handwritten by Ms Legg for the period 28 September 2015 to 21 December 2015 in relation to the task of learning how to take photographs using an iPad. The first entry reads as follows:
[The client] understood that she needed to tap the ipad to take the photo, however had trouble finding the button so required finger guiding.
17 There are then 12 further entries recording the client's progress. As an indication of the importance of the challenge faced by this client, the task of taking photos was not achieved notwithstanding months of training. Ms Legg recorded:
[The client] had a few times throughout the term where she was able to take a photo with a verbal cue of "press the white button." However it seemed as though [the client] would get a little disorientated with her surroundings and required more of a physical finger guiding assistance to ensure that she was taking a photo.
18 Each attempt at taking photos was graded by Ms Legg from 0 to 5 and then recorded in the following graph:
19 The observations made by Ms Legg in her various reports were detailed and nuanced. They well demonstrate the high seriousness and commitment required to assist a person with an intellectual disability to perform everyday tasks with accuracy and dignity. They also reveal a clear and professional dedication to the task of teaching essential daily tasks to clients of the Naroo Centre. Like any teacher, Ms Legg graded each client's performance. The grades were recorded and analysed. Progress was often slow. Clients relapsed from time to time.
20 I would characterise Ms Legg's participation in the programs as teaching or instructing. That characterisation is in no way diminished by the fact that the tasks that were set would be easy for some of us to achieve. The fact remains they were not easy for many of Ms Legg's clients.
21 There was some debate before me concerning the task of teaching a client to use a seatbelt. Ms Legg was cross-examined about this. It was put to her that this was not "teaching". This was denied. Ms Legg explained that it might take years for a client to learn this task but that with "time and patience" this task could be learned. Yooralla submitted that if the clients learned a skill "along the way" during their participation in an Action Plan, it would not follow that the plans were training programs. To make good that proposition, the following questions were asked:
These are activities, would you agree, for the enjoyment of the people who come to the centre, for them to get something out of life, but they're not training programs, are they?---They're activities, but it doesn't mean that they aren't learning within these activities.
And I understand what you mean, they might learn simple things such as putting on a seatbelt. They might learn to do freestyle, maybe, if they didn't already, but that learning is part of the activity. It's not part of a training program. You'd accept that?---I disagree.
Well, you just agreed with me a moment ago that there wasn't a swimming training program, so all I'm saying to you, if they learn a skill along the way, then that's implementing client skills and activities programs. That's not, itself, a training program, is it?---No.
The learned primary judge addressed this task in a key section of his reasons for rejecting the proposition that Ms Legg's activities should be characterised as teaching or training. At [36]-[39], his Honour said:
36. In ordinary parlance, the verb "to train" is commonly understood to involve the task of teaching a particular skill or type of behaviour through sustained practice and instruction. As an adjective, the word means "develop and improve (mental or physical faculty) through instructional practice."
37. Ms Legg gave evidence she did not train clients to take their medication. Next, she was asked about the activity she undertook involving a client and the affixing of his or her seatbelt. She said showing a person how [to put on] their seatbelt could potentially be regarded as part of their learning and it would be part of the training programme because for her the client has learnt a new thing and that person was achieving goals as an adjunct to daily living.
38. On that analysis, any activity undertaken by Ms Legg leading in some way to the client learning a new thing or achieving goals of daily living was "training". That is to give the word "to train" an extremely wide meeting and it ignored the aspect of the sustained practise and instruction that the verb ordinarily connotes. Further, for the purpose of the decided cases, especially City of Wanneroo v Holmes and Joyce v Christoffersen, the principal aspect of the work, not an incidental adjunct to it, is an important feature. Training was not the principal aspect of the work. She asserted that 40% of her time was allocated to client training and support and that an additional 20% of her time was allocated to preparing client focused documentation, thereby rendering 60% of the time devoted to some aspect or other related training.
39. I disagree.
(Footnote omitted.)
22 I make two observations at this point:
(1) first, the characterisation of Ms Legg's activities does not depend on the answers she gave in the witness box about whether she considered she was teaching or instructing at the Naroo Centre. In that respect, some of the affidavit material filed below contained conclusionary language about this issue. I have given no weight to such "evidence"; and
(2) secondly, I respectfully consider that the learned primary judge, in the passages set out above, may have failed to appreciate that this was not a case of providing activities per se from which a skill might be obtained "along the way". The evidence I have examined shows that the purpose of each program was to identify a skill or skills to be learned, to record the method of learning that skill within a defined framework, to record a client's progress in using that method and finally to assess that progress and determine whether or not the skill had been acquired at the end of the program. In my view, all of the programs in aggregate constituted a sustained course of training of multiple skills. And each program of itself comprised a sustained set of training activities with respect to a particular skill. The nature of the skills that were taught focused upon achieving an ability to pursue everyday life independently and successfully.