Consideration
16. The issue in these proceedings is whether Ms Land's claim for relief under s 106 of the Act is an unfair dismissal claim in disguise and therefore, by virtue of the operation of s 109A, beyond the Court's jurisdiction to grant.
17. At the outset of the proceedings, I raised with the parties whether the Commission should endeavour to deal with the matter by way of conciliation prior to hearing the motion. This course was opposed by Ms Nomchong.
18. An application was made by Emerald City that the requirements of r 82 of the Industrial Relations Commission Rules 1996 (the Rules) be waived. This application was not opposed by the applicant. Rule 82(2)(c) requires a notice of motion to have been filed within the time required for entering an appearance, that is, seven days after service of the summons. Pursuant to r 88 of the Rules, I waive compliance with r 82(2)(c).
19. The approach to be taken to a threshold challenge to jurisdiction was recently considered by Wright J President, Walton J Vice-President, (Schmidt J not dissenting) in Euphoric. After referring with approval to passages from Nagle v Tilburg their Honours said at [9]-[14]:
9 This approach has been followed and adopted in numerous cases in both the Court Session and the Commission. The analysis of that judgment which was essayed in Virtue v NSW Department of Education and Training (1999) 92 IR 428 at 447 - 448 has been cited and followed in a number of subsequent judgments; see, for example, Heath Group Australasia Pty Ltd v Pengly (2001) 110 IR 376; Hall v Strathfield Group Ltd [2001] NSWIRComm 266 (subject to appeal); Alsford v Castech Pty Ltd [2001] NSWIRComm 259.
10 The applicable principles were set out in Virtue in this way (at 447 - 448):
(1) The discretion of a court to determine a case at an early stage, when appropriate, has been repeatedly accepted.
(2) As a general rule it is desirable that an objection to jurisdiction be determined as early as circumstances will conveniently admit so that the tribunal does not embark on a hearing which it lacks authority to conduct. The course of a court entertaining a challenge to jurisdiction in a preliminary or threshold way is often a sensible one where a party has a substantial threshold argument which, if it succeeds, will knock out the claim and save the costs and inconvenience that attend a protracted hearing of proceedings on the merits.
(3) However, a further general proposition is that all issues arising should be dealt with in the substantive proceedings unless the basis for a challenge, either on jurisdictional grounds, or for lack of a reasonable cause of action, be clearly demonstrated.
(4) Threshold relief of the kind sought here must be conserved to a clear case where it is plain that the invocation of the jurisdiction impugned is wholly misconceived or, upon analysis, lacks an arguable legal foundation.
(5) Necessarily, refusal of relief at the threshold will not finally determine that jurisdiction exists for any order which the Court might make between the parties. This is because, to secure relief, the claimants must demonstrate that no order could be made which would be within jurisdiction. The resulting burden is a heavy one.
(6) Accordingly, whilst it is desirable for a case to be determined at an early stage it is only open to do so at the appropriate stage of the proceedings. That is, where the facts, either established by evidence or plainly agreed in terms, enable the Court to determine what the contract or arrangement is or, at least, the parameters of the contract or arrangement. In other words, unless the facts are sufficiently established to enable the Court to be satisfied it has the necessary material to reach a clear and final decision on the question then the appropriate stage has not been reached for such a determination to be made.
(7) Similarly, the jurisdiction to terminate an action summarily for want of a cause of action is to be sparingly employed and ought not to be used save where the lack of the cause of action was clearly demonstrated.
11 In order to succeed in a motion to dismiss on a preliminary basis a summons for want of jurisdiction, a respondent must demonstrate that there is no power in the Commission to grant any relief sought in the application.
12 However, as indicated in the fifth proposition cited above from Virtue "refusal of relief at the threshold [that is on a basis of a preliminary point or motion] will not finally determine that jurisdiction exists for any order which the Court might make between the parties". In other words, it remains open to a respondent unsuccessful on a preliminary motion to maintain its arguments as to lack of jurisdiction for the purposes of the final hearing.
13 Further, as observed in the seventh proposition and notwithstanding the public interest in having struck out at an early stage proceedings for which there is no jurisdiction, "the jurisdiction to terminate an action summarily for want of a cause of action is to be sparingly employed and ought not to be used save where the lack of the cause of action [is] clearly demonstrated".
14 The jurisprudence of this Court represented by the judgment of the then Full Industrial Court in Nagle v Tilburg, and the cases which have followed it, has been important in controlling a practice which had developed in the jurisdiction of some respondents too readily raising jurisdictional arguments at an early stage, at times with at least the appearance of a forensic tactic or an attempt to place logistical difficulties in the way of a less well-resourced applicant. The decision in this matter should not be seen as, or become, a basis for the rigour which has hitherto been exercised in the jurisdiction to be lessened. These observations are made only to emphasise the decision in this matter has depended on the very particular and relatively rare set of circumstances raised by these proceedings. It should not be interpreted or considered by those who practice in the jurisdiction as signifying any lessening of the stringency with which the approach in Nagle v Tilburg will be adhered to.
20. In the present case, Ms Land originally sought relief under the unfair dismissal provisions of the Act. It was claimed that the dismissal was harsh, unreasonable and unjust. Ms Land sought monetary compensation. Ms Land later discontinued her unfair dismissal claim, apparently accepting that her remuneration calculated on an annual basis exceeded the statutory limit prescribed for the purposes of s 83(1)(b) of the Act. A claim was then brought under s 106 of the Act.
21. The summons contends that Ms Land's contract of employment was unfair, harsh and unconscionable as follows:
(a) It permitted the Respondent to terminate the contract of employment without sufficient notice or payment in lieu of notice.
(b) It discriminated on economic grounds against and to the detriment of the Applicant.
(c) It discriminated against the Applicant in the absence of an industrial union of employees to protect the Applicant's industrial interest.
(d) It discriminated against the Applicant having regard to the Applicant's position and responsibilities.
(e) It invested the Respondent with significant discretionary powers that may and have been used to the substantial disadvantage of the Applicant, particularly in the circumstances relating to termination of the contract.
(f) The Applicant was at all material times in a position of unequal and inferior bargaining power in respect of her dealings with the Respondent and was specifically in such a position at the time of termination.
(g) It permitted the Respondent to deprive the Applicant of the significant benefits of long-term secure career employment and/or employment at all.
(h) It failed to provide for any reasonable payment to the Applicant by the Respondent upon termination of employment for any reason.
(i) It failed to contain provisions and protection consistent with Australia's international obligations under the International Labour Organisation's Termination of Employment at the initiative of the Employer Convention to which Australia is a party.
(j) It permitted the Respondent to terminate the Applicant's employment without taking all reasonable steps to minimise or reduce the stress, hurt and suffering of the Applicant at the time of the termination and into the future, in circumstances where such stress, hurt and suffering was foreseeable.
(k) It permitted the Respondent to terminate the Applicant in a manner that caused her considerable stress, hurt and suffering, impaired her future employment prospects and reduced her quality of life.
(l) It failed to contain the terms in paragraph A 3 (above).
22. The relief sought by Ms Land was:
(i) Payment in lieu of notice
12 months payment =$87,230.52
Less paid =$0
Total =$87,230.52
(ii) Amount compensating the Applicant for stress, hurt
and suffering, impairment of employment prospects and
loss of enjoyment of life =$10,000
23. The operation of s 109A was considered in Beahan. In that case the Full Bench made the following observations at 692:
In our opinion, it is central to the operation of s.109A that an excluded contract of employment is one where it is alleged that it is unfair for any reason for which an unfair dismissal claim could have been made. In other words, and as Mr. Hannaford observed during the second reading debate in the Legislative Council (at 4032) "if somebody wants to argue that the terms of his contract are unfair, unconscionable or harsh, he will still be able to achieve a variation of the contract by an application" under s 106; and, as Ms Kirkby said in the same debate (at 4033), an applicant "will still be able to plead an unfair contract case but this will be on the terms of the contract and not on whether the termination of the contract was unfair".