THE TRIBUNAL'S DECISION
11 The Tribunal determined that Ms Long suffered a psychiatric injury and that her employment with the Commonwealth contributed to a significant degree to her psychiatric injury. The QC and QA processes, to which she was subject in 2009, were found to be significant contributing factors to the onset of her psychiatric injury. The principal issue which was contested by the parties in the Tribunal was whether or not the QA process constituted an "administrative action…in respect of [Ms Long's] employment" within the meaning of s 5A(1) of the Act. If it was it took her psychiatric condition outside the definition of compensable "injury".
12 The work of the organ donor registry involved the recording of information relating to offers or potential offers of body parts for transplanting in donees. The registry was required to ensure the accuracy of its records. Incorrect data could mean that a potential donee might be deprived of an opportunity of receiving a lifesaving transplant. As a result Medicare required that processing should not be less than 97, 98 or 99% accurate (the difference in these figures is attributable to the varying evidence of witnesses called by Comcare in the Tribunal).
13 The registry sought to ensure the maintenance of required standards by using the QC and QA processes. In evidence, accepted by the Tribunal, one of Ms Long's supervisors explained how those processes worked as follows:
"2. In Medicare there are two quality checking procedures. One is known as Quality Assurance (QA) and the other one is Quality Control (QC). QC is generally performed the next day on a random selection of work for each employee. Three pieces of work would be selected daily for each processed batch and the results were reported to the National Audit Integrity Team. Note: QC is a National Audit Integrity operational requirement and is performed on all staff that have been deemed competent.
3. QA is not reported. QA is undertaken when a new employee commences. QA would continue until the employee becomes competent. Note: If QA is being performed on a staff member they are not also QC'd.
4. At various times random checks (informal checks) on accuracy levels were carried out on all staff to ensure that the team was meeting the required accuracy of processing standards. A date would be selected for a staff member and the processed work checked. If there were a number of errors identified, another date would be selected and checked. If a pattern of errors continue to be identified, the person would be taken off the formal daily QC process and QA would be performed on all transaction[s] until they had reached the standard required."
14 In early 2009 periodic checks of Ms Long's work disclosed deterioration in the quality of her work. These deficiencies were drawn to Ms Long's attention. She took leave between 20 March and 9 April 2009. At some point after her return from leave Ms Long's work was subjected to what was described as an "informal 100% QA process". This meant that all her daily work output was checked. Where errors were detected she was so advised in an effort to improve her ongoing performance. On one day (5 May) no errors were detected. Within a week, however, numerous errors were again detected. By 3 June 2009 an accuracy rate of 92% was found. Ms Long's supervisor sent her an email on that day advising her of a meeting which he proposed to conduct with her the following morning to discuss her performance. In the event, Ms Long did not attend. She had, she said, intended to go "but when I got home on 3 June I just crawled into bed and couldn't leave it for 2 days." She consulted her general practitioner who certified that she was unfit for work for about eight weeks.
15 The Tribunal concluded that Ms Long's injury was excluded from the definition of "injury". It gave its reasons at paragraphs [29] to [35]:
"29. So the next question I have to address was, was the quality assurance process undertaken an administrative action?
30. I note at this stage that the QC process was random. The Quality Assurance program was, at first instance, random but could become targeted as a result of unsatisfactory results either from a random QC action or a quality assurance action. Once this occurs, the Quality Assurance becomes targeted and will continue until the employee reaches an acceptable level of accuracy. If that does not occur, the employee will then be forced to undertake a Performance Improvement Program, which could be a precursor to dismissal.
31. I note that Ms Schokman [counsel for Ms Long] suggests that administrative action does not occur until a worker is placed upon the improvement program, referred to as the PIP, whereas Mr Hobbs [counsel for Comcare] contends that there can be an overlap between operational action and administrative action and that administrative action commences once the targeted QA commences. There is a reasonable amount of law in relation to this and the lines and distinctions are often quite fine. I refer firstly to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Reeve [2012] FCAFC 21 paragraphs 24, 33 and 60, paragraphs 24 and 33 appearing in the judgment of Gray J and paragraphs 60 in the judgments of Rares and Tracey JJ.
'24. In this respect, it is necessary to bear in mind the principle that is taken to have been established by Hart v Comcare [2005] FCAFC 16 (2005) 87 ALD 341 at [21]-[23]. That principle is that, however many separate causes of an injury may have arisen out of, or in the course of, an employee's employment, if any one of those causes falls within the exclusion, the employee is wholly disentitled to compensation in respect of that injury. It follows that the more broadly the exclusion is [construed], the more destructive it becomes of the right to compensation afforded by the SRC Act. For instance, if the exclusion were to be construed so that any action that could be described as falling within the ordinary meaning of 'administrative action', taken by an employer, and commencing a chain of causation that resulted in injury to an employee of that employer, it is difficult to see that any employee would have any entitlement to compensation. Some examples surfaced in the course of argument on the appeal. It could be argued that an injury to an employee in falling down stairs at his or her workplace was the result of administrative action in directing that employee to work at that workplace. If a truck driver became injured as a result of a motor vehicle collision, it could be said that the injury was the result of the administrative action of directing the driver to drive a particular route on that day. In the present case, it could be said that Mr Reeve's injury resulted from the administrative action of appointing him to manage the Mt Hawthorn branch of the CBA. Counsel for the CBA disclaimed any intention to argue for such an interpretation of the exclusion. They did not attempt to offer a way in which the words 'as a result of' might be confined to a causal relationship of sufficient proximity to prevent the exclusion having that kind of operation, if the words 'administrative action' were to be given a broad construction of the kind for which counsel for the CBA contended.
33. In the case of s 5A(1) of the SRC Act, the requisite effect is given if the provision is seen to apply to action taken in respect of the administration of the relationship of employer and employee as between the particular employee making the claim, in his or her capacity as employee, and the employer in its capacity as employer. This meaning may have been the one the Tribunal was attempting to express in its reasons for decision, when it referred to 'legitimate human resource management actions'. Although inapt, the description used by the Tribunal is not far removed from the proper construction of the exclusion. As the Tribunal pointed out correctly, matters of general administration, management and the implementation of policy are excluded, even if they affect the employment of employees. It is what is done with respect to the employment relationship that the particular employee has with the employer that is excluded from the definition of 'injury', unless the action taken was not reasonable, or was not reasonably taken. 60. The qualification in the final phase of the exclusion in s 5A(1) is important. It requires that the action be taken 'in respect of the employee's employment'. That qualification distinguishes the criterion of the exclusion in s 5A(1) from an action or circumstance that the Act uses to impose liability, namely an action or circumstance that arises out of, or in the course of, the employee's employment. This suggests that the Parliament intended that the exclusory action be specific administrative action directed to the person's employment itself, as opposed to action forming part of the everyday duties or tasks that the employee performed in his or her employment or job. The action must be in 'respect of' something that exists -[t]he person['s] employment. That is, the action must be something different to the duties and incidents of that employment or, as s 5B(2)(b), provided 'the nature of, and particular tasks involved in, the employment'. Rather, the administrative action in the exclusion must take the employment as a factum and operate in respect of whatever its duties, incidents, nature and tasks may be. Thus, 'employment', as used in s 5A, is concerned with the conditions in which the employee works, the terms of his or her engagement and his or her duties: cf John Holland Group Pty Ltd v Robertson [2010] FCAFC 88; (2010) 185 FCR 566 at 586 [72]-[73] per Dowsett J, with whom Spender J agreed. An analogy, although taken from a different statutory context, can be seen [from] the facts in The Commonwealth v Rutledge [1964] HCA 63; (1964) 111 CLR 1. Thereafter working in her job for over four years, an employee, who was latently susceptible to developing paranoia, was required to perform new duties that involved her spying on fellow employees. Within two weeks the employee developed into an active psychotic. As Menzies J put it (111 CLR at 11):
'... it is sufficient, however, if the spying which was her employment [for] the time being, had in its nature something to aggravate a pre-existing condition of latent paranoia or to accelerate a change from that condition into that of active psychosis. Here I think the evidence did have the requisite generality.' (emphasis added)'
32. That case was followed by two Peters v Comcare cases, the first one being a decision of Bromberg J in Peters v Comcare [2013] FCA 808, where, at paragraph 34, he grants an extension of time on the basis that he considers there was an arguable case. That was then further considered in Peters v Comcare [2013] FCA 1361 by Tracey J, who, of course, was one of the justices in the Reeve case, and I refer to the analysis carried out by his Honour at paragraphs 28, 30 and 31.
'28. The Court drew a distinction between 'administrative action' and 'operational action'. Gray J concluded (at [33]) that:
'In the case of s 5A(1) of the SRC Act, the requisite effect is given if the provision is seen to apply to action taken in respect of the administration of the relationship of employer and employee as between the particular employee making the claim, in his or her capacity as employee, and the employer in its capacity as employer ... As the Tribunal pointed out correctly, matters of general administration, management and the implementation of policy are excluded, even if they affect the employment of employees. It is what is done with respect to the employment relationship that the particular employee has with the employer that is excluded from the definition of 'injury', unless the action taken was not reasonable, or was not unreasonably taken (followed also in National Australia Bank Ltd v KRDV [2012] FCA 543; (2012) 292 ALR 639 at [35] and Buck v Comcare [2012] AATA 327; (2012) 130 ALD 154 at ([45]).' (Emphasis in original).
30. The Tribunal was alert to the distinction which had been drawn by the Court in Reeve. It quoted the passage from the judgment of Gray J which is quoted above at [28]. It found that the conduct about which Ms Peters complained took place in respect of her employment and fell within the concept of 'administrative action' of the kind identified in Reeve.
31. The relevant events related to the administration of Ms Peters' employment as an employee and her relationship with her employer. For this reason I am satisfied that, even if the Court had jurisdiction to entertain the appeal, Ms Peters could not have succeeded on this ground.'
At the end of the day, the most relevant paragraph seems to me to be the comments made by his Honour at paragraph 28 of Peters number 2, where he says:
'The Court drew a distinction between 'administrative action' and 'operational action'. Gray J concluded (at [33]) that:
and he then sets out the relevant paragraph at 60:
'Rares J and I said that the qualification of the final phase of the exclusion in section 5A(1) is important. It requires the action be taken in respect of the employee's employment. That qualification distinguishes the criteri[on] of the exclusion in section 5A(1) from the actual circumstances that the Act uses to impose liability, namely, an actual circumstance that arises out of, or in the course of, the employee's employment. This suggests that [the] [P]arliament intended this [exclusory] action to be specific administrative action directed to the person's employment itself as opposed to [action] forming part of the everyday duties or tasks [that] the employee [per]formed in his [or her] employment or job.'
33. As already noted, the applicant contends that the action would not progress from operation to administrative until the PIP process was undertaken. I note the supervisors at the relevant time were concerned not to advance Ms Long to the PIP because of her personal problems, including the 2008 issues, but that process could have been appropriate because of her error rate.
34. I find that they actually embarked upon a particular program and a program particular to Ms Long; that is, rather than putting additional pressure on her by making her undertake the PIP, which would have led to a dismissal should her performance not be corrected or improved to an appropriate rate, they, in fact, place[d] her on a targeted quality assurance program in an attempt to get her accuracy up to the appropriate rate. It is a fine line to draw between the operational and administrative actions, but because this was a program specifically designed for Ms Long and particular to her, I find that it was, in fact, an administrative action and not an operational action.
35. I note that I would also find it was an administrative action if it was a QA process undertaken in the normal course of events as a result of an unacceptable level [of] inaccuracy being obtained by Ms Long. In other words, I find that the actions were done in respect of the employment relationship that Ms Long had with the Commonwealth and were of such a nature to be administrative rather than operational actions, and hence they are excluded from the definition of injury unless the action taken was not reasonable or was unreasonably taken."