Stateships v Lawson
[2009] FCA 59
At a glance
Source factsCourt
Federal Court of Australia
Decision date
2009-02-09
Before
Gilmour J
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Judgment (8 paragraphs)
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT 1 The applicant appeals from the decision or determination of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal ("Tribunal") given on 23 July 2008 at Perth by which the Tribunal decided or determined that the applicant is liable, pursuant to ss 24 and 26(1) of the Seafarers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1992 (Cth) ("the Act"), to pay compensation, in accordance with the Act, to the respondent in respect of a psychiatric disorder which he contracted in or about June 2006. An appeal lies to this Court on a question of law, from any decision of the Tribunal: s 44(1) Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 (Cth)("AAT Act").
Background 2 On 27 July 1991 the respondent, now aged 63, whilst working as a cook on a ship, the MV Roberta Jull, in the course of his employment with the applicant, slipped whilst carrying meat from the galley and badly twisted his right knee, causing the medial meniscus to tear. The respondent was medically assessed and declared unfit for sea duties. The respondent received worker's compensation until 24 September 1991 when he returned to work. 3 The respondent's right knee continued to deteriorate and on 9 June 1994 he was certified as unfit for further sea duties. On 10 June 1994 the respondent submitted a claim for worker's compensation to the applicant and he has been in receipt of ongoing compensation payments with effect from that date. 4 On27 February 2006, the respondent's treating orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Graham Forward stated that the respondent had a limited disability for heavy physical work but would be able to carry out a wide range of clerical duties and would be fit for light duties such as storeman or sedentary attendant. 5 The respondent's Progress Medical Certificate of 20 April 2006 stated that a vocational rehabilitation assessment was required. Such certificates had been issued in the past from 1991, but the respondent had not, between then and 2006, been requested by the applicant to attend a vocational assessment. 6 On 20 April 2006 the applicant requested the respondent to advise whether he was available to attend a vocational assessment. The respondent responded on 24 April 2006 to the effect that whilst he found it intriguing that in 15 years when some twenty medical certificates suggesting vocational assessment had never been actioned, nonetheless, provided the applicant agreed to pay all costs, he would attend such an assessment. On 28 April 2006, the applicant's solicitors informed the respondent that it had arranged for the respondent to attend at Herdsman for a vocational assessment. 7 There was then disagreement between the applicant and the respondent as to where his vocational assessment should be carried out. The respondent did not accept the applicant's choice of service provider, Mount Injury Management Service, he preferring the rehabilitation program to be conducted by the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service at Fremantle believing that they had a greater knowledge of employment opportunities in the Fremantle area. 8 Nonetheless, the respondent did attend on Mount Injury Management Service on 9 May 2006 to discuss his medical and vocational situation, where he was interviewed by Ms Elaine Duncan, an Injury Management Consultant. Ms Duncan then provided an Initial Rehabilitation Assessment Report, dated 6 June 2006 to the respondent's solicitors in which she summarised the situation and made certain recommendations: Mr Lawson is a 60 year old Seaman/Cook who has been unable to return to any employment in the cooking/catering industry since 1996. He has sought alternative employment positions to no avail. His physical capacity has been significantly reduced as a result of his injury. Although he agrees he could undertake some form of work, he believes the odds are stacked against him as a result of his age and his lack of adequate training in other work areas. His medical practitioners are agreeable to an investigation into suitable work alternatives. As a result of the initial rehabilitation assessment, the following recommendations are made: 1. Mr Lawson to be offered two vocational counselling sessions in order to examine his transferable work skills and to generate and explore potentially suitable work options. 2. Upon consolidation of suitable alternative work options, medical opinion to be obtained regarding the viability of options generated. 3. Once a vocational direction has been consolidated, and dependent upon medical approval, Mr Lawson to be offered assistance in undertaking a period of training/work experience in order to commence vocational redirection. 9 The respondent's solicitors then requested the applicant to advise as to his available dates in the coming weeks, for the scheduling of two further vocational assessment meetings with Mount Injury Management. The applicant replied by facsimile dated 6 July 2006 stating that he was willing to attend with the understanding that it was for an assessment only and a decision was yet to be made as to the approved program provider. 10 The report refers to the respondent having experienced stress and anxiety, which he believes to have been brought about by the ongoing adversarial nature of his workers compensation claim. However the report did not contain any reference to him suffering from any psychiatric condition or mental injury, or that he had claimed to suffer from any such conditions. 11 By letter dated 4 July 2006 the respondent wrote to Elaine Duncan at Mount Injury Management stating that because of Stateships new initiative he had been placed under more than usual stress and his doctor had referred him for psychiatric assessment, which was to take place the next day. 12 On 12 July 2006 the respondent lodged a claim under the Act, the subject of the proceedings before the Tribunal and this appeal. 13 In answer to the question in the claim form, as to the nature of his claim, the respondent ticked the boxes "medical and related expenses" and "household and attendant care services". He described the nature of his injury or illness as "stress" and the part of his body as "mental". In answer to the question as to when he was first injured or noticed that he was ill, the respondent wrote "1995" but on 3 October 2006 wrote to the appellant changing the date from 1995 to April 2006. 14 In his claim for compensation the respondent described the events that led to his injury in the following terms: The continual legal litigation in respect to my compensation claim since 1994 and the fact that my employer refused to provide me with the opportunity to take part in any rehabilitation programme over the past twelve (12) years, effectively denying me the ability to rejoin the work force but are now demanding that I take part in a futile rehabilitation assessment. This whole process has put me under a lot of stress causing me to drink alcohol heavily and has threatened my ability to cope with every day life. Over the years I have received counselling from a psychologist but this latest initiative of Stateships has caused me to seek and receive psychiatric help from Dr Wu of WEIT Perth because I became frightened of the consequences of my state of mind. (sic) 15 Ms B Kordanovski, a psychologist with Mount Injury Management Service in a Vocational Assessment Report dated 24 July 2006 concerning the respondent, following two vocational assessment sessions attended by him on 18 and 20 August 2006 said: Mr Lawson engaged in the vocational assessment sessions. He was an active participant in the process and completed the administered questionnaires promptly. Mr Lawson expressed that he felt highly anxious regarding participating in vocational rehabilitation following such a long period since his injury. 16 Dr Knight, a general practitioner, had been treating the respondent for general medical problems since 2001. On 5 September 2007 she wrote in reply to a letter from Cocks Macnish, the applicant's solicitors, concerning the respondent. Its contents are set out in full at [33] of the reasons of the AAT. It included the following: 2. There are no other factors impacting on Mr Lawson's present psychological condition beside his worker's compensation process. 3. Mr Lawson receives counselling with a clinical psychologist and is on an antidepressant medication (lexapro). The medication was commenced shortly after he was urgently referred to a psychiatrist in June 2006. 4. Mr Lawson is aware that he can receive urgent outpatient or inpatient psychiatric care at any time if his depression and hopelessness deepens. He is also aware that more counselling of a CBT nature is accessible should he need it and that medications can be increased. He is aware of all his risk factors for an increase in his symptoms. He is currently not requiring that extra care. . . . 6. ... He is made totally incapable of working by the nature of his depressive illness. If he were no longer required to work it would reduce his immediate stressors and background risk of suicide, it would not however resolve his mental health issues. 7. Mr Lawson has seen a private psychiatrist once at my urging after I became fearful and aware of his suicide potential. He had been seeing a clinical psychologist Emilie Cattalini for some 12 years of his own volition and unbeknownst to myself, to cope with his distress regarding the legal battles concerning his injury claims. She wrote to me in mid June 2006, with Barry's knowledge after his mental health nosedived. This was at the time he was told he was going to be rehabilitated to be made work ready. … He saw Dr Raymond Wu in July 2006 once and continued counselling. Dr Wu offered him management options to call on if he needed them and assessed him at the time as not actively suicidal. He has follow-up available as needed. He opted to continue with his trusted counsellor and accepted a need for antidepressants. We commenced him on an antidepressant and monitored him closely to observe a gradual settling of his suicide potential. He remains very vulnerable. . . . 9. This gentleman has a long history of psychological assistance to help him cope with his protracted worker's compensation case. He has never sought to claim this or publically acknowledge this until pushed to the brink of claiming his own life to deal with his anger and despair at a system that spent 10 years offering him no rehabilitation and then forcing him to it this year, whilst indicating his age made him unemployable (as he is now within three years of retirement age). This seems from Mr Lawson's point of view to show a malicious disregard for his well-being. (Emphasis added) 17 By facsimile dated 25 September 2006 the applicant wrote to the respondent requesting to know what the applicant intended as it was more than sixty days since the report 24th July 2006 from Mount Injury Management in respect to his undertaking training/work experience in order for him to commence vocational redirection. 18 By facsimile dated 12 October 2006 the respondent advised the applicant that its insurers had "approved the use of Mount Injury Management as a programme provider". 19 By facsimile dated 12 October 2006 to the respondent, the applicant noted that: · he had not been consulted in relation to the selection of an approved program provider, as required by the Act; · Mount Injury Management Services was not included in the list of Western Australian Approved Rehabilitation Providers published by Comcare. 20 By facsimile dated 27 October 2006 the respondent's solicitors informed the applicant that it had, as requested by him, made arrangements to transfer his vocational rehabilitation from Mount Injury Management to a Seafarers Approved Rehabilitation Provider, namely CRS Australia Fremantle. 21 In a subsequent facsimile dated 30 October 2006 the respondent's solicitors informed the applicant that Mount Injury Management was in the process of becoming an Approved Rehabilitation Provider for seafarers but that nonetheless, in an effort to accommodate his request, the matter had been transferred to CRS Australia. 22 In December 2007 the applicant, by facsimile letter, advised the respondent that it would not progress efforts aimed at assisting him to return to work. This, in large part, it would appear was as a result of a letter to CRS from Dr Knight which included the statement that "Mr Lawson has been suffering both anxiety and depression, has undergone a psychiatric review and had been placed on Lexapro to assist with the management of his symptoms". Since then the respondent has not been subject to any further vocational rehabilitation programmes with a view to his entering the workforce. 23 Dr Knight provided a further report addressed "to whom it may concern" dated 3 December 2007 which is set out at [34] of the reasons of the AAT. It includes relevantly: I next saw him in June 2006 at the request of his longstanding Psychologist, Emilie Cattalini. He was no longer attending the gym. He was no longer doing voluntary community work. He was deeply distressed, depressed, angry and unable to handle any company. He was very afraid of his own potential to self-harm and harm others. He was urgently reviewed by psychiatrist Dr Wu, and commenced on an antidepressant, for major depression with high suicide risk. He currently still has a diagnosis of major depression, partly treated. He is no longer suicidal. He has been exercising at home with a physiotherapist friend mentoring him. He is still incapable of interacting in a normal capacity in the community. It seems the deterioration in Mr Lawson's mental state and development of depression lies with the handling of his compensation case and rehabilitation process since April 2006. (Emphasis added)