[2022] FWC 1410
General information, not legal advice.
Fair Work Commission
2022-06-21
Original judgment source is linked above.
s.365 - General protections
Application to deal with contraventions involving dismissal
4. The employee will perform their duties on the terms and conditions set out in this Agreement from time to time when offered an engagement by ASADA. The terms and conditions of this Agreement apply to each period of engagement of the employee.
5. The employee may refuse to accept an offer of an engagement by ASADA, and ASADA has no obligation to offer a minimum number of engagements.
6. An employment relationship arises between the employee and ASADA at the time the employee commences to perform their duties under an engagement. The employee acknowledges that [he/she] is employed on a casual basis and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as, or is intended to give rise to, an ongoing employment relationship. (emphasis added)
99.1 A casual employee will cany out duties at such times and on such days determined by ASADA following acceptance of an offer of engagement by the employee. In accordance with the Fair Work Act employees have the right to decline to work unreasonable hours of work
99.2 Subject to clause 99.4, each separate sample collection session, re-accreditation session, training session or education presentation represents a separate period of engagement and this Agreement does not guarantee any on-going, continuing or further engagement of the employee.
(a) Subject to clause 99.4, a period of engagement for a "primary" DCO commences when the employee leaves home bound direct for a sample collection session and finishes when the employee arrives home direct from a testing session. The start and finish times reflect the responsibility of the employee for the security and safe transport of critical materials for sample collection, such as testing kits, paperwork and athlete information.
(b) Where the employee is attending a sample collection session as a "second" DCO and does not have responsibility for the transportation of any kits, paperwork or athlete information, the period of engagement commences at the time the employee is required to arrive at the testing session, irrespective of whether the employee arrives earlier. The finish time is the time that the employee completes the sample collection session. If the employee arrives late to a sample collection session, ASADA may, at their discretion, terminate that engagement period or reduce the period of engagement.
(c) Subject to clause 99.4, if the employee is required for a sample collection session later on the same day as an earlier engagement, the start time for the new engagement will be the time the employee is required to start at the later testing session.
A period of engagement commences at the time the employee is required to arrive at the sample collection venue for duty, irrespective of whether the employee arrives at the sample collection venue earlier. If the employee arrives late to a sample collection session, ASADA may, at its discretion, terminate that engagement period or reduce the period of engagement.
A period of engagement commences at the time the employee is required to arrive at the education venue for duty, irrespective of whether the employee arrives at the education venue earlier. If the employee arrives late to an education session, ASADA may, at its discretion, terminate that engagement period or reduce the period of engagement.
99.4 Unless otherwise agreed to prior to the commencement of an engagement, if the employee has a two hour or less break between two engagements period, the break will be treated as paid time for all purposes other than time taken for meal breaks which must be at least 30 minutes. That is, the engagement period will be deemed to have commenced at the time of the engagement period prior to the break and will end at the cessation of the engagement period after the break."
77.1. A casual employee will carry out duties at such times and on such days determined by ASADA following acceptance of an offer of engagement by the employee. In accordance with the Fair Work Act employees have the right to decline unreasonable additional hours of work.
77.2. Subject to clause 77.4, each separate sample collection session, re-accreditation session, training session or education presentation represents a separate period of engagement and this Agreement does not guarantee any on-going, continuing or further engagement of the employee.
A period of engagement commences at the time the employee is required to arrive at the sample collection venue for duty, irrespective of whether the employee arrives earlier. If the employee arrives late to a sample collection session, ASADA may, at its discretion, terminate that engagement period or reduce the period of engagement.
A period of engagement commences at the time the employee is required to arrive at the education venue for duty. If the employee arrives late to an education session, ASADA may, at its discretion, terminate that engagement period or reduce the period of engagement.
77.4. A break of two hours or less between engagements will be treated as paid time, except time taken for a meal break (which must be at least 30 minutes), unless agreed prior to the commencement of the second engagement.
77.5. Further information regarding periods of engagement is available in ASADA's Casual Employee Engagement Policy."
Thank-you for your correspondence on 6 September 2021 where you requested a return to work plan with Sport Integrity Australia as a Doping Control Officer (DCO). We have given careful consideration to your request.
Prior to your workplace injury, you were employed on a casual basis by Sport Integrity Australia. As a casual employee, each time you were engaged constituted a separate period of employment. Accordingly, Sport Integrity Australia considers that you have not been an employee since your last shift on 19 August 2019.
Since your last shift, there have been a number of significant changes within Sport Integrity Australia, including:
As a result, a number of operational changes have occurred. These operational changes, combined with recruitment in the intervening period, mean that we do not require additional casual DCOs in the South-East Queensland area at this time.
We understand that this news may be difficult, and I am happy for you to contact me if you wish to discuss further with me. My EA is Brooke and can be contacted via brooke.darmody@sportintegrity.gov.au.
I would like to offer you further support in respect of mental health care in the form of access to Sport Integrity Australia's EAP Lifeworks, for a three month period. You can make an appointment with Lifeworks by contacting them on 1300 361 008.
We greatly appreciate the contribution you made during your 10 years of service with ASADA. Thank you for your past service and I wish you all the best for the future."
(1) A person is a casual employee of an employer if:
(a) an offer of employment made by the employer to the person is made on the basis that the employer makes no firm advance commitment to continuing and indefinite work according to an agreed pattern of work for the person; and
(b) the person accepts the offer on that basis; and
(c) the person is an employee as a result of that acceptance.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), in determining whether, at the time the offer is made, the employer makes no firm advance commitment to continuing and indefinite work according to an agreed pattern of work for the person, regard must be had only to the following considerations:
(a) whether the employer can elect to offer work and whether the person can elect to accept or reject work;
(b) whether the person will work as required according to the needs of the employer;
(c) whether the employment is described as casual employment;
(d) whether the person will be entitled to a casual loading or a specific rate of pay for casual employees under the terms of the offer or a fair work instrument.
Note: Under Division 4A of Part 2-2, a casual employee who has worked for an employer for at least 12 months and has, during at least the last 6 months of that time, worked a regular pattern of hours on an ongoing basis may be entitled to be offered, or request, conversion to full-time employment or part-time employment.
(3) To avoid doubt, a regular pattern of hours does not of itself indicate a firm advance commitment to continuing and indefinite work according to an agreed pattern of work.
(4) To avoid doubt, the question of whether a person is a casual employee of an employer is to be assessed on the basis of the offer of employment and the acceptance of that offer, not on the basis of any subsequent conduct of either party.
(5) A person who commences employment as a result of acceptance of an offer of employment in accordance with subsection (1) remains a casual employee of the employer until:
(b) The employee accepts an alternative offer of employment (other than as a casual employee) by the employer and commences work on that basis."
(a) the person's employment with his or her employer has been terminated on the employer's initiative; or
(b) the person has resigned from his or her employment, but was forced to do so because of conduct, or a course of conduct, engaged in by his or her employer."
When must an application for the Commission to deal with a dismissal dispute be made?
(a) within 21 days after the dismissal took effect; or
(b) within such further period as the Commission allows.
Was the Application made within 21 days after the dismissal took effect?
Was the Application made within such further period as the Commission allows?
(b) any action taken by the Applicant to dispute the dismissal; and
(c) prejudice to the employer (including prejudice caused by the delay); and
(e) fairness as between the Applicant and other persons in a similar position.
(a) That she received erroneous and misleading advice from the FWO and Comcare, which resulted in her delayed application to the Commission;
(b) The impact of the workplace psychological injury, coupled with protracted litigation, the delay in response to her request for a safe return to work, and the incorrect application of the long service leave contributed to the delay;
(c) The Respondent caused significant financial and personal distress in their defective administration by withholding the Applicant's Comcare funded payments; and
(d) It was not until the Applicant made enquiries about her long service leave entitlements that she became aware that she did have rights as a casual. At the time this became apparent, she immediately lodged a claim with the Commission.
(a) Insofar as the Applicant says the delay was caused by anxiety and distress, and her previous psychological injury, the Applicant has not produced any medical evidence to support such a position; and
(b) A consideration of all emails sent by the Applicant to the Respondent after 3 November 2021, where the Applicant was advancing the Applicant's claim for long service leave, depict a person who had the capacity to understand her legal rights and advocate for them. The correspondence did not reflect a person who was so inhibited by distress that she was unable to address the issues presented in the Application.
(a) On 23 November 2021, the Applicant sent an email to the Respondent which sought to understand the involvement of the Assistant Director of Field Operations and the Queensland State Manager in the decision to allegedly terminate her employment. That email contained wording which was similar to the framing of the Application, which established the Applicant was alive to those matters at that time;
(b) On 17 December 2021, by correspondence the Applicant advocated for a pro rata approach to the calculation of long service leave with reference to statute, before observing "I have sought legal advice regarding the end date of employment. My employment was terminated whilst on approved medical leave due to a workplace injury on the 3 November 2021";
(c) In February 2020, while still impacted by her workplace injury, the Applicant lodged a grievance against her line manager; and
(d) On 7 February 2022, the Applicant further communicated with the Respondent and displayed an awareness of the time elapsed since she thought she was terminated, and had an appreciation of the fundamental facts which found the allegations in the Application.
What action was taken by the Applicant to dispute the dismissal?
What is the prejudice to the employer (including prejudice caused by the delay)?
Fairness as between the Applicant and other persons in a similar position
Is the Commission satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances, taking into account the matters above?

[1] [2020] FCAFC 152 at [74]- [75].
[2] Shortland v The Smiths Snakfood Co [2010] FWCFB 5709.
[4] Workpac v Rossato[2021] HCA 23; (2021) 309 IR 89, at [101].
[5] Singh v Trimatic Management Services Pty Ltd [2020] FWCFB 553, [10]. See also Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth) s 36(1) as in force on 25 June 2009; Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) s 40A.
[6] Stogiannidis v Victorian Frozen Foods Distributors Pty Ltd [2018] FWCFB 901, [39].
[7] Shaw v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd [2015] FWCFB 287, [12] (Watson VP and Smith DP).
[8] Stogiannidis v Victorian Frozen Foods Distributors Pty Ltd [2018] FWCFB 901, [39].
[9] Stogiannidis v Victorian Frozen Foods Distributors Pty Ltd [2018] FWCFB 901, [40].
[10] Nulty v Blue Star Group Pty Ltd [2011] FWAFB 975, [36].
[11] Nulty v Blue Star Group Pty Ltd [2011] FWAFB 975, [13].
[12] Nulty v Blue Star Group Pty Ltd [2011] FWAFB 975, [13].
Printed by authority of the Commonwealth Government Printer
Traci Touzell
Sport Integrity Australia [2022] FWC 1410
(2021) 309 IR 89