Tam, D. (inquiry into an election in A.M.W.U. - 2 matters) [1986] FCA 452
Federal Court of Australia
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NOT FOR GENERAL DISTRIBUTION
IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA
SOUTH AUSTRALIA DISTRICT REGISTRY No. SA 3 of 1986
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INDUSTRIAL DIVISION
IN THE MATTER OF ~the
Conciliation and
Arbitration Act, 1904
AND IN THE MATTER OF an
Application by DORIANO TAM
for an Inquiry into an
Election for an office in
the AMALGAMATED METAL
WORKERS UNION
KEELY J. 8 OCTOBER, 1986
EX TEMPORE REASONS FOR JUDGMENT
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MR P, MOLONEY: I appear for the applicant, Mr Tam, in
this matter.
MR P. McCUSKER: I appear on instructions of Freeman Turner,
the solicitors for the union.
HIS HONOUR; What are your submissions in this matter?
REPORTED 2 NOT TRANSCRIBED
HIS HONOUR: In this matter, the Industrial Registrar on
21 March 1986 was satisfied that there were:
Reasonable grounds for an inquiry into
the question of whether there hawbeen
irregularities in or in connection
with the electiorg for zone
representatives to state conference
(of the SA branch of The Amalgamated
Metal Workers Union]
That view was based upon his conelusion that the
returning officer had erred in rejecting the
nomination of Doriano Tam for one of those
Positions. Mr Tam is the applicant in these
proceedings. The Industrial Registrar considered
the information in the application and, after
having inquiries made, he reached the conclusion
that the:
Errors in reconciling payments by
Mr Tam with the relevant quarterly
periods resulted in him being found
ineligible to be a candidate.
and, accordingly, the nomination had been wrongly
rejected. The court has been told that since
the applications first came before the court
there have been discussions between the legal
representatives of the applicant on the one
hand and of other interested parties on the
other. Today the parties have all been
represented before the court namely, one,
The Amalgamated Metal Workers Union; two, The
Amalgamated Metal Workers Union (South Australian
Branch); three, the returning officer,
Mr B.E. Gausden; four, the candidates who were
declared elected unopposed as the five zone
representatives.
Those parties joined the applicant in placing
before the court a memorandum of agreed facts
which is exhibit A. It is clear from that
statement that the nomination of the applicant
for the position had been wrongly rejected by
the returning officer. Having considered the
memorandum of agreed facts lodged on behalf of
each of the parties interested, I am satisfied
that an irregularity occurred in connection
with the election. That irregularity consisted
of the wrongful rejection by the returning
'officer of the nomination of the applicant,
Doriano Tam, as the Industrial Registrar said
in his decision:
The rejection of the applicant's
nomination had the consequence that
ballots were not necessary and the
unopposed candidates were declared
elected.
"The court having accepted that errors had
occurred in reconciling payments made by Mr Tam
as set out earlier and the nomination having
been rejected, it necessarily follows that
in the words of section 165(4), "The result of
the election may have been affected" by the
irregularity. The form of the appropriate orders
to be made was the subject of submissions on
behalf of the applicant and the other interested
parties. The court has already indicated the
orders it proposes to make.
Those orders are now made: -
One, the election conducted by Mr B.E. Gausden
within the South Australian branch of The
Amalgamated Metal Workers Union for the offices
of Zone 3 representatives to state conference,
the results of which were declared by the
returning officer on 19 November 1985, is declared
to be void;
- Two, Messrs B. Medcalf, J. Finlay, M. Dwyer, aa
J. Gresty, and Ms S. Biddle are declared not to
have been elected to the offices of Zone 3
representatives to South Australian branch state
conference;
Three, the Industrial Registrar is directed to make
arrangements for new elections to be held for the
offices of Zone 3 representatives to state conference;
and,
Four, the operation of sub-rule 4 of rule 2
Part D in its application to the conduct of the
new elections shall be modified by reading that
sub-rule as if there were deleted from it the
words:
No later than 26 weeks before the
date of the expiration of the term
of office of the holder of the office
to which the election relates.
AT 2.24 PM THE MATTER WAS ADJOURNED
INDEFINITELY
I certify that thi. and the bwo
preceding pases £1 a true ccpy ef the
Reacess for Judlmeu were1n of sin s.onour
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Mr oustice Keely .
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IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA )
)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA DISTRICT REGISTRY ) No. SA 7 of 1986
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)
INDUSTRIAL DIVISION
-" IN THE MATTER OF -'the
Conciliation and
Arbitration Act, 1904
AND IN THE MATTER OF an
Application by DORIANO TAM
for an Inquiry into an
Election for an office in
the AMALGAMATED METAL
WORKERS UNION
KEELY Jd. 8 OCTOBER, 1986
EX TEMPORE REASONS FOR JUDGMENT
MR P. MOLONEY: I appear for the applicant.
MR P, McCUSKER: I appear for the union, the returning
officer and Mr Kock.
HIS HONOUR: If you would just point to the differences.
The other one was the zone representative; this
one relates to the delegate to the national
conference.
REPORTED : NOT TRANSCRIBED
las
HIS HONOUR: This matter is closely related to matter number
SA 3 of 1986 1n which judgment has just been given.
The agreed statements of facts there referred to
related to both matters. For the reasons there
given I am satisfied that an irregularity occurred
in connection with the election of a regional
delegate to the national conference for Region B.
As the nomination of the applicant was wrongly
rejected, it follows in this matter, as it did in
SA 3 of 1986, in the words of section 165(4), "The
result of the election may have been affected" by
the 1rregularity. The form of the orders was the
subject of submissions on behalf of the applicant
and the other interested parties and the court has
already indicated the orders 1t proposes to make.
- 2 e Those orders are now made: .
" 1. The election conducted by Mr B.E. Gausden~ ~
within the South Australian Branch of the ~
Amalgamated Metal Workers Union for the
office of Region B delegate to national
conference, the result of which was
declared by the returning officer on
16 August 1985, is declared to be void;
2. Mr H. Kock is declared not to have been
elected to the office of (South Australian
Branch) Region B delegate to national
conference;
3. The Industrial Registrar is directed to
make arrangements for a new election to
be held for the office of (South
Australian Branch) Region B delegate to
national conference.
That is the end of the orders as I understand
it: Gentlemen; if there are any quéries or doubts
about it do not hesitate to raise them. I am sorry
if that is not available in a typed form but we
will see if the transcript can be expedited. At
the same time, we realize they do have great
pressures on them at present in that direction.
AT 2.28 PM THE MATTER WAS ADJOURNED
INDEFINITELY
I vertify that 91s and tne one
pre ovding pes / are a tie copy of the
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