Dodd v Johnston [1999] FCA 496

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Dodd v Johnston [1999] FCA 496

INDUSTRIAL LAW – Registered organisation - rules – interlocutory relief - applicant made liable to be dismissed from certain offices held in organisation - whether appropriate for domestic tribunal which initially heard and determined charges levelled against the applicant to rehear and determine the charges - bias - whether reasonable apprehension of bias on the part of various members of the tribunal or invincible bias required to vitiate earlier proceeding - whether fair hearing - whether denial of legal representation to the applicant vitiates earlier proceeding - effect of rule changes - whether process already engaged in by domestic tribunal invalid WORDS & PHRASES – "invincible bias"

Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Cth) s 209

Cains v Jenkins (1979) 42 FLR 188, applied Joyce v Christoffersen (1990) 26 FCR 261, considered Thompson v Hodder (1989) 31 IR 300, considered Thompson v Ecob (1989) 31 IR 313, followed Walker v McLeod (1984) 7 IR 94, considered Baird v Kingham (1993) 51 IR 264, referred to

STEPHEN WILLIAM JAMES DODD v C JOHNSTON AND OTHERS

VG 643 OF 1998 MARSHALL J MELBOURNE

15 MARCH 1999 IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

VICTORIA DISTRICT REGISTRY VG 643 OF 1998

BETWEEN: STEPHEN WILLIAM JAMES DODD

Applicant

AND: C JOHNSTON, J OBORN, J O'NEILL, T RAFFERTY, A RAWLINSON F REW, G ROBERTS, R SIMPSON S SKELTON, D SMITH, P SMITH, B STEWART, R WINGROVE, J SPEIGHT, S PINWILL, F FAIRLEY, P GIBBONS, T RYAN, E SNELL, G LARKIN, G TIERNEY, M ADDISON, H DAVIS, K ELLIOTT, L PHELAN, M RATTIGAN, V THEUMA, P WISNIEWSKI, S BELL, A BROWN, M CASSAR, Z CURAK, J DALE, M DELARUE, A DIAS, L FARRUGIA, C KUHLE, M LIGHT, M LLERENA, S McGRATH, B PETERS, J SUTCLIFFE, G THOMPSON, J VERNER, S ANEVSKI, R BIETSEEN, C FRIZZIERO, M BOLAND, M BROWN, K DAVIS, B HIGGINS, R MORRIS, J REID, B SMIDDY, S PINWELL, N ROBERTSON, L DE KAUWE, E ELSHOMOUNY, R GARDNER, N LONG, C MARMARA, A MAYNE, V PEPI and M LIGHT