Downer Engineering Power Pty Ltd (ABN 53 000 983 700) v Atkinson [2005] FCA 149

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Downer Engineering Power Pty Ltd (ABN 53 000 983 700) v Atkinson [2005] FCA 149

INDUSTRIAL LAW – application for interim relief against employees – order made by Australian Industrial Relations Commission under s 127(1) Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Cth) directed to Unions – failure of employees to return to work – alleged contraventions of s 127(5) and s 170MN of the Act – whether serious issue to be tried – whether "employees" fall within terms of the Commission's order – balance of convenience – whether grant of interim relief would have a practical effect PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – whether discretion should be exercised to omit endorsement from order warning of imprisonment or sequestration Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) ss 21, 22, 23, 32 Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) s 39B(1A)(c) Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Cth) ss 3(b), 3(f), 4, 126, 127, 127(1), 127(1)(c), 127(3), 127(5), 127(6), 127(7), 170LD, 170LJ, 170LT, 170LX, 170M(1), 170M(2), 170MA, 170MC, 170MI, 170ML, 170MN, 170MN(1), 170MO, 170ND, 170NF, 170NF(1), 170NF(4), 170NG, 412 Federal Court Rules O 7 r 1, O 37 r 2, O 37 r 2(3), O 40 The Constitution ss 75, 76, 77 Abebe v Commonwealth (1999) 197 CLR 510 cited ACI Operations Pty Ltd v Automotive, Food Metals Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union (2000) 173 ALR 109 cited Australian Industry Group v Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union (2002) 125 FCR 529 cited Australian Industry Group v Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union (2003) 130 FCR 524 cited Davids Distribution Pty Ltd v National Union of Workers (1999) 91 FCR 463 cited Gordon v Gordon (1946) P.99 cited Moerman-Lenglet v Henshaw, The Times, (23 November, 1992) cited Philip Morris Inc v Adam P Brown Male Fashions Pty Ltd (1981) 148 CLR 457 cited The Original Juice Co Pty Limited v Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union[2001] FCA 675cited Transfield Construction Pty Ltd v Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union [2002] FCA 1413 cited DOWNER ENGINEERING POWER PTY LTD (ABN 53 000 983 700) v CHRISTOPHER PETER ATKINSON, KEITH STUART BIRCH, LYALL BROWN, ALFONSO CAMBREA, MICHAEL JOHN COLBEY, PAUL COMMISSO, CHRISTOPHE LOUIS COUANON, STEVEN PETER COVERDALE, DANIEL ROBERT CURCHIN, JOHN DIXON, DAVID DOUST, HUGH DUFFY, ANDREW DUNCAN, DANIEL FRY, BRIAN EDWIN GARDINER, PETER GIANFRANCESCO, BRADLEY ROBERT GILES, JOHN PAUL GOODWIN, STEPHEN GRAY, WAYNE ASHLEY GRIMES, AARON HARPER, JAMES EDWARD HICKS, BJ HILIER, NATHAN HITT, KEVEN HOMDEN, RUSSELL HOWELLS, WILLIAM ROBERT HUGHES, GLENN ALAN JONES, GORDON JONES, AARON DAVID KING, RICKY JOHN KING, RAYMOND KOHLMAN, WARREN PETER LEWIS, BRADLEY MASLIN, KIMBERLEY JAMES MASLIN, PAUL DOUGLAS MAY, SHANE MCGILL, SIEGFRIED MENZEL, GRANT MILES, COLIN MORGAN, BRENDAN MORRIS, WILLIAM MORRISON, ROBERT MORTON, RICHARD MUNCE, ROBERT JAMES PACE, DANIEL ROBERT PENNEFATHER, DAMON MICHAEL QUICKE, GRANT LEE RAYNER, ANTONIO RECHICHI, MICHAEL BRUCE REYNOLDS, JEFFREY ROBERTS, STEPHEN ROGERS, KENNETH SATONICK, JARROD ALFRED JAMES SAWARD, BRETT MANE SMITH, GRAEHAM WILLIAM STONE, MICHAEL JOHN STRAND, CHAD STUDSOR, STUART GEOFFERY SWANN, MALCOLM TARGETT, PHILLIP TUCKEY, DARREN SCOTT VON BIBRA, HAROLD GORDON WHITWELL, PHILIP WOODCOCK WAD 25 OF 2005 TOTAL CORROSION CONTROL PTY LTD (ACN 008 994 616) v STEPHEN ARMSTRONG, ADAM BIRCH, BRYAN CORBETT, JOHN DUNCAN, TERRY ERNST, PETER FALLO, JOHN FELTHAM, REG FITZPATRICK, JOSEPH FOSTER, GEOFF GATHERCOLE-SMITH, RYAN HARRISON, DARREN HATA, WILLIAM JEFFERY, DALE JONES, JOE KEIRNAN, GARRY KEMP, DUNCAN KERR, HUGH KERR, SHANE KIRKPATRICK, JOHN LEVER, JOHN MCCANN, CALLUM MACLEAN, DAVID MOOAR, JAMES MORTON, BRIAN PETERSEN, PAUL PIAVANINI, SHANE JACKSON, KANE JAMES, BRUCE ROUSE, PETER RUSSELL, BARRY RYAN, PAUL SHEWARD, PAUL SIDON, NIRAI TAIAPA, JASON WIGGERS, TREVOR WILLMOTT, PAUL WHITTON, STEPHEN KILMARTIN, LESTER GEAR, NATHAN HARTLEY, PAUL STINGEL WAD 27 OF 2005 COLLEX PTY LTD (ABN 20 051 316 584) v HARLEN ANDERSON, CHRISTOPHER BETSON, JOSEPH CALLEGARI, RUSSELL CLOUSTON, DENNIS COXALL, RAYMOND CROSKERY, GRAEME CULL, NEIL DAVENPORT, BRIAN DE GOOIJER, MICHAEL DEGRUSSA, RAYMOND DODD, CHRISTOPHER GOFF, FRANK GREENSLADE, MICHAEL GRIFFITHS, GORDON HAYES, ANDREW HEMPSTEAD, WAYNE HITCHCOCK, DION HOUSE, NATHAN LAKE, MATHEW LEE, KIM MARTIN, STEPHEN MATTHEWS, IAN MCLOUGHLIN, NICOLA MUSURACA, MAURICE NEWELL, MICHAEL O'DONOGHUE, JUDD PRENTICE, TYRONE BAYNES, JASON REEVE, VICTOR RONAN, ROBERT SHEASBY, BRENDAN SHERVINGTON, GREGORY SHINE, GAVIN SIMPSON, ALLAN TAYLOR, SIMON TAYLOR, JOHN TIPPER, LEO VANMARIS, PETER VISSER, SCOTT WHITE, MICHAEL WILLIAMSON WAD 28 OF 2005 LEE J 1 MARCH 2005 PERTH