Shea v TRUenergy Services Pty Ltd (No 6) [2014] FCA 271

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Shea v TRUenergy Services Pty Ltd (No 6) [2014] FCA 271 Citation: Shea v TRUenergy Services Pty Ltd (No 6) [2014] FCA 271

Parties: KATE SHEA v ENERGYAUSTRALIA SERVICES PTY LTD

File number: VID 289 of 2012

Judge: DODDS-STREETON J

Date of judgment: 25 March 2014

Catchwords: INDUSTRIAL LAW – employment – adverse action – respondent employer dismissed applicant employee for redundancy – adverse action taken by respondent against applicant under s 342(1) of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) INDUSTRIAL LAW – employment – complaints – whether adverse action taken against applicant because applicant exercised workplace rights under s 340 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) – whether applicant exercised workplace rights by making any of five successive complaints in relation to her employment under s 341(1)(c)(ii) of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) – first and second complaint related to allegation of sexual harassment by senior colleague in Hong Kong – third complaint related to allegations of further misconduct by the senior colleague and other employees in the course of the investigation into the Hong Kong incident – fourth complaint related to the alleged deficiencies in the investigation and investigator's report and included further allegations of misconduct by colleagues, including the respondent's managing director – fifth complaint related to the managing director's alleged attempt unlawfully to terminate the applicant's employment – meaning of complaints that employee is able to make in relation to employment – whether an instrumental basis required for a complaint under s 341(1)(c)(ii) – whether complaint must be made in good faith – whether complaints made by applicant were genuine grievances made in good faith for a proper purpose – relevance of and evidence for the applicant's allegations of misconduct by colleagues (including the respondent's managing director) and of corporate culture tolerant of sexual harassment made in the fourth complaint and at trial INDUSTRIAL LAW – employment – redundancy – whether restructure of the respondent's business units and the applicant's dismissal for redundancy were genuine – whether complaints made by the applicant a substantial and operative reason for the decision to terminate her employment for redundancy