Watts v Australian Postal Corporation [2014] FCA 370

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Watts v Australian Postal Corporation [2014] FCA 370 Citation: Watts v Australian Postal Corporation [2014] FCA 370

Parties: ANDREA WATTS v AUSTRALIAN POSTAL CORPORATION

File numbers: VID 1293 of 2011 VID 1082 of 2012

Judge: MORTIMER J

Date of judgment: 11 April 2014

Catchwords: HUMAN RIGHTS – Disability discrimination in employment – proper construction of "reasonable adjustment" – characteristics of appropriate comparator – whether respondent failed to make reasonable adjustments for employee following work-related psychological injury – whether failure to make reasonable adjustments had the effect that the applicant was treated less favourably – whether the respondent's discriminatory conduct caused the applicant's loss – applications allowed in part.

Legislation: Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth) s 23 Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 (Cth) s 42C Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth) s 46PO Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) ss 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 15, 18, 21A, 21B, 29A Disability Discrimination and Other Human Rights Legislation Amendment Act 2009 (Cth) Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) s 23 Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (Cth) ss 14, 19, 37, 40, Part VIII Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) s 82 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities arts 2, 5(3)

Cases cited: Alcan (NT) Alumina Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Territory Revenue (NT) (2009) 239 CLR 27 Banque Commerciale SA En Liquidation v Akhil Holdings Ltd (1990) 169 CLR 279 Blackadder v Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd (2005) 221 CLR 539; [2005] HCA 22 Browne v Dunn (1893) 6 R 67 Castel Electronics Pty Ltd v Toshiba Singapore Pte Ltd (2011) 192 FCR 445 Certain Lloyd's Underwriters v Cross (2012) 248 CLR 378; [2012] HCA 56 Commonwealth v Baume (1905) 2 CLR 405 Cosma v Qantas Airways Ltd (2002) 124 FCR 504; [2002] FCAFC 425 Deputy Commissioner of Taxation v Clark (2003) 57 NSWLR 113; [2003] NSWCA 91 Ewin v Vergara (No 3) [2013] FCA 1311 Gaffney v RSM Bird Cameron (A Firm) [2013] FCA 661 Hall v A & A Shieban Pty Ltd (1989) 20 FCR 217 Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission v Mount Isa Mines Ltd (1993) 46 FCR 301 Kartinyeri v Commonwealth (1998) 195 CLR 337; [1998] HCA 22 Lacey v Attorney-General (Qld) (2011) 242 CLR 573; [2011] HCA 10 Macabenta v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (1998) 90 FCR 202 Mattinson v Multiplo Incubators Pty Ltd [1977] 1 NSWLR 368 Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs v Nystrom (2006) 228 CLR 566; [2006] HCA 50 Minister of State for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs v Teoh (1995) 183 CLR 273 Murphy v Overton Investments (2001) 112 FCR 182; [2001] FCA 500 Nagarajan v London Regional Transport [2000] 1 AC 501 Nojin v Commonwealth (2012) 208 FCR 1 Plaintiff M47/2012 v Director-General of Security (2012) 292 ALR 243; [2012] HCA 46 Plaintiff M70/2011 v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (2011) 244 CLR 144; [2011] HCA 32 Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority (1998) 194 CLR 355; [1998] HCA 28 Purvis v New South Wales (Department of Education and Training) (2003) 217 CLR 92; [2003] HCA 62 Qantas Airways Ltd v Gama (2008) 167 FCR 537 Quinn v Overland (2010) 199 IR 40; [2010] FCA 799 R v Inhabitants of Whitnash (1827) 7 B & C 596 at 599; 108 ER 845 Re Bolton; Ex parte Beane (1987) 162 CLR 514 Regents of University of California v Bakke (1978) 438 US 265 Smith v Department of Education and Communities [2013] NSWADT 162 SZGIZ v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (2013) 212 FCR 235; [2013] FCAFC 71 Waters v Public Transport Corporation (1991) 173 CLR 349 X v Commonwealth (1999) 200 CLR 177; [1999] HCA 63 Oxford English Dictionary (online edition) Productivity Commission, Review of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Report No 30, 30 April 2004) Spigelman JJ, "The Poet's Rich Resource: Issues in Statutory Interpretation" (2001) 21 Aust Bar Rev 224