Shizas v Commissioner of Police [2017] FCA 61

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Shizas v Commissioner of Police [2017] FCA 61 File number: NSD 721 of 2015

Judge: KATZMANN J

Date of judgment: 6 February 2017

Catchwords: INDUSTRIAL LAW — General protections —adverse action by employer against prospective employee — claim of discrimination because of physical disability under s 351(1) of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) — whether prohibition applies to a prospective employer — whether prospective employee refused employment because of physical disability — meaning of "physical disability" — whether prospective employee refused employment because of inherent requirements of "particular position concerned" — characterisation of particular position concerned — identification of inherent requirements INDUSTRIAL LAW — General protections — remedies — appropriate relief under s 545(1) of the Fair Work Act

Words & phrases: "disability"

Legislation: Australian Federal Police Act 1979 (Cth), ss 8, 9, 23, 24, 40B, 69C Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth) Pt IIB Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth), s 21A Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), ss 335, 342(1) item 2, 351, 360, 361, 545 Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth), s 21 Explanatory Memorandum, Fair Work Bill 2008 (Cth)

Cases cited: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union [2006] FCA 1730; [2007] ATPR ¶42-140 Board of Bendigo Regional Institute of Technical and Further Education v Barclay (2012) 249 CLR 500 Commissioner of Police for New South Wales v Eaton (2013) 252 CLR 1 Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union v BHP Coal Pty Ltd (2014) 253 CLR 243 Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union v Clermont Coal Pty Ltd [2015] FCA 1014; 253 IR 166 Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union v Endeavour Coal Pty Ltd (2015) 231 FCR 150 Director of Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate v Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (No 2) [2016] FCA 436 Elliott v Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd [2001] FCA 1804; 129 IR 251 General Motors Holden Pty Ltd v Bowling (1976) 12 ALR 605 Gibbs v Palmerston Town Council [1987] FCA 732 Khiani v Australian Bureau of Statistics [2011] FCAFC 109 Purvis v New South Wales (2003) 217 CLR 92 Qantas Airways Ltd v Christie (1998) 193 CLR 280 RailPro Services Pty Ltd v Flavel (2015) 242 FCR 424 Rural Press Ltd v Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (2003) 216 CLR 53 Short v Ambulance Victoria [2015] FCAFC 55; 249 IR 217 National Tertiary Education Union v Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology [2013] FCA 451; 234 IR 139 Tattsbet Limited v Morrow (2015) 233 FCR 46 Vickers v The Ambulance Service of NSW [2006] FMCA 1232 Victoria (Office of Public Prosecutions) v Grant [2014] FCAFC 184; 246 IR 441 Voigtsberger v Pine Rivers Shire Council (1981) 1 IR 198 X v Commonwealth (1999) 200 CLR 177 Macquarie Dictionary (4th ed, Macquarie Library, 2005) Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (6th ed, Oxford University Press, 2007)