Eldridge v Wagga Wagga City Council [2021] NSWSC 312

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Eldridge v Wagga Wagga City Council [2021] NSWSC 312 Hearing dates: 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 March 2021 Date of orders: 31 March 2021 Decision date: 31 March 2021 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: Bell P Decision: 1. Judgment for the defendant. 2. Plaintiff to pay the defendant's costs. Catchwords: CONTRACTS – contract of employment – breach of contract – consequences of breach – right to termination – where termination without notice – onus of demonstrating that termination was justified – where additional grounds available to justify termination EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL LAW – contract – conditions of employment – whether plaintiff breached conditions of employment by failure to disclose pecuniary interests, engagement in external work, and "assorted misconduct" EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL LAW – contract – termination – summary dismissal – whether the plaintiff engaged in serious or persistent breaches of his contract of employment which entitled the defendant summarily to dismiss the plaintiff without notice EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL LAW – public sector – local government – General Manager of council – determinations as to allegations of serious breaches of contract of employment giving rise to summary dismissal LOCAL GOVERNMENT – public officers – disclosure of interests – Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) part 2, div 1 – whether plaintiff knew or ought reasonably to have known that disclosure was false or misleading in a material particular Legislation Cited: Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) ss 136, 140(2) Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) ss 334, 335, 338, 339, 353(1), 439(1), 440, 442(1), 443, 445, 451, 449, 459, 460(1), 462, 465, 468, 469, 478(1), 482, 486A, pt 2 div 1, pt 3 div 1 Local Government Act 1993 (Qld) Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 1988 (NSW) s 111(4) Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) ss 23, 63 Cases Cited: Bartlett v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (2016) 92 NSWLR 639; [2016] NSWCA 30 Blyth Chemicals Ltd v Bushnell (1933) 49 CLR 66; [1933] HCA 8 Briginshaw v Briginshaw (1938) 60 CLR 336; [1938] HCA 34 Buitendag v Ravensthorpe Nickel Operations Pty Ltd [2014] WASCA 29 Clouston & Co Ltd v Corry [1906] AC 122 Cockle v Isaksen (1957) 99 CLR 155; [1957] HCA 85 Concut Pty Ltd v Worrell (2000) 176 ALR 693; [2000] HCA 64 Coope v LCM Litigation Fund Pty Ltd (2016) 333 ALR 524; [2016] NSWCA 37 Feldman v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2020] NSWCA 260 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298; [1959] HCA 8 LCM Litigation Fund Pty Ltd v Coope [2015] NSWSC 992 Magrath v Goldsbrough Mort & Co Ltd (1932) 47 CLR 121; [1932] HCA 10 Neat Holdings Pty Ltd v Karajan Holdings Pty Ltd (1992) 110 ALR 449; [1992] HCA 66 North v Television Corp Ltd (1976) 11 ALR 599 Pastrycooks Employees, Biscuit Makers Employees and Flour and Sugar Goods Workers Union (NSW) v Gartrell White (No 3) (1990) 35 IR 70 PT Garuda Indonesia Ltd v Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (2012) 247 CLR 240; [2012] HCA 33 Rankin v Marine Power International Pty Ltd (2001) 107 IR 117; [2001] VSC 150 Shepherd v Felt and Textiles of Australia Ltd (1931) 45 CLR 359; [1931] HCA 21 Southern Foundries (1926) Ltd v Shirlaw [1940] AC 701 Texts Cited: B Creighton and A Stewart, Labour Law (5th ed, 2010, Federation Press) I Neil and D Chin, The Modern Contract of Employment (2nd ed, 2017, Thomson Reuters) M Leeming, Authority to Decide: The Law of Jurisdiction in Australia (2nd ed, 2020, Federation Press) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Alan Eldridge (Plaintiff) Wagga Wagga City Council (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: