Wood v Secretary of the Department of Transport on behalf of the Government of New South Wales [2021] NSWSC 1248

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Wood v Secretary of the Department of Transport on behalf of the Government of New South Wales [2021] NSWSC 1248 Hearing dates: 22 June, 19 July, 20 September 2021 Date of orders: 1 October 2021 Decision date: 01 October 2021 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: Schmidt AJ Decision: 1. Judgment entered for Mr Wood. 2. The parties should confer on the final orders to be made, reflecting the conclusions reached, which should be filed within 7 days. 3. If costs remain in dispute Mr Wood should file a short outline as to costs within 7 days. In that event Transport NSW should provide a short reply within 7 days and the parties should also approach if they wish to be heard on those submissions. Catchwords: EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL LAW – Termination of employment – Public sector employee summarily dismissed for serious and wilful misconduct – Disclosure of information relevant to murder prosecution to police – Whether contractual right to dismiss for serious and wilful misconduct exercised – Whether disciplinary proceedings pursued under Transport Administration (Staff) Regulation – Whether employee denied procedural fairness – Whether employee engaged in serious and wilful misconduct – Relevance of ss 315, 315A and 316 Crimes Act – Whether contract repudiated CONTRACT – Contract of employment – Whether employee employed as a senior manager under Transport Administration Act – Whether provision of contract of employment ineffective CONTRACT – Breach of contract – Construction of contractual confidentiality provision – Whether employee contractually precluded from making disclosure to police – Whether employee had legal duty to make disclosure – Inconsistency between confidentiality provision and s 316 Crimes Act – Whether disclosure precluded by Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act CONTRACTS – Remedies – Damages ADMINISTRATIVE LAW – Judicial review – Whether to extend time to commence proceedings – Application brought 79 days out of time – Rule 59.10 of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules – Public Interest – Extension of time granted ADMINISTRATIVE LAW – Jurisdiction – s 68O Transport Administration Act STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION – ss 68N and 68O Transport Administration Act – Whether s 68O operates to preclude judicial review or remedies for breach of contract – reg 30 Transport Administration (Staff) Regulation – What procedural fairness requirements regulation imposes – Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act – s 4 – Whether definition of personal information extends to information about an individual's criminal activities – s 62 – Whether offence confined to corrupt disclosure or use of personal information – Crimes Act – s 316 – Whether s 62 Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act provides basis for a reasonable excuse under s 316(1)(c) of the Crimes Act Legislation Cited: Annual Holidays Act 1944 (NSW) Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) s 56 Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) ss 315, 315A, 316 Crimes Regulation 2015 (NSW) reg 4 Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) Government Sector Employment Act 2013 (NSW) ss 7, 12, 36 Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW) ss 6, 8, 11, 12 105, 106, 107,130, 132, 134, 135, 137, 138,146, 355A, 355B, 355C, 365, 366, 367, Ch 2 Pts 6, 7, 9, Ch 6A, Ch 7 Pt 2 Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) ss 34, 35 Long Service Leave Act 1955 (NSW) Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1988 (NSW) Div 1 Pt 2, ss 3, 4, 18, 23, 62 Statutory and Other Offices Remuneration Act 1975 (NSW) Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) s 75 Transport Administration Act 1988 (NSW) ss 3C, 3F, 68B, 68C 68D, 68E, 68F, 68G, 68I, 68J, 68K,68N, 68O, 68P,112, Pt 7A, Sch 1 Transport Administration (Staff) Regulation 2012 (NSW), regs 28, 30 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 1.12, 59.10(2) Workers Compensation Act 1987 (NSW) s 151Z(1)(b) Cases Cited: A v Hayden (No. 2) (1984) 156 CLR 532; [1984] HCA 67 Ansett Transport Industries (Operations) Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1977) 139 CLR 54; [1977] HCA 71 Attorney General (NSW) v Quin (1990) 170 CLR 1; [1990] HCA 2 Blyth Chemicals Ltd v Bushnell (1933) 49 CLR 66; [1933] HCA 8 Brooks v Burns Philp Trustee Co. Ltd (1969) 121 CLR 432; [1969] HCA 4 Brown v Dunn (1894) 6 R 67 Commonwealth v Amann Aviation Pty Ltd 174 CLR 64; [1991] HCA 54 Concrete Constructions (NSW) Pty Ltd v Nelson (1990) 169 CLR 594; [1990] HCA 17 Director-General of Education v Suttling (1987) 162 CLR 427; [1987] HCA 3 Dyason v Butterworth [2015] NSWCA 52 Hossain v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2018) 264 CLR 123; [2018] HCA 34 Howard v Odhams Press, Ld (1938) 1 KB 1 Isaac v Dargan Financial Pty Ltd (2018) 98 NSWLR 343; [2018] NSWCA 163 Jarratt v Commissioner of Police (NSW) (2005) 224 CLR 44; [2005] HCA 50 Logue v Shoalhaven Shire Council [1979] 1 NSWLR 537 Lucy v The Commonwealth (1923) 33 CLR 229; [1923] HCA 32 Maggbury Pty Ltd v Hafele Australia Pty Ltd (2001) 210 CLR 181; [2001] HCA 70 Melbourne Steamship Co Ltd v Moorehead (1912) 15 CLR 33 [1912] HCA 69 Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v Li (2013) 249 CLR 332; [2013] HCA 18 Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs v Bhardwaj (2002) 209 CLR 597; [2002] HCA 11 Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs v Eshetu (1999) 197 CLR 611; [1999] HCA 21 O'Connor v State of New South Wales & Anor [2017] NSWSC 598 O'Connor v State of New South Wales [2017] NSWCA 335 Osmond v Public Service Board of NSW [1984] 3 NSWLR 447 Plaintiff S157/2002 v Commonwealth (2003) 211 CLR 476; [2003] HCA 2 Police Association of New South Wales v State of New South Wales (2020) 101 NSWLR 626; [2020] NSWCA 3 Priest v State of New South Wales [2007] NSWSC 41 Re David, Alan and Mary and the Director General Family and Community Services [2014] NSWSC 1077 Re Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs; Ex parte Lam (2003) 214 CLR 1; [2003] HCA 6 RHG Mortgage Limited v Rosario Ianni [2015] NSWCA 56 Scott v Handley [1999] FCA 404; (1999) 58 ALD 373 Smorgon v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (1976) 134 CLR 475; [1976] HCA 53 Transport Commission (Tas) v Neale Edwards Pty Ltd (1954) 92 CLR 214; [1954] HCA 21 Willis Australia Group Services Pty Ltd v Mitchell-Innes [2015] NSWCA 381 Wilson v Department of Public Prosecutions (NSW) [2016] NSWSC 1458; (2016) 262 A Crim R 106 Wilson v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) (2017) 94 NSWLR 450; [2017] NSWCA 128 WorkPac Pty Ltd v Rossato (2021) 392 ALR 39; [2021] HCA 23 Texts Cited: Privacy and Personal Information Protection Bill, Second Reading Speech, New South Wales Legislative Council, Parliamentary Debates, (Hansard), 17 September 1998 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Thomas Wood (Plaintiff) Secretary of the Department of Transport on behalf of the Government of New South Wales (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr S Prince SC (Plaintiff) Ms S Brenker (Plaintiff) Mr M Seck (Defendant) Solicitors: Thrive Workplace Consulting & Legal (Plaintiff) K & L Gates (Defendant) File Number(s): 2020/330611