Fraser v Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW [2022] NSWIRComm 1026

Industrial Relations Commission New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Fraser v Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW [2022] NSWIRComm 1026 Hearing dates: 18 June 2021 Date of orders: 14 April 2022 Decision date: 14 April 2022 Jurisdiction: Industrial Relations Commission Before: Chief Commissioner Constant, Commissioner Sloan, Commissioner Webster Decision: Leave to appeal is refused Catchwords: APPEAL – public sector disciplinary appeal – demotion from Deputy Manager, ComSafe Training Services, Operational Support Level 3 to Senior Firefighter – settlement reached – Deed of Release – demotion altered to Assistant Equipment Management Officer role, Operational Support Level 2 – appellant initially placed in Technical Officer role, Operational Support Level 2 – whether the Deed constitutes a bar to the appellant pursuing his disciplinary appeal - whether respondent had repudiated the Deed – appellant did not accept the repudiation through his conduct Legislation Cited: Fire and Rescue NSW Act (NSW), ss 66, 70 Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW) ss 3, 98, 163, 100E, 100F, 187, 188 Cases Cited: Caleta Trpimir v Northern Sydney Area Health Service [1995] NSWIRComm 38 Dockside Holdings v Rakio [2001] SASC 78 Dr Payne v The University of Sydney & Anor [2000] NSWIRComm 102 Electricity Generation Corporation v Woodside Energy Ltd (2014) 251 CLR 640 Foran v Wight (1989) 168 CLR 385 Grant v John Grant & Sons Pty Ltd (1954) 91 CLR 112 Gunton v Richmond-upon-Thames London Borough Council [1981] 1 Ch 448 J Kitchen & Sons Pty Ltd v Stewart's Case and Carry Stores (1942) 66 CLR 116 Koompahtoo Local Aboriginal Land Council v Sapine (2007) 233 CLR 115 Liszt v Health Secretary in respect of Sydney Local Health District [2020] NSWIRComm 1030 Mainteck Services Pty Ltd v Stein Heurtey SA (2014) 89 NSWLR 633 Public Service Association and Professional Officers' Association Amalgamated Union of New South Wales v Roads and Maritime Services [2015] NSWIRComm 16 Qantas v Gubbins (1992) 28 NSWLR 26 Rinehart v Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (2019) 93 ALJR 582; [2019] HCA 13 Westpac Banking Corporation v Tanzone Pty Limited & Ors [2000] NSWCA 25 Whittaker v Unisys Australia Pty Ltd (2010) 192 IR 311 Wollongong Coal Ltd v Gujarat NRE India Pty Ltd (2019) 100 NSWLR 432 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Andrew Fraser (appellant) Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW (respondent) Representation: Counsel: L Saunders (appellant) P M Bindon (respondent)