Westfield Holdings v Adams [2001] NSWIRComm 293

Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales in Court Session

CITATION : Westfield Holdings v Adams [2001] NSWIRComm 293 APPELLANT: Westfield Holdings Limited PARTIES : RESPONDENT: Richard Graham Murray Adams FILE NUMBER: IRC 3545 of 2000 CORAM: Wright J President; Walton J Vice-President; Boland J CATCHWORDS : Appeal - Application for leave to appeal - Unfair contract - Contract of employment - Approach on appeal from a finding that a contract is unfair - Powers conferred on a Full Bench for the purposes of an appeal - Respect to be given to trial judge's decision - Application of common law and equity principles under s106 of the Industrial Relations Act 1996 - Principles to guide the exercise of judicial discretion in making orders under s106(5) of the Industrial Relations Act 1996 - Redundancy - Notice of Termination - Mitigation - Share options - Bonus - Leave to appeal granted - Appeal upheld in part - Costs of the appeal Industrial Arbitration Act 1940 s88F Industrial Relations Act 1996 s105; s106; s187; s188; s191; s192 LEGISLATION CITED : Industrial Relations Act 1991 s275; s297 Supreme Court Act 1970 s75A; s94 Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) s52; s82; s87 A & M Thompson Pty Limited v Total Australia Limited [1980] 2 NSWLR 1 Abalos v Australian Postal Commission (1990) 171 CLR 167 Abboud v The State of New South Wales (Department of School Education) (1999) 92 IR 32 Ace Business Brokers Pty Ltd v Phillips-Treby (2000) 100 IR 420 Adams v Westfield Holdings Ltd (2000) 99 IR 382 Automatic Fire Sprinklers Pty Ltd v Watson (1946) 72 CLR 435 Avis v Australian Mutual Provident Society & Anor (unreported, Bauer, Peterson, Marks JJ, 18 December 1997) Baker v National Distribution Services Limited (1993) 50 IR 254 Barclays Australia Investment Services Ltd v Nordby (1995) 99 IR 258 Barry v Incitec Limited (1991) 45 IR 143 Beahan v Bush Boake Allen Australia Ltd (1999) 47 NSWLR 648, (1999) 93 IR 1 Bell v Macquarie Bank Limited (No 4) (1999) 93 IR 191 Beneficial Finance Corporation v Karavas (1991) 23 NSWLR 256 Big W Discount Stores v Donato (1994) 58 IR 239 Brown v Rezitis (1970) 127 CLR 157 Caine v LEP International Pty Limited (unreported, Glynn J, 21 October 1999) Caltex Petroleum Pty Ltd v Ostanone Pty Ltd (unreported, 20 December 1999, Wright J, President, Glynn and Hungerford JJ) Canizales v Microsoft Corporation (2000) 99 IR 426 Cash Converters Pty Ltd v Yildiz (1999) 94 IR 474 Caulfield v Broken Hill City Council (1995) 60 IR 221 Clarke & Walker Pty Ltd v Secretary, Department of Industrial Relations (1985) 3 NSWLR 685, (1985) 14 IR 269 Clerks (State) Award & Or Awards (1982) 21 IR 29 Collings Construction Co Pty Ltd v Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (1998) 43 NSWLR 131 David Jones Ltd v Cukeric (1997) 78 IR 430 Davies v General Transport Development Pty Ltd [1967] AR (NSW) 371 Day v Lumley Life Limited (1999) 90 IR 70 Drake Personnel Ltd t/as Drake Industrial v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Ch'ng) (1999) 90 IR 432 Drake v UPM-Kymmene Pty Ltd (unreported, Kavanagh J, 9 March 1999) Dun & Bradstreet v Robbie (1999) 91 IR 150 Food Preservers Union of Australia v Wattie Pict Ltd (1975) 172 CAR 227 Fryar v System Services Pty Ltd (1996) 137 ALR 321 Fuller & Anor v Nestle Australia Ltd (unreported, Kavanagh J, 26 October 1999) Gala v State Bank of New South Wales t/a Colonial State Bank (No. 2) (1998) 84 IR 216 Gates v City Mutual Life Assurance Ltd (1986) 160 CLR 1 GIO Australia Limited v O'Donnell (1996) 70 IR 1 Gould v Vaggelas (1985) 157 CLR 215 Graham v Macquarie Bank Limited [2000] NSWIRComm 253 Haines v Bendall (1991) 172 CLR 60 Harcourt Brace & Co (Australia) Pty Limited v Cory (1997) 81 IR 321 Harris v Dealing Information Systems Pty Ltd (unreported, Schmidt J, 11 December 1997) Health and Research Employees Association of New South Wales v Public Service Association of New South Wales (1997) 92 IR 158 Henshaw v Sqribe [2000] NSWIRComm 279 Hoffman v Industrial Commission (NSW) (1990) 33 IR 139 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499 Hussmann Australia Pty Ltd v Walker (1993) 31 NSWLR 189, (1993) 48 IR 396 ICI Operations Pty Ltd v Hutton (1993) 47 IR 288 Incitec Limited v Barry (1992) 45 IR 148 CASES CITED : Incitec Limited v Industrial Court of New South Wales (1992) 29 NSWLR 83, (1992) 45 IR 155 King v State Bank of New South Wales [2000] NSWIRComm 229 Kizbeau Pty Ltd v W G & B Pty Ltd (1995) 184 CLR 281 Knowles v Anglican Church Property Trust (No2) (1999) 95 IR 380 Lavings v Barclay Mowlem Constructions (NSW) Ltd (1994) 99 IR 247 Mace v Murray (1955) 92 CLR 370 Marks v GIO Australia Holdings Limited (1998) 196 CLR 494 Martin v National Textiles Limited (unreported, Schmidt J, 21 February 2000) Matthews v Coles Myer Limited (1993) 47 IR 229 Michel v Ogilvy & Mather Pty Limited (1996) 71 IR 417 Moray Vincent v Merrill Lynch (Australia) Pty Ltd [2000] NSWIRComm 160 Munro v Chubb Securities Holdings Australia Ltd & ors [2000] NSWIRComm 215 Newton v Goodman Fielder Mills Ltd (1997) 81 IR 227 Origin Energy Limited v Smith [2001] NSWIRComm 308 Parry v Cleaver [1970] AC 1 Paviour-Smith v National Mutual Life Association of Australasia Ltd (1999) 91 IR 8 Payne v Foxboro L & N Pty Ltd (1998) 81 IR 404 Port Macquarie Golf Club Ltd v Stead (1996) 64 IR 53 Prince v Northern Rivers Area Health Service (unreported, Schmidt J, 25 August 1999) Pullen v R & C Products Pty Ltd (1994) 60 IR 183 Re Solicitors (State) Award (No 3) (1997) 72 IR 225 Re Steel Works Employees' (BHP Co Ltd) Award & Other Awards (1983) 4 IR 56 Re Application for Redundancy Awards (1994) 53 IR 419 Reich v Client Server Professionals of Australia Pty Limited (Administrator Appointed) (2000) 49 NSWLR 551, (2000) 99 IR 69 Rejder v Nationalpak Pty Ltd (unreported, Glynn J, 13 December 1999) Robinson v Harman (1848) 1 Excli 850, (1848) 154 ER 363 Ross v GN Comtext (Australia) Pty Limited (2000) 107 IR 1 Ruefli v Allam Bros Australia Pty Limited (unreported, Glynn J, 26 October 1999) Sasse v National Dairies Ltd (unreported, Marks J, 21 October 1999) Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees' Assn (NSW) & ors v Countdown Stores ("Crocker's Case") (1983) 7 IR 273 Simon Richard Lane v Commonwealth Bank of Australia [2000] NSWIRComm 274 Sinclair v Anthony Smith & Associates Pty Ltd (unreported, Industrial Relations Court of Australia, von Doussa J, 1 December 1995) Smith v Boral Limited [2000] NSWIRComm 267 Starky v Healthcare Corporation Pty Ltd (unreported, Maidment J, 24 August 1999) State of New South Wales v Health and Research Employees' Association of New South Wales (unreported, Fisher CJ, Bauer and Hill JJ, 31 March 1993) Stevenson v Barham (1977) 136 CLR 190 Stone Microsystems (Aust) Pty Limited & Stone Group Asia Pacific Investment Ltd v Kwong & Datamax Pty Ltd (1997) 42 NSWLR 160, (1997) 85 IR 237 Termination, Change and Redundancy Case (1984) 8 IR 34 The Commonwealth v Amann Aviation Pty Ltd (1991) 174 CLR 64 Victorian Stevedoring and General Contracting Co Pty Ltd & Meakes v Dignan (1931) 46 CLR 73 Walker v Industrial Court of New South Wales (1994) 53 IR 121 Wardley Australia Ltd v Western Australia (1992) 175 CLR 514 Warren v Coombes (1979) 142 CLR 531 Westfield Ltd v Helprin (1997) 82 IR 411 White & Carter (Councils) Ltd v McGregor [1962] AC 413 Wilson v Gozney [1978] AR (NSW) 134 Yetton v Eastwoods Froy Ltd [1966] 3 All ER 353 Young v Tieman Industries Pty Ltd [2000] NSWIRComm 133 HEARING DATES: 02/21/2001; 02/22/2001; 05/07/2001 DATE OF JUDGMENT: 12/21/2001