NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (o/b Lenard) v Wesley Community Services Ltd [2016] NSWIRComm 1013

Industrial Relations Commission New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (o/b Lenard) v Wesley Community Services Ltd [2016] NSWIRComm 1013 Hearing dates: 22 March 2016 Decision date: 15 April 2016 Jurisdiction: Industrial Relations Commission Before: Newall C Decision: Orders sought in Notice of Motion refused Catchwords: INJURED WORKER – application for reinstatement – whether dismissed for 'injury' – rebuttable presumption – test subjective, not objective – inquiry into reasons of decisionmaker – decisionmaker in fact relied in part on compensable injury – presumption not rebutted

JURISDICTION – preliminary determination of jurisdictional questions – 'appropriate time' – circumstances not confined to questions of law alone, but can include questions of mixed fact and law

STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION – interpretation of s.244(2) of Workers Compensation Act 1987 – plain words of statute to be considered

WORDS AND PHRASES – 'substantial and operative cause' – phrase means no more than causative effect - does not carry meaning of 'predominant' or 'chief' – Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (New South Wales Branch) (on behalf of Daryl John Bates) v G. James Safety Glass Pty Ltd [2007] NSWIRComm 129 and Fox v The Spastic Centre [2010] NSWIRComm 1065 held to be wrongly decided Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 1995 ss.56, 58 Workers Compensation Act 1987 ss. 240(2), 241, 242, 244(1), 244(2) Cases Cited: Aon Risk Services Australia Ltd v Australian National University [2009] HCA 27; (2009) 239 CLR 175 Australian Co-operative Foods Limited v SW & JD Reilly & Sons Pty Limited [2010] NSWIRComm 110; 198 IR 195 Bindaree Beef Pty Ltd v Riley [2013] NSWCA 305, (2013) NSWLR 350 Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (New South Wales Branch) (on behalf of Daryl John Bates) v G. James Safety Glass Pty Ltd [2007] NSWIRComm 129 Federated Municipal and Shire Council Employees' Union of Australia, New South Wales Division v Energy Australia (1999) 90 IR 311 Fox v The Spastic Centre [2010] NSWIRComm 1065 Hobbs v Australian Securities and Investments Commission [2013] NSWCA 432 Nagle v Tilburg (1993) 51 IR 8 NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (o/b Cox) v Manchester Unity Australia Limited [2015] NSWIRComm 1003 Robinson v Commissioner of Police [2013] NSWIRComm 1027 Smith v State Transit Authority of New South Wales [2010] NSWIRComm 1062 Category: Principal judgment Parties: NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (o/b Lenard) (Applicant)