Dissanayake v State Transit Authority [2016] NSWIRComm 10

Industrial Relations Commission New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Dissanayake v State Transit Authority [2016] NSWIRComm 10 Hearing dates: 21 July 2016; 1 and 21 July 2016 (written submissions) Date of orders: 02 September 2016 Decision date: 02 September 2016 Jurisdiction: Industrial Relations Commission Before: Walton J, President; Tabbaa C; Murphy C Decision: 1. Leave to appeal is granted; 2. The appeal is upheld; 3. The decision and orders of Stanton C of 18 March 2016 are quashed; and 4. The respondent is ordered to pay the appellant 18 weeks' pay at the ordinary rate of pay applicable to the appellant at the time his employment ceased. Catchwords: APPEAL - unfair dismissal proceeding – summary termination of employee for failure to discharge instruction - whether dismissal harsh, unreasonable or unjust – relevant principles as to summary termination – relevance of deliberateness of employee's conduct – relevance of prior act of misconduct to assessment of lawfulness of summary termination and whether dismissal harsh, unreasonable or unjust – errors of law – re-exercise of discretion - summary termination unlawful – relevance of summary termination to whether dismissal harsh, unreasonable or unjust - dismissal based on incorrect assessment of nature and quality of employee's misconduct - dismissal based on inferences unreasonably drawn - dismissal harsh unreasonable and unjust – disproportionate treatment of another employee harsh and unjust - remedy – reinstatement or re-employment not practicable – compensation awarded Legislation Cited: Industrial Relations Act 1996 Cases Cited: Adami v Maison De Luxe Limited (1924) 35 CLR 143 Blyth Chemicals Ltd v Bushnell (1933) 49 CLR 66 Budlong v NCR Australia Pty Ltd [2006] NSWIRComm 288 Byrne v Australian Airlines Ltd [1995] HCA 24; (1995) 185 CLR 410 Casari v Sydney South West Area Health Service [2009] NSWIRComm 103 Clouston & Co. Ltd. v. Corry [1906] AC 122 Director General, NSW Department of Health v Industrial Relations Commission of NSW [2010] NSWCA 47; (2010) 77 NSWLR 159 Gooley v Westpac Banking Corporation (1995) 59 IR 262 Industrial Relations Secretary v Fraser (No 2) [2015] NSWIRComm 10 ITD Preece v Industrial Court [2008] NSWSC 285; (2008) 177 IR 172 Koompahtoo Aboriginal Land Council v Sanpine Pty Ltd [2007] HCA 61; (2007) 233 CLR 115 Laws v London Chronicle (Indicator Newspapers) Ltd [1959] 2 All ER 285 Najdov and Macedonian Australian Welfare Association of Sydney Inc [2004] NSWIRComm 101 Rankin v Marine Power International Pty Ltd [2001] VSC 150; (2001) 107 IR 117 Sunil Dissanayake and State Transit Authority of New South Wales [2016] NSWIRComm 1010 Willis Australia Group Services Pty Ltd v Mitchell-Innes [2015] NSWCA 381 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Sunil Dissanayake (Appellant) State Transit Authority (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: D D O'Sullivan (Appellant) L Andelman (Respondent)