Zopf v Industrial Relations Secretary on behalf of the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation [2019] NSWIRComm 1046

Industrial Relations Commission New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Zopf v Industrial Relations Secretary on behalf of the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation [2019] NSWIRComm 1046 Hearing dates: 18, and 19 December 2018 and 15 February 2019 Date of orders: 17 July 2019 Decision date: 17 July 2019 Jurisdiction: Industrial Relations Commission Before: Commissioner Constant Decision: Application pursuant to s 84 upheld. Compensation ordered. Catchwords: UNFAIR DISMISSAL – misconduct – whether resignation following an offer to resign pursuant to s 69(4)(b) of the Government Sector Employment Act 2013 is a dismissal for purposes of s 84 of the Industrial Relations Act 1996 - consideration of seriousness of misconduct against mitigating factors - misconduct not sufficient to warrant dismissal – dismissal harsh – reinstatement impracticable – compensation ordered Legislation Cited: Government Sector Employment Act 2013 (NSW) ss 50, 58, 68, 69, 79, 89 Government Sector Employment (General) Rules 2014 (NSW) cl 36, Pt 8 Government Sector Employment Regulation 2014 (NSW) Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW) ss 83, 84, 88 and 89 Industrial and Employee Relations Act 1994 (SA) Police Act 1990 (NSW) Police Act 1998 (SA) Public Sector Employment and Management Act 2002 (NSW) Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) ss 19, 27 Cases Cited: Allison v Bega Valley Council (1995) 63·IR 68 Bankstown City Council v Paris (1999) 100 IR 363 Bartlett and Cini v Mario's Fresh and Frozen Foods [2006] NSWIRComm 1084 Bigg v SAS Trustee Corporation [2016] NSWCA 236 Briginshaw v Briginshaw (1938) 60 CLR 336 Burge v NSW BHP Steel Pty Ltd (2001) 105 IR 325 Byrne v Australian Airlines Ltd (1995) 185 CLR 410 Commissioner of Police v Eaton (2013) 252 CLR 1 Department of Health v Kaplan (No 3) [2010] NSWIRComm 170 Director General, New South Wales Department of Health v Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales [2010] NSWCA 47 Dissanayake v State Transit Authority [2016] NSWIRComm 10 FCT v Consolidated Media Holdings Ltd (2012) 87 ALJR 98 Ferdinands v Commissioner for Public Employment (2006) 225 CLR 130 Fidawy v The Sydney Opera House Trust [2017] NSWIRComm 1077 Hollingsworth v Commissioner of Police (1999) 88 IR 282 Industrial Relations Secretary v Fraser (No 2) [2015] NSWIRComm 10 Metropolitan Meat Industry Board v Australasian Meat Industry Employees' Union, NSW Branch [1973] AR (NSW) 231 Neat Holdings Pty Ltd v Karajan Holdings Pty Ltd (1992) 110 ALJR 170 Paulson v Industrial Relations Secretary (Department of Justice) [2017] NSWIRComm 1037 Paulson v Industrial Relations Secretary (Department of Justice) [2018] NSWIRComm 1004 Perkins v Grace Worldwide (Aust) Pty Ltd (1997) 72 IR 186 Plaintiff M702011 v Minister of Immigration and Citizenship (2011) 244 CLR 144 Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority (1998) 194 CLR 355 R v Prince Alfred College (1979) 46 SAIR 598 Raeburne v Department of Justice and Attorney General [2011] NSWIRComm 48 Sheffield v Oxford Controls Co Ltd (1979) IRLR 133 Smith v Director General of Education (1993) 51 IR 204 Youssef v Western Sydney Area Health Service [2003] NSWIRComm 284 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Roland Zopf (applicant) Industrial Relations Secretary on behalf of the Department of Family and Community Services (respondent) Representation: Counsel: D Nagle (applicant) M Seck and B Byrnes (respondent)