Carhart v The IJ Grady Company Pty Ltd [1995] QIRC 202 (1995) 149 QGIG 717

716 QUEE S LA 10 GOYER MEN T I DUSTRIAL GAZETTE [30 June. 1995 30 Ju ne. 19951 QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT INDUSTRIAL G AZ ETTE 717 l11du~1rwl R,,Ja11ons Act 199n ,. 295 .ipplica 1i11n for rcm,1a1cmcn1 vt·o ffrc~ J ames Carhart AN!) l he I. J Grad: Comp.in: PtJ I 1d f,\ o. /J I)} nj 19'i5J <.' I Il l I· ll'<Ol.i!'> TRl/\1. CO M\11:-..~ IONl · R 111\LI . 14 June 1995 /\pplicauon for Rc111~ 1a1cmc111 Ground for Di s mi ,s al Nm l:stahli)hcd Ri:spomkm Rcducinll, ACII, 111.:, Rein,1atcmc111 lmpracttcal - C.ompen,Jllon '\".trued . Dl· Cl!) ION I he I • .I Chad) Cn mp:111) 1'1 ~ I 1d is a hod) wrr,e1ratc u11 dc r thc la11 and engaged in 1h c bus111c~s ol co11 s1 ru cting co n.,gc~ II r,r.:, 111u,I) conducted that hu~mcss in the c111cs ol ( aim,. I ,l\\ nwi lle and Macka: II cu r~n tl) conducts 1ha1 husinc" onl) ,n 1he cuy of'Tmrn~vilh:! (Jeoffn.') James Carhart w a~ prcv,ousl) cmplO) cd at the Mac~.i: of'licc of Th e l .I Grad: C'omr,an, Pt} Li d a, a supcr~ i,or . I le was Ji,m,~,cd on IO Janu.ir: 19 95 alter rclu~mg dll oile r 10 re"~n in retum tor lx-mg all<l\\cd 10 " nrl.. through a ''"' 11 ed pcnnd ol no11cc . I mn told by the .ig.:11 1 whn d ismi,~cd lum on hehal/' e1I ·1h..- I 1 l ir.ilh Comp.in~ f'1~ I td. '.\lr '.\lcGrath. that he di,mh,<'<I \ lr l'.trhJn because ,1r d1,,a11,1ac1111n \\I th \l r ( arh,m ·, pcriorn1.1ncL' 111 rclat1nn lt) - (a) ml'ct1nr d,:aJlinc, on co11s1ru ~tion wn1 rac1', (hJ post-completion mamtcnane.: ol c1, 11agc~. :111d (cl poor pcrsonal rclw ion~ "ith collc.i g11c, \\ itl11 11 1he organ ,~atum. \tr \1c(innh ·, c , iden ce conlorms 10 the lw11d1111l tc: n de tails of' "un,aw,factor) 11ork pcrfunn.ince" e1n thc I mplo: 111cnt 1..cr,urntion ( ::ml il,11<.: ;um idcd u, \lr (. arh.trl \lr ( ,,rhJrt', c\ldeO<l' ,, Iii.it at the 11111c nfhi s di,mi,,ul \lr 1\-ll(,r,llh to lJ 111111 thm ill, rcla 11 1,11, l11p, 11ith hi, colki,g.uc,. "h id, \,ere ,1pparcnl l) a littk trouhk<l. h.id 11111 (>;:en 1,11..en into ,1ccount 111 dct,mlln111g to 1h,mi,, him. \1r,1ni;cl). ,lhcn c1ms -c'iam111cd. Mr McG1.i1h ..ig rccd 1ila1 he t.liJ ,ay lit.ii to .Mr Carh,irt It " unnc~c,~ar~ 111 1h1s c.i sc Ill do:tcrn11nc the rcaf 1c:..,,m or reasons for Mr Ca rha rt 's dismi,,al. I ,.t) 1h ,tt because. 1n 111) •pinion. ,. 2'J 111) require, 11111 that 1hc rc be a rea..-<1,n in th,: cmplo)cr·s m111u "hich. 11 true. \\Ould be ,1 , alid rc,1-011 hut thm the !!round fi,r dismi,sa l e~is1, and i~ the rcaM lll in the c•111plo~1.:r\ mind lne onu , of prooL of wur,c . I.ill, ~quar d) upon the cmplmer. :< :!96,\(1 ) ll cre. thc onl: \1 itneS\ 11 ho g,t\ c enden cc fi) r I he l. J Cr ad) C'o mpan~ Pl) Lt d. l,as M, .\llcG ra1h l\1r ~l e<irath 11as not lia,-cd 111 \1a c~.i) 1hough he \ 1,11cd th.: Cll) from t11nc to tulle I le \\a~ d\\,Ue ol trllki,ms \\hich Olho.:r, had made ol \1 r ( arh,1n bu1 h Jd 11<1 r crso n11I l..nm,lcdge of lhc r ircu111 s1anccs ciu 1 of 11h 10.:h the u11ic1sm, ar o,c I le \1;"· for e,amplc. abic to relate h> the ( n mmh,ton a t·ompl.i,lll ,,111ch ,I llhlumcr h,1d maJs Jho:.it d1l,1tM~ pos1- c,,111pk1io11 11iain t <.:n1111lc . I k \l as unahk to ,a ~ ,1 li.::thcr or no t "hut the c 11sw111 cr told him was corrcc1. Mr Carhart on o ath de 111cd the acc.:urac) ofth..: cri ti cism. I mu~t accept hi, C\ldcnc.:. ·,milarl) . althoul(h b} deh mg into the reco rds \l r \1c Grath "" s ahlc 10 1sola1e an 1n stnncc on "hi ch pn,t-complction maintenan ce \\O S very much dda)cd. he \1.is unable to meet Mr Carhart 's , 11 1s11cr 1ha1 Lhc problem had .mscn because l'he I J Gra d) CompJn) Pt) I ttl had fuilcd 10 mal..c ra) 111e111 s to the rc le1 an t sub-cnntractnrs . Mr McGrath had 11,, pe rso nal lrno" lcdgc of the rclat ion, hips bet\\ccn l\lr Ca rhan and h,~ fom1er colleague, li e "as un ah lc to gi , c an) p3rt1culdr in,1.incc of a 1:11l urc tn mee t d ea dlines \\h 1ch was a1 1rihutahlc tu Mr Carhart. l s hould strc ss thut I in no ,,a) ,ec k to he d isrespcctfol to \1r \ 1c.:( ,rath \lr \l cGrJth. who \\J.~ managmg thl al lair, ofl he L J G rad) Com pany Pt) I td un der a sc r- ,cc Jrrangcmc111 be t" cc n that cc)n,pany and anolhcr. \\'a ~. in managing. pc.:rfa 1l y en titl ed tu rely on the reron ~ made to him h) ,uhord inJtc,. \\ here ho"c' er a di,rn, ~~al dcgcnc ra1cs 11110 l11i ga 11 on and the subordind tcs who made such re ports urc una,·ai lab lc or uncal kd ( I kno\, not wh ich). unless 1hc \ pplicam mJ l..cs admis~ion~ , , hen cro>~·C'iarnmcd. the 111c,i1abk wn,cquen c u l ,. 2961\12J is that 1hc <l1Snt1,,al "111 he held not to ha, c bccn for u va lid reason and in con,cquc ncc 10 have bc~n unl:ml ul I ~h ou ld ad t.l 1hai Mr McGraih ad 1111ts t,1) thai Jltlmugh he ga,c \l r Carhan 1hc opponun it~ tt• rc,ign he d id 1101 gi ve hi 111 the opp ortunity 10 de le nd hi mscl I'. anti (h) that \l r ( ,,rh an \\ ,t, nc, er lonnall~ .:ounsclkJ l'ur lll)SCII . on the Cl 1d,nce. I consider it 111nre acrnrntc to sa: that ,II no ume did \1r Carhan reccl\e (.'Oun.,,cllmg. fonnal or othcmbc . In thc prem ise, th e dis1111,~a l was unlawfu l for cuntra,cminn or s. 292( I). Further. for the n.:,1,011s 11ln ch I Je ,clopcd in Burl.-,,, Purl. Re1m 1/md< und Rc:.ort., Group rl99j1 149 C)l, IG 3M! ,II 370 10 172. and :ilso hccausc or 1hc prom incntL' gi \'Cll 10 ~ lr C.11hJrt°, agc in Mr l\h:Cirath ', altc mp t, In pe rsuade hi111 1<1 rc,1gn. I rnn,1dcr ,. ::!911::!)(.JI to ha,c b,,:cn tnggc reJ In con,c quo:n ...c the d,,miss J I CJ lllll>I h.: h.:ld h> h ale hecn for " , ahd rc.:a~on Kc11Natcmcnt is qunc 1mp rac11cablc. I h.! I. J C, rady C. um pan} l't: I td no 11111 1,:L: r employ~ s taff i11 /\l ad.: a) II ha, 1u 11 do ne: ,11 , incc 13 .-\ r,nl 1995 If \l r C.11hJn had b.:cn w1111nuL-d 111 h" empl n:mcnt tm t ,I n , \pnl 1995. he \\ou ld h,I\ C c:arn cd upp n1\lm ,11el) ~8 .750 h dim: la'\. Fu rthe r. he ,\ould ha, c had the u,c o f a utilit) and . Jihc •'th.:r ,u pcrq sor,. might ha,c hccn o ffcro.:d a ~hnrt tcm1 po,t a, a ,uh -contractor 10 as,-,-1 1n the linal '"nding du\\ 11 uf i\lacka) operation~. He 1111 g h1 al,n. of cours..:. have hccn shcd bl'l'orc I .1 Apri l I 9<J5 ( I h.i, c hccn 1111d nnth11 1g dho111 the rntL' JI "J11rh th<: "Orih,rLc \\3, run do"n 1 1\ lr (Jrhart . 11ho ha., 111,,dc a"1duous effort, 111 ti nd , 111 altemau, c ocnipruion. did nn t earn an) 111eo111c l>'..:fore I , /\rn l 1995 In all t he ri rcu1mtancc,. pursuant to ,. 29~ 2J«h J. I lune dco:iJcu tv il\\Jtd \lr ( arhan SlJ.(11){1 b) \\J) ol ~0111pc11,,11 10 11 tn r h,, un la\\ l'tol d 1" 11i ss al. I dcdar,: lhJt the d1,n11ssal nl th<! , \pphlant h) the R!!,pnndent rnntr.l\ L'llc., D,, 1,io n 5 ot' Part 12 of the l 11d11S1r1t1/ Rela11 0 11 .r .·l e t /9 90 [ orde r th:ll the Rc~p11nucn1 p t1) to 1hc ,\ppl 1can t tho: , um of ~9.0(!0 mi la t~r than 23 daJ ~ from th ~ da te or 1h is d cci, 1011 . l>a tl' <l the founcc11th da) 111 .June. 19\15. IJ.R 11 , \1.1 . Cf11cl lndu,t r 1J I ConHnh~ion cr 1,511 l lXX -- 1 of 2 -- 718 QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT INDUSTRIAL GAZETTE Appearance s: - The Applicant in person . Mr M. \1cGrath fo r th e Respondent. Operative Date: I4 .lu ne I 995 Dcc is inn -- Compensation Awarded Released: 14 June 199:'i ####################################################### [30 Jun e, 1995 30 Ju ne, 1995] QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT INDUSTR IAL GAZETTE 719 1551 I I. DOC -- 2 of 2 --