Dark v Maroochy Shire Council [1993] QIRC 47 (1993) 142 QGIG 373

372 QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT IND USTRIAL GAZETTE (26 March, 199 3 26 March, l 993] QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT INDUSTRIAL GAZETTE 373 #################################1/#################II##### QUEENSLAND INDt ;STR I AL l<ELATIO?\S C O~l~IISSIO N Jndu srn al R ,, lo11<ms ii c1 /99() s. 11.3 7 - appl i,atiun for rcinstat ,' mc n t Marnoc h\' Sh ire Co uncil ( No . 1167 u/' /9') 3J COMMISSIONER SWAN Tem1ination o f Employment - Dismissal Rc inst:otement •- - Preliminary Issues .... E ~1e11s i,1 n ,,f T ime . i\ pplica ti,>n 1H11,uant h> s~etion 11 . 37( I) or lndu .l'lnal R~h,1,o ns ii c1 /9 9() Di tl,rnlt y co ntacting rcprese.n tati\'e -- Jvli sapprchcn sio n -- - Statut,,r;.· D e1: lara 1i ,>ns --- Dir~ct Ev iden ce wa..s no t ma de av a il ahh: .. _ Limited Suhmi ss i,> ns - App lication for Ex1ension o f Tim e (iran tcd. REPOR T ON DE CISION (a s edited ) In givi ng a decis ion frc>m the lkn c h ,111 T hun-dav. 4 ~l.ireh 19 93. Co mmi ss ione r Swan stated :- • "The rel ev ant pro v is ion of the /nd11 .m1<1/ Reio/ions A c1 /990 pe rtinent to this app lication is s. 11 37( I) . i.e. -- 'Appl i<'alio n for rtlnstatemcnt, re-employme nt or rn mpc,nsati on 11.37(1) If an emp lo yee is dismissed from employment. app lic• at i(m for rdief under sec tion 1 1.38 nrnv be made to the Com mission - • (a) with in 21 days 3fter the dismi ssal: o r (h) within a lo nger period after th e di s missal that the C ommi ssion may allow at a ny time in the c irc umstances of th~ case .'. This provision amends the previous corres ponding secti on in the i\ c t which r.:fcrred to 'special circums tances' needing to be satisfied hcfore the Commi ss ion considered the waiv ing of the 2 1 day ti me lim it within which applications could be made to the Co mmi ss ion fo r a hearing. Tiie amended provision now widens the Commission's discretion hy dde t ing any reforen ce to 'special circ um stances' and by insert ing t he phrase 'in the c irc um s tan ces of the case'. The circumstances of th is case. in which the app licant repres ented hi msdf. are hricf:-- The applicant was dism issed from his empl oyment during ~ o vcmher 1992. Late r that month . t he app li c ant was rep resented al a c,> nforence in the Queensland Industrial Rel ations Co mmiss ion by his uni,>n. It is relevant to note t hat the app licant w as tl(lt persona lly invo lved in the conforence. It w as cla im ed by the appli c ant that he was advised by his union repre sen t.al ive that it was 'm y deci sio n to go ahead' if he so c hose. The appl ican t c hose to proc ~ed with the mailer and s ubs equently he claimed th at he had e xperienced diffic ulty co ntacting his un ion repres entat ive. After the lapse of so me period of tin N. the appl ic ant sought a dv ice fr om a Solici to r. From his brief su bm ission the applicant seemed to be unde r the misa pprehension that hec·ause the 21 day t ime li mit had alread)' el:,psed. then it ceased to be a rd.: vant fach>r whic h cou ld be detrimental to him . Oppos ing the appl ication for an exten sion of ti me . the advocate for the Loc al G,wemmcnt Ass ocia tio n of Queensland Inc. stated tha t she c·cm ld ohtain statuto ry declaration~ fr om certain perso ns which would sh,,w that the ap pli cant had been tol d that his uni on had adv ised him n,>l to pursue his application for reinst atement. Such direc t evidence. how~vl.!r. , vas. not madl! :.vailable to th e Com mission. Comm1:.s1 on On the very limited su bmis sions put tu the Commiss io n. ii wo uld app ear that the app licanl was under the misguided impression that he \.V:\S not con~trained hy ti me )i mils gov~rning th.: rei nstatement rwuvisions of the Act. The C()mm issio n has al so cons ide red the time o f the year w he n this matter arose . It is hig hl y likely that the appli ca nt was u nahle to ma k~ c-,>ntact wi th his un ion o fl,cial during th is ti me as many husin css i:s ~111d 1.lrganizations vi rtuall y close down over the C hristmas perio d. Further. the aprlicant has rut 10 the Co mmi ssi on that he be lieved that the matter was on foo t thro ughout this perio d, save for thi: fact that he couldn't make rn ntact with such un ion official. E,·entua lly. the applicant sough! assist am:e from a Soli ci to r and a formal app li,,ation was lc> dg cd with th e R esistra r of the Que e ns land Indust ri al Re lat ion~ Comm is~ ion. Time 1;:o nstrn int:- pr~sc rih ~d within statuk s attempt to .:n:,;;urc that ,n.111ers between part ies progre ss in a n expe ditious and controlled manne r and also allempl to en sure. am o ngst other things, that ,me party is not tak-:n by surpr i~c . Th is l a1t cr sc~nario could occur when ~ al some la1cr stage , he.cause of an apparent lapse o f ac tivi ty in the matt er ov er a 1.:~rta in pc!riod of time. there is an impli ed a~sumplion lh:tt the nwttcr in quest ion is defunc t. In thi;; particu lar case, wh il st th e Co mm iss io n ac.:cep ls that the respondents may wdl have thoug ht that the ma iler wa s fin ished because of .:c11 ain i nfonnat i() n th at lhe.~· had r"ce i ved . it ,lppcars tha t, at least in 1lw mind ,>f the applicant, the 111a t1.er was far fr <>m ov a . He s "emed to h.: unde r the notion that h.: wa., to he alford"d the opportun ity to p ursue his fonn al reinstate m ent h.:aring and it appears that he pursued t he matter as cxped itiuusly as po ss ible in the circu mstances. T aking into accoun t the time of the w ar w hen the d ismi ssal occ u1Ted and t he o bvious 111 i$a ppreh e nsion ·o n the p a,t o f the ap plicant. it is not an inord inate ly lengthy period of time betwe en the d ism iss al and th e later no ti fi cat ion to the Co mmi ss ion. In ligh t of these circumstan c es , it wo uld he undu ly harsh to deny the applicant an opportun it y to have his cas..:: di.:: l ~nnin ~d by the Co mmi :-:~ i on . As such. I pr opose to wa ive th e provisio ns of s. 11. 37 ( I )(a) utili~ing s. 11. 37( 1)(b) for the reasons so ~tat ed . -- 1 of 2 -- 374 QUEENSLA ND GOVERNMENT IND USTRIAL GAZETTE The ,n31t er ,s set do"n for heanng on Wedn~,d.l\. 24 '.\1 :ud, I ?93. :,t Sittings commencing Rt 10.00 a.Ill nt the Chi ldro11's C,>t rrt . I c ,d 2. Maroochydorc Court tl t\ usc. The Commi,s,oo ord,,-,. accorJ111gl\ •. Dated t hi s fou rth d ~} of !\larch. 19')3 ll> the Commi•s 1on. (I S I '.I.J. CALLE :S:. Industrial Re&••trar Appea ran ces: 11.lr A.S. Dari.. applicant on hehalf or hun•df 111~ L. Gambl e. with her, Mr I. Lccl-,nh~. ,,f the 1,ocal Gow111111e nt 1\ ssociation ol Queensland In c. on hdrnlf of ~laruoch~ Shire C' i>111w il. Operative Date N I A . .. . ~.-port on Dec,s,on - l(,1cn~1nn ol l 111w - Rem ,tatcni,,m l{cle:1Sed: 12 March 199J 1111#11######11/lfl##########ll###### #ll#l//l#ll### #lll/ll##/J###ll#####II [26 March, 1993 26 Mar ch, 1993) QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT IND USTRIAL GAZETTE 375 -- 2 of 2 --