Colebourne v State of Queensland (Queensland Police Service) [2022] QIRC 17
QUEENSLAND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMMISSION
CITATION: Colebourne v State of Queensland (Queensland
Police Service) [2022] QIRC 017
PARTIES: Colebourne, Janette
(Appellant)
v
State of Queensland (Queensland Police
Service)
(Respondent)
CASE NO.: PSA/2021/413
PROCEEDING: Public Service Appeal - Fair treatment decision
DELIVERED ON: 28 January 2022
HEARING DATE: 7 January 2022
MEMBER:
HEARD AT:
Merrell DP
Brisbane
ORDERS: Pursuant to s 562C(1)(c) of the Industrial
Relations Act 2016:
(a) the decision appealed against is set aside;
and
(b) the matter is returned to the decision
maker ('the original decision maker') with
a copy of this decision on appeal; and
(c) it is directed that:
(i) the matter of whether the
appellant's secondment to the
position of Injury Management
Advisor in Safety and Wellbeing
should be cancelled pursuant to
s 120(4) of the Public Service
Act 2008 ('the matter') be
reconsidered;
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(ii) the reconsideration of the matter
must:
A. be determined by a person,
other than the original decision
maker, being a person
delegated by the
Commissioner of the
Queensland Police Service
('the new decision maker') to
reconsider the matter; and
B. be determined by the new
decision maker by complying
with the principles of natural
justice.
CATCHWORDS: PUBLIC SERVICE - EMPLOYEES AND
SERVANTS OF THE CROWN GENERALLY -
PUBLIC SERVICE APPEAL - appellant
employed by the State of Queensland in the
Queensland Police Service in the position of
Administration Officer at the Queensland Police
Academy - appellant seconded to the higher
classified position of Injury Management Advisor
- on 7 September 2021, the Commissioner of the
Queensland Police Service issued a direction
mandating that certain employees, unless
exempted, must receive a COVID-19 vaccine -
appellant applied for an exemption from
complying with the requirement to be vaccinated -
decision not granting exemption - appellant
suspended with remuneration - subsequent
decision to cancel appellant's secondment to
position of Injury Management Advisor -
appellant, pursuant to ch 7 of the Public Service
Act 2008, appealed against the decision to cancel
appellant's secondment to position of acting Injury
Management Advisor - whether decision to cancel
appellant's secondment to position of Injury
Management Advisor was fair and reasonable -
decision appealed against was not fair and
reasonable because natural justice was not
observed - decision appealed against set aside and
direction that the matter be reconsidered
STATUTES - ACTS OF PARLIAMENT -
STATUTORY POWERS AND DUTIES -
whether the exercise of discretion pursuant to
s 120(4) of the Public Service Act 2008 to cancel a
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secondment affected the appellant's interests such
that the principles of natural justice had to be
observed in its exercise - whether requirement to
observe the principles of natural justice displaced
by s 120 of the Public Service Act 2008 -
requirement that the principles of natural justice
had to be observed in the exercise of the discretion
to cancel the appellant's secondment
LEGISLATION: Industrial Relations Act 2016, s 562C
Public Service Act 2008, s 120, s 137 and s 149C
CASES: Burragubba v Minister for Natural Resources and
Mines [2017] QCA 179; (2018) 2 Qd R 93
Colebourne v State of Queensland (Queensland
Police Service) (No. 2) [2022] QIRC 016
Jarratt v Commissioner of Police for New South
Wales [2005] HCA 50; (2005) 224 CLR 44
Kioa v West [1985] HCA 81; (1985) 159 CLR 550
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v Li
[2013] HCA 18; (2013) 249 CLR 332
Plaintiff S10/2011 v Minister for Immigration and
Citizenship [2012] HCA 31; (2012) 246 CLR 636
Saeed v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
[2010] HCA 23; (2010) 241 CLR 252
APPEARANCES: Mr M. Thomas and Mr K. McKay of Together
Queensland, Industrial Union of Employees as
agent for the Appellant.
Mr G. Patterson and Ms A. Ireland of the State of
Queensland (Queensland Police Service) for the
Respondent.
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Reasons for Decision
Introduction
[1] This decision assumes familiarity with the earlier decision I have made in Colebourne v
State of Queensland (Queensland Police Service) (No. 2) ('Colebourne No. 2').1 This
decision should be read with paragraphs [1] to [36] of Colebourne No. 2.
[2] By decision dated 18 November 2021, Superintendent Terry Lawrence, Safety and
Wellbeing, Queensland Police Service ('the Service') made a decision to cancel
Ms Janette Colebourne's secondment to the higher classified position in which she had
been acting since 20 February 2020, being that of Injury Management Advisor ('the
secondment cancellation decision'). At that time, Ms Colebourne had been suspended
with normal remuneration pursuant to s 137(1)(a) of the Public Service Act 2008 ('the
PS Act').
[3] By appeal notice filed on 1 December 2021, Ms Colebourne, pursuant to ch 7, pt 1 of the
PS Act, appealed against the secondment cancellation decision.
[4] The issue for my determination is whether the secondment cancellation decision was fair
and reasonable.
[5] For the reasons given below, the secondment cancellation decision was not fair and
reasonable.
The relevant facts
[6] It is not in dispute that Ms Colebourne's secondment to the position of Injury
Management Advisor in Safety and Wellbeing, as from 20 February 2020, is due to end
on 28 January 2022.
[7] By written notice dated 20 October 2021, but received by Ms Colebourne on
26 October 2021, from Acting Assistant Commissioner Virginia Nelson of the Ethical
Standards Command of the Service, Ms Colebourne was notified that:
• a decision was made that, pursuant to s 137(1)(a) of the PS Act, she was suspended
on normal remuneration because Acting Assistant Commissioner Nelson formed
the view that the proper and efficient management of the Service might be
prejudiced if she was not suspended ('the suspension with remuneration decision');
• the suspension with remuneration decision would take effect immediately upon her
receipt of Acting Assistant Commissioner Nelson's notice;
• the suspension would remain in force until midnight 19 April 2022 unless cancelled
earlier; and
1 [2022] QIRC 016.
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• she was required, within seven days of her receipt of Acting Assistant
Commissioner Nelson's notice, to show cause why she should not be suspended
without pay ('the show cause notice').
[8] It is also not disputed that:
• at some point about or soon after her receipt of Acting Assistant
Commissioner Nelson's notice, Ms Colebourne accessed sick leave by the
provision of a medical certificate and made an application for workers'
compensation;
• Ms Colebourne commenced sick leave on 6 October 2021;
• Ms Colebourne ceased accessing sick leave as from 26 October 2021 because, as
from that date, as a consequence of the suspension with remuneration decision, she
was suspended with remuneration from that date;
• the remuneration received by Ms Colebourne from 26 October 2021, was the rate
of remuneration of which she was in receipt in the Injury Management Advisor
position, classification AO5; and
• Ms Colebourne responded to the show cause notice on 2 November 2021.
[9] On 18 November 2021, Ms Colebourne received a document headed 'STATEMENT
OF REASONS FOR DECISION' signed by Superintendent Lawrence, the subject of
which was the cancellation of Ms Colebourne's secondment to the Injury Management
Advisor position.
[10] Because of the submissions made on behalf of Ms Colebourne about why the secondment
cancellation decision was not fair and reasonable, it is necessary to reproduce most of
that written decision.
[11] In the secondment cancellation decision, Superintendent Lawrence relevantly stated:
Relevant legislation
10. Section 120(1)(a) of the PSA sets out as follows:
"120 Secondment
(1) The chief executive of a department (the first department) may-
(a) second a public service officer of the department within the first department; or …"
11. Section 8 of the PSA defines "public service officer" as a chief executive, senior
executive or officer of another type.
12. The term "second" has been defined in Schedule 4 (Dictionary) of the PSA as temporarily
employing a public service officer:
(a) on different duties at the same classification level; or
(b) at a higher classification level or lower classification level.
13. Section 120(4) of the PSA prescribes that the chief executive of the department (who
seconded the officer) may cancel the secondment at any time.
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14. Sections 33 and 36 read with Schedule 1 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1954 (Qld)
establish that the Commissioner of Police is the chief executive of the Queensland Police
Service ("QPS") for the purposes of the PSA.
Relevant information and material
15. I have had regard to the following material relevant to the Decision:
(a) Ms Colebourne's leave history on Aurion;
(b) the Suspension Notice;
(c) the position description for the role of Injury Management Advisor; and
(d) injury management initiatives in line with the recommendations of the Injury
Management Review Report 2020.
Decision-making framework
16. Section 120 of the PSA provides the Commissioner of Police with the discretion to cancel
a secondment.
17. Pursuant to section 4.10 of the PSAA and the Human Resources Delegation and
Approval Authorities, the Commissioner of Police has delegated her powers, functions
and duties under section 120 of the PSA to me.
18. The legislation does not qualify the exercise of the power to cancel a secondment under
section 120 of the PSA. The discretion to cancel a secondment at any time is unfettered
and to attempt to qualify or confine whatever the circumstances might be that lead to
cancellation of a secondment would be to fetter that discretion.
19. In the circumstances, I have considered your inability to perform the higher duties and
the operational demand for the role to be filled as the relevant factors in deciding to
cancel your secondment.
Findings and reasons
20. I have considered and had regard to all of the material listed at paragraph 15 above and
applied them to my decision-making process as follows.
21. You are currently suspended and not at work, having been issued the Suspension Notice
on 26 October 2021.
22. In the circumstances, you are not currently performing the higher duties in the role of
acting Injury Management Advisor.
23. The operational needs of the QPS require the Safety and Wellbeing team to be staffed to
provide and coordinate injury management services, including rehabilitation, case
management, and proactive injury management initiatives.
24. The role of Injury Management Advisor involves, inter alia, the following
responsibilities:
(a) providing injury management functions throughout the State in accordance with
QPS policies and the Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003;
(b) implementing and coordinating injury management strategies, designed to
improve rehabilitation service delivery;
(c) providing specialised injury management service for a range (in type and
complexity) of physical and psychological injuries and illnesses;
(d) working collaboratively to coordinate rehabilitation functions, including the
establishment and maintenance of rehabilitation consultative processes and
networks and the implementation of policies and procedures, which facilitate an
optimal return to work for ill/injured members;
(e) providing high quality advice, support and training to management, rehabilitation
and return to work co-ordinators and members in relation to injury management,
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ensuring compliance with legislation and QPS governance and policy
frameworks;
(f) facilitating the management of the workers compensation claims case
management process, including regular liaison with WorkCover Queensland; and
(g) contributing to the analysis of statistical data, trends and impacts on QPS,
including the provision of recommendations to address any identified risks, in
consultation with QPS Health and Safety Advisors and allied health professionals.
25. I am satisfied that you are unable to perform the requirements of the role whilst you are
suspended and not at work.
26. As the QPS requires someone to perform the role in your absence, the Safety and
Wellbeing team will need to fill the role.
27. As the team is unable to fill the role whilst you are reflected against the role as acting in
the position, I have decided to cancel your secondment to allow the role to be filled.
28. Further, you are not entitled to unjust enrichment by being paid for a role which you are
not performing the duties of.
29. For the above reasons, I have made the Decision to cancel your secondment to the role
of acting Injury Management Advisor as at today's date.
Ms Colebourne's submissions
[12] In written submissions, Ms Colebourne contended that:
• the rules of natural justice applied in respect of Superintendent Lawrence making
the secondment cancellation decision and she was denied natural justice which
renders the secondment cancellation decision not fair and reasonable;
• Superintendent Lawrence erred in fact when, in his decision, he stated that the
Safety and Wellbeing Team, of which her Injury Management Advisor position
was a member, was unable to fill the role whilst she was reflected against the role
as acting in the position, such that Superintendent Lawrence took into account
irrelevant considerations resulting in erroneous findings and mistaken conclusions
being reached which rendered the decision unfair and unreasonable;
• the conclusion by Superintendent Lawrence that she could not attend work and
perform the duties of the position of Injury Management Advisor rendered the
decision unfair and unreasonable because she had been suspended from duty;
• the conclusion by Superintendent Lawrence that she would be unjustly enriched by
being suspended at the rate of normal remuneration in her Injury Management
Advisor position is an error and unreasonable because she is entitled to normal
remuneration during her suspension;
• the secondment cancellation decision amounts to disciplinary action because it
results in a reduction in her remuneration and is therefore unfair and unreasonable;
• the secondment cancellation decision amounts to a suspension not on normal
remuneration which is contrary to the PS Act; and
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• the secondment cancellation decision seeks to frustrate the outcome of
Ms Colebourne's appeal in Case No. PSA/2021/377, being Ms Colebourne's appeal
against the decision not to grant her an exemption pursuant to Direction No. 12 on
the basis of exceptional circumstances, because she would no longer be in the role
of Injury Management Advisor, being the position in which Ms Colebourne was
acting at the time she made her application for exemption.
[13] Only some of these submissions were pressed in Ms Colebourne's oral submissions.
[14] In oral submissions, Ms Colebourne submitted that the decision was not fair and
reasonable because:
• pursuant to s 137(1) of the PS Act, a public service employee who is liable to
discipline under a disciplinary law may be suspended from duty and, pursuant to
s 137(4), a public service employee so suspended is entitled to normal
remuneration during the suspension and the dictionary to the PS Act defines the
phrase 'normal remuneration' for a public service officer to mean '… all of the
remuneration and other entitlements to which the employee is or would be entitled,
as prescribed under a directive'; and
• it was not reasonable for the Service to, in effect, cancel Ms Colebourne's higher
duties, to give her no say in that matter and to frustrate her ability to be appointed
to the position at the higher classification level under the relevant statutory
provisions2 that confer discretion on chief executives of departments to appoint
public service employees to positions at a higher classification level, in which they
have been acting, for particular periods of time.3
[15] Ms Colebourne then submitted that:4
• every statutory discretion is confined by the subject matter, scope and purpose of
the legislation under which it is conferred; and
• because the discretion conferred on the chief executive, pursuant to s 120(4) of the
PS Act, to cancel a secondment at any time provided no grounds upon which that
discretion is to be exercised, the real object of the legislature was to leave scope for
the decision maker, who is investigating the facts in considering the general
purpose of the enactment, to give effect to his or her view of the justice of the case,
however, that view must be reached by process of reasoning.
[16] By way of conclusion, Ms Colebourne submitted that the reasons given by
Superintendent Lawrence for cancelling the secondment were:
• the suspension of her for failing to comply with Direction No. 12 in that she has
not been vaccinated;
2 Namely, s 149C of the Public Service Act 2008.
3 T 1-33, l 23 to T 1-34, l 3.
4 Citing Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v Li [2013] HCA 18; (2013) 249 CLR 332, [23] (French CJ).
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• the need for the Safety and Wellbeing team to be staffed, the need to fill the role
left absent by her because of her suspension and that the role was unable to be filled
while she was reflected as acting in the position; and
• her unjust enrichment by being suspended at the higher rate of remuneration in the
Injury Management Advisor position when she was not performing the duties of
that position.
[17] Ms Colebourne submitted that those reasons were not fair, not reasonable and otherwise
were fundamentally wrong.
The Service's submissions
[18] The Service submitted that:
• the reasons given by Superintendent Lawrence in the cancellation of the
secondment were fair and reasonable and, on the evidence before him, it was
reasonably open for him to make the secondment cancellation decision;
• section 120(4) of the PS Act is clear and the plain meaning of the section conferred
a discretion on the chief executive of the department (in this case the Commissioner
of the Service or her properly authorised delegate) to cancel a secondment at any
time;
• there was no relevant directive, made pursuant to s 120(5) of the PS Act, with which
the chief executive had to comply;
• having regard to the plain meaning of the PS Act, there was no requirement for
natural justice to be observed; and
• the decision to cancel the secondment was based on fair and reasonable grounds,
including that because of her suspension she was unable to perform the role of the
seconded position, and the need for a displaced employee to be deployed into
Ms Colebourne's role as Injury Management Advisor.
The secondment cancellation decision was not fair and reasonable
Denial of natural justice
Was the decision maker required to comply with the principles of natural justice in
making the secondment cancellation decision?
[19] Section 120 of the PS Act provides:
120 Secondment
(1) The chief executive of a department (the first department) may-
(a) second a public service officer of the department within the first department;
or
(b) with the approval of the chief executive of another department, second a public
service officer of the other department to the first department.
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(2) However, if the secondment is to a lower classification level it may be made only
with the officer’s consent.
(3) Public notice of the secondment must be published in the gazette or in another way
the chief executive of the first department considers appropriate if-
(a) notice of intention to make the secondment for the relevant duties was publicly
notified; or
(b) notice of the secondment of a person to perform the relevant duties is required
under an Act to be publicly notified.
(4) The chief executive of the first department may cancel the secondment at any time.
(5) A directive may provide for any of the following about the secondment of a public
service officer under this section-
(a) the circumstances in which a public service officer may be seconded;
(b) the terms that may apply to a secondment;
(c) administrative arrangements that may apply to a secondment;
(d) any other matter the commission chief executive considers relevant to a
secondment.
(6) In making a decision to second a public service officer under this section, the chief
executive of the first department must comply with any relevant directive under
subsection (5).
[20] Both parties approached the fact of Ms Colebourne acting in the higher classification
position of Injury Management Advisor on the basis that she was seconded to that
position, pursuant to s 120(1)(a) of the PS Act, from her substantive position.
[21] In Kioa v West ('Kioa'),5 Mason J stated that the law has now developed to a point where
it may be accepted that there is a common law duty to act fairly, in the sense of according
procedural fairness, in the making of administrative decisions which affect rights,
interests and legitimate expectations, subject only to the clear manifestation of a contrary
statutory intention.6
[22] More recently, it has been held that:
• when a statute confers power to destroy or prejudice a person's rights or interests,
the principles of natural justice regulate the exercise of that power;
• all statutes are to be construed against the background of common law notions of
justice and fairness and when a statute does not expressly require that the principles
of natural justice be observed, a court construes the statute on the footing that the
justice of the common law will supply the omission of the legislature; and
• the observance of the principles of natural justice is a condition attached to such a
statutory power and governs its exercise.7
5 [1985] HCA 81; (1985) 159 CLR 550 ('Kioa').
6 Ibid 584.
7 Saeed v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2010] HCA 23; (2010) 241 CLR 252, [11]-[13] (French CJ,
Gummow, Hayne, Crennan and Kiefel JJ).
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[23] In Burragubba v Minister for Natural Resources and Mines,8 McMurdo JA summarised
the approach to the question of whether, on the construction of a particular statute, the
requirement to act with procedural fairness was displaced. His Honour stated:
[53] In Kioa v West, Mason J said that the requirement of procedural fairness could be displaced
only by “a clear manifestation of a contrary statutory intention.” And, in Annetts v
McCann, Mason CJ, Deane and McHugh JJ said that “the rules of natural justice regulate
the exercise of [the power of a public official] unless they are excluded by plain words of
necessary intendment.” As for the relevance of a procedural code for the disposition of an
application for a mining lease, in Re Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs; Ex
parte Miah, Gleeson CJ and Hayne J said, by reference to the legislative scheme in that case:
“[T]here is a difference between a code of procedure for dealing with visa applications and a
comprehensive statement of the requirements of natural justice. ... The description of the
provisions as a code of procedure is significant, but its significance should not be overstated.”9
[24] The issue is whether the decision to cancel Ms Colebourne's secondment to the position
of Injury Management Advisor affected her rights, interests and legitimate expectations,
such that there was a common law duty to act fairly, in the sense of according procedural
fairness.
[25] In Kioa, Brennan J stated that the presumption that the principles of natural justice
condition the exercise of a statutory power may apply to any statutory power which is
apt to affect any interest possessed by an individual whether or not the interest amounts
to a legal right or is a proprietary or financial interest or relates to reputation.10 In Plaintiff
S10/2011 v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship,11 Gummow, Hayne, Crennan and
Bell JJ stated that they agreed with those observations of Brennan J in Kioa.
[26] I do not have evidence before me which would allow me to determine whether
Ms Colebourne had a legal right to remain seconded to the Injury Management Advisor
position until the date the secondment was due to end, being 28 January 2022.
[27] However, it seems to me, given that Ms Colebourne had been seconded from her
substantive position to the higher classification position of Injury Management Advisor,
that she had been acting in that position since 20 February 2020 and that her secondment
in that position was due to end on 28 January 2022, she had an interest which would be
affected by a decision cancelling that secondment.
[28] I form this view because it is uncontested that:
• Ms Colebourne's substantive position was classified AO3 and the Injury
Management Advisor position was classified AO5, such that during the period of
the secondment, Ms Colebourne was receiving higher remuneration at the
classification AO5 level; and
• the secondment was to continue until 28 January 2022.
8 [2017] QCA 179; (2018) 2 Qd R 93 ('Burragubba').
9 Ibid, Morrison JA at [1] and Phillipides JA at [2] agreeing.
10 Kioa (n 5), 619.
11 [2012] HCA 31; (2012) 246 CLR 636, [66].
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[29] In my opinion, Ms Colebourne had an interest in continuing to receive the higher
remuneration of the Injury Management Advisor position until 28 January 2022.
[30] For this reason, my opinion is that, on the facts of the present case, the exercise of
discretion pursuant to s 120(4) of the PS Act, namely, the discretion of the properly
authorised delegate of the Commissioner of the Service to cancel a secondment at any
time, conferred a statutory power that could destroy or prejudice Ms Colebourne's interest
as I have described. As such, the principles of natural justice regulated the exercise of
that power.
[31] The next issue is whether or not there was a clear manifestation of a contrary statutory
intention to displace the requirement to observe the principles of natural justice in making
the decision to cancel Ms Colebourne's secondment pursuant to s 120(4) of the PS Act.
[32] Clearly, there is nothing express in s 120 of the PS Act about whether or not the principles
of natural justice have to be observed in making a decision to cancel a secondment under
that section.
[33] As the Service submitted, there has been no directive made under the provisions of the
PS Act about the secondment of a public service officer under s 120 of the PS Act, which
may have made reference to whether or not the principles of natural justice have to be
observed in a decision to cancel a secondment.
[34] In its submissions, the Service emphasised the fact that the discretion conferred on the
chief executive of a department (in this case, the Commissioner of the Service or her
properly authorised delegate) was to cancel a secondment '… at any time.'
[35] In written submissions, Ms Colebourne submitted that the fact that a secondment could
be cancelled '… at any time' was not sufficient to displace the requirement to observe the
principles of natural justice in her case. In support of that proposition Ms Colebourne
referred to the decision of the High Court in Jarratt v Commissioner of Police for New
South Wales ('Jarratt')12 where French CJ held that the power in s 51 of the Police Service
Act 1990 (NSW), which conferred upon a public official power to remove an executive
officer from office '… at any time,' given the breadth of that statutory power, was an
argument for, rather than against, a conclusion that it was intended to be exercised fairly.
French CJ held that there were no plain words of necessary intendment that ousted the
obligation to remove an executive officer without a fair opportunity to be heard.13
[36] In my view, s 120 of the PS Act does not clearly manifest a statutory intention to displace
the requirement to observe the principles of natural justice in the exercise of the discretion
to cancel a secondment, where, on the facts of a given case, that requirement arises. There
are two reasons for this.
[37] First, consistently with the decision of French CJ in Jarratt, the fact that s 120(4) of the
PS Act provides that a secondment may be cancelled '… at any time' is not sufficient to
show a clear intention to displace the requirement to observe the principles of natural
justice.
12 [2005] HCA 50; (2005) 224 CLR 44.
13 Ibid [25].
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[38] Secondly, there are no clear words in s 120 of the PS Act that clearly indicate that there
is no requirement to observe the principles of natural justice. In this regard, the
comparison may be made to s 137(10) of the PS Act which expressly provides that, in
suspending a public service employee under that section, natural justice is not required if
the person is entitled to normal remuneration during the suspension. There are no such
or similar words used in s 120 of the PS Act.
[39] There is no dispute that, prior to cancelling the secondment, Ms Colebourne was not
given the opportunity to be heard about whether or not the secondment should be
cancelled.
[40] For this reason, Ms Colebourne was denied natural justice and, for that reason, my
opinion is that the secondment cancellation decision was not fair and reasonable.
[41] My conclusion on this issue makes it unnecessary for me to consider the other
submissions made by the parties. This is because Ms Colebourne should have been heard
about whether or not her secondment should have been cancelled in the first place.
[42] In terms of a remedy, the appropriate course is to set the decision aside, to return the
matter to the decision maker with a copy of this decision, and direct that the question of
whether or not the secondment should be cancelled be reconsidered with Ms Colebourne
being given an opportunity to be heard.
[43] Because Superintendent Lawrence has already made a decision on that issue, my opinion
is that the reconsideration of whether or not the secondment should be cancelled should
be undertaken by another decision maker. I will direct that another person, properly
delegated by the Commissioner of the Service, should reconsider the question of whether
or not the secondment should be cancelled.
Conclusion
[44] For the reasons given, the secondment cancellation decision was not fair and reasonable.
Orders
[45] I make the following orders:
Pursuant to s 562C(1)(c) of the Industrial Relations Act 2016:
(a) the decision appealed against is set aside; and
(b) the matter is returned to the decision maker ('the original decision
maker') with a copy of this decision on appeal; and
(c) it is directed that:
(i) the matter of whether the appellant's secondment to the position of
Injury Management Advisor in Safety and Wellbeing should be
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cancelled pursuant to s 120(4) of the Public Service Act 2008 ('the
matter') be reconsidered;
(ii) the reconsideration of the matter must:
A. be determined by a person, other than the original decision
maker, being a person delegated by the Commissioner of the
Queensland Police Service ('the new decision maker') to
reconsider the matter; and
B. be determined by the new decision maker by complying with
the principles of natural justice.
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Official source: https://www.sclqld.org.au/caselaw/QIRC/2022/017