Alam v National Australia Bank Limited

In *Alam v National Australia Bank Limited*, an application was made to the Federal Court of Australia for interlocutory relief concerning reinstatement to a full-time position pending the determination of claims of adverse action brought under the *Fair Work Act 2009* (Cth). The applicant, Mr Alam, sought this relief against the respondent, National Australia Bank Limited.

The central legal issue before the Court was whether it should grant an interlocutory order for Mr Alam's reinstatement to his full-time employment. This required the Court to consider the principles governing the grant of interlocutory relief in the context of adverse action claims, specifically whether the applicant had established a sufficient likelihood of success on the merits and whether the balance of convenience favoured granting the order.

Judge Altobelli refused the application, finding that Mr Alam had not satisfied the threshold for interlocutory relief. The Court determined that the applicant had not demonstrated a strong enough case to warrant an order for reinstatement before the final hearing of his adverse action claims. The balance of convenience was also found to weigh against granting the interlocutory order.