In the matter of the Australian Rope & Cordage Workers Union an organisaton Of Employees Registered Under the Provision of the Conciliation & Arbitration Act v In the matter of an application for validation of...

[1980] FCA 50

i

iGy .

r	I N TllC FEDERAL COURT	1
OF AUSTRALIA	1 V No. 5 of 1 9 8 0 .
1
INDUSTRIAL DIVISION	1
VICTORIA DISTRICT REGISTRY	)

I N TIIE MATTER of t h e C o n c l l l a t i o n

a n d A r b l t r a t l o n A c t , 1904-19.

I N THE MATTER of t h e A u s t r a l l a n Rope

& Cordage Workers Union an organlsatlo6

of employees registered under	the	!
I

p r o v i s l o n of t h e C o n c l l i a t l o n a n 4

A r b l t r a t l o n A c t , 1904. ,.

- and - I I I

IN TIIE MATTER of a n a p p l i c a t i o n for I.

v a l l d a t i o n of d e c i s i o n s of t h e

F e d e r a l C o u n c l l	of	t h e s a i d
o r g a n l s a t i o n .

EX TENPORE JUDGI4ENT 3 A P R I L 1980.

NORTHROP J.

T h i s 1s a n a p p l i c a t i o n made by t h e A u s t r a l i a n

Rope and Cordage Workers Unlon under sect ion

171C of t h e C o n c i l i a t i o n and A r b l t r a t i o n A c t

1904 as amended. The union i s a n o r g a n i s a t i o n

r e g i s t e r e d u n d e r t h e ac t b u t slncc 1 9 7 1 , f o r

p rac t i ca l p u r p o s e s , t h e f c d c r z l c o u n c i l of t h a t

un lon has been unable t o a c t s ince t h e llcw South

Nales branch ceased t o e x i s t a n d a l t h o u v h t h e

Vic tor ian b ranch con t inue t o o p e r a t e w i t h i n

i t s s t a t e r u l e s it was i m p o s s i b l e t o elect a

f e d e r a l c o u n c i l of s u f f i c i e n t numbers t o s a t l s f y

t h e quorum requirements of r u l e 7 o f t h e rules

of t h e union .

In o r d e r t o overcomc thc p rob lem and a c t i n g

on t h e a d v l c e of t h e industrial regls t rzr c c r t a l n

s t e p s were t a k e n . r i r s t l y , a n c l cc t lon v a s h e l d

i n t h e Vlctorian b ranch f o r d e l e g a t e s to f e d e r a l

councll . Tha t e l ec t ion was c a r r l c r l o u t accorcllng

t o t h e s t a t e r u l e s a n d t h e r e 1 s no cha l l enge as

t o I ts v a l i d i t y . T h e t h r c e pcl-sons were

t h u s e lected h e l d a m e e t i n g o f f e d e r a l c o u n c i l

a n d e l e c t e d t h r e e f e d e r a l o f f l c e r s .

I

- 2 -

Under r u l e 7 o f t h e r u l e s o f t h e union

a quorum consists of f i ve pe r sons and a c c o r d i n g l y

t h e e l e c t i o n of t h o s e t h r e e p e r s o n s as t h e

three o f f i c e r s o f t h e u n i o n c o n s t i t u t e s a n

invalidity. A t t h e same m e e t i n g o f f e d e r a l

c o u n c i l t h o s e t h r e e p e r s o n s a c t l n g u n d e r r u l e

29 o f t h e r u l e s o f t h e u n i o n p u r p o r t e d t o

r e s o l v e t o amend r u l e 7 by d e l e t i n g t h e then

f i v e members

e x i s t i n g quorum p rov i s ions ,namely ,

p r e s e n t a t any meeting of t h e c o u n c i l s h a l l

form a q w n n n a n d s u b s t i t u t i n g a d i f f e r e n t quorum

requi rement as fo l lows :

A m a l o r i t y o f d e l e g a t e s e l i g i b l e t o

a t t e n d a n y m e e t i n g o f t h e c o u n c i l s h a l l

form a quorum. -

On t h e f a c e o f i t t h a t q u i t e c l e a r l y was done

i n v a l i d l y s i n c e it was done a t a m e e t i n g a t

whlch there was no quorum and because of t h e

r e q u i r e m e n t s s e c t i o n 1 3 9 sub - sec t ion 4 o f t h e

a c t , thc i n d u s t r i a l r e g i s t r a r h a s n o t b e e n a b l e

t o c e r t i f y ‘;he a l t e r a t i o n t o the ru l e s and

t h e r e f o r e t h e a l t e r a t i o n h a s n o t and can not

come	i n t o e f f e c t .
I n t h e s e c i r c u m s t a n c e s t h e u n i o n makes t h e

a p p l l c a t i o n u n d e r s e c t i o n 171C o f t h c a c t s e e k i n g

o r d e r s v a l i d a t i n g t h e e l e c t i o n o f t h e t h r e e

o f f i c e r s o f t h e u n i o n a n d v a l i d a t i n g t h e amendment

t o r u l e 7 o f t h e r u l e s o f t h e un lon . I f such an

o r d e r 1s made t h e a l t e r a t i o n o r amendment t o r u l e

7 c a n b e l o d g e d w i t h t h e i n d u s t r i a l r e g i s t r a r

who will t h e n b e able t o c o n s l d e r w h e t h e r ,

c o m p l y i n g w i t h s e c t i o n 139 sub- sec t ion 4 , t h e

a l t e r a t i o n h a s b e e n v a l i d l y made and i f so t o

g i v e h i s c e r t i f i c a t e so a s t o e n a b l e t h e

a l t e r a t i o n t o come i n t o e f f e c t and t h e r e a f t e r

t h e f e d e r a l c o u n c i l o f t h e union will b e a b l e

t o e x e r c i s e t h e powers n e c e s s a r y t o g e t t h e

f e d e r a l body working agaln.

I am s a t i s f i e d t h a t s u c h o r d e r s s h o u l d b e

made b u t i n do ing so I draw a t t e n t i o n t o s e c t i o n

171C sub- sec t ion 2 paragraph l3 and D o f t h e

a c t . On t h e material p u t b e f o r e m e I am s a t i s f i e d

t h a t t h e o r d e r I propose t o make will n o t d o

s u b s t a n t i a l i n j u s t i c e t o t h e u n i o n i t se l f or t o

any member o r c r e d i t o r or t o any person having

d e a l i n g s w i t h t h e o r g a n i s a t i o n .

I n f a c t , w h a t is being done will have the

o p p o s i t e e f f e c t o f d o i n g s u b s t a n t i a l j u s t i c e

t o a l l those pe r sons . Second ly , hav ing r ega rd

t o t h e r a t h e r u n i q u e p r o v i s i o n s w h l c h h a v e

o c c u r r e d , t h e f a c t t h a t t h e Vic to r i an b ranch

i s the on ly ex i s t ing b ranch o f t he un ion and

it d i d h a v e t h e e l e c t i o n o f t h e t h r e e d e l e g a t e s

- 3 -

t o f e d e r a l council I d e t e r m i n e t h a t n o n o t l c e

need be given of t h i s a p p l i c a t i o n . T h e r e n e e d

be no summons or r u l e t o show cause and the re

shou ld be no adver t i sement in any newspaper

as r e q u i r e d by s e c t i o n 171C 2D. Accordlngly,

i n t h e r e s u l t I make t h e f o l l o w i n g o r d e r s :

1. T h a t t h e meet ing of t h e f e d e r a l c o u n c i l

of t h e A u s t r a l i a n Rope and Cordage Workers Unlon

held on Tuesday 20 March 1 9 7 9 f o r a l l p u r p o s e s

b e t r e a t e d as a v a l i d m e e t i n g of t h e f e d e r a l

c o u n c i l o f t h a t union.

2 . That the e l e c t i o n o f t h e f o l l o w i n g

p e r s o n s t o t h e o f f i c e r s s p e c i f l e d , n a m e l y ,

c. B e t t s , . f e d e r a l p r e s i d e n t ; P. Mead, g e n e r a l

s e c r e t a r y ; K . H a r v e y , f e d e r a l v i c e p r e s i d e n t ,

b e t r e a t e d as v a l i d e l e c t i o n s t o t h o s e officers.

3 . T h a t t h e a l t e r a t l o n t o r u l e 7 of t h e

r u l e s o f t h e u n i o n a n d i n p a r t i c u l a r r u l e 7

by d e l e t m g t h e w o r d s " f i v e members p r e s e n t a t

any mee t ing o f t he counc i l sha l l fo rm a quorum"

a n d s u b s t l t u t m g t h e w o r d s " a m a j o r i t y of d e l e g a t e s

e l i g i b l e t o a t t e n d any mee t ing o f t he counc i l

s h a l l form a q u o r u m " b e t r e a t e d f o r a l l p u r p o s e s

a s a v a l i d a l t e r a t i o n t o t h e ru l e s s u b l e c t t o

t h e power o f t h e i n d u s t r i a l r e g i s t r a r c o n f e r r e d

s e c t i o n 139 s u b s e c t i o n 4 of t h e a c t .

by

That i s t h e o n l y o r d e r n e e d b e made. It is

now necessa ry t o make t h e a p p l l c a t i o n t o t h e

i n d u s t r i a l r e g i s t r a r t o h a v e t h a t r u l e a l t e r a t l o n

cer t i f ied . I t h i n k t h a t d e a l s w i t h y o u r matters,

does it n o t ?

I certify that this and the &c

preceding pages are a true copy of the.

Reos6ns for Judbment herein of the