Inghams Enterprises Pty Ltd v Karanfilov

Inghams Enterprises Pty Ltd (the employer) appealed to the High Court of Australia against a decision of the Full Federal Court, which had affirmed a judgment in favour of Mr. Karanfilov (the employee) in proceedings concerning alleged breaches of the *Workplace Relations Act 1996* (Cth). The dispute centred on whether the employer had unlawfully terminated the employee's employment.

The High Court was required to determine whether the employee's claim for relief under the Act was barred by the operation of section 137 of the *Limitation of Actions Act 1974* (Qld), which prescribes a six-year limitation period for actions for breach of contract. The central question was whether the employee's claim, brought under federal workplace relations legislation, was an "action for breach of contract" for the purposes of the Queensland limitation statute.

The High Court held that the employee's claim was not an action for breach of contract. Gleeson CJ and Heydon J reasoned that the *Workplace Relations Act 1996* created a statutory cause of action for unlawful termination, distinct from any common law action for breach of contract. While the employment contract provided the context for the employment relationship, the statutory cause of action arose from the statute itself, not from the contract. Therefore, the Queensland limitation period for breach of contract did not apply to the statutory claim.

The appeal was dismissed.