| [2022] FWC 1603 |
| FAIR WORK COMMISSION |
| DECISION |
Fair Work Act 2009
s.394—Unfair dismissal
Kayla Zikking
v
Progekt Group Pty
(U2022/5689)
| COMMISSIONER BISSETT | MELBOURNE, 23 JUNE 2022 |
Application for an unfair dismissal remedy – unpaid application – dismissal under s.587 at the Commission’s initiative
On 24 May 2022 Ms Kayla Zikking made an application to the Fair Work Commission for a remedy for unfair dismissal pursuant to s.394 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (FW Act).
The application was incomplete in that Ms Zikking did not pay the required fee or file a completed waiver form.
On 25 May 2022 the Commission attempted to contact Ms Zikking on her nominated telephone number to discuss payment of the required fee however, Ms Zikking could not be reached. A voicemail message was left requesting she contact the Commission.
Later that day, the Commission emailed correspondence to Ms Zikking’s nominated email address advising that her application required payment of the filing fee or a completed waiver form if she wished to proceed with the application. That correspondence also warned that if payment was not made or a waiver form was not received within 14 days, the application may be dismissed.
A final attempt to contact Ms Zikking was made by the Commission on 6 June 2022 to obtain payment or a completed waiver form. The call was not answered and another voicemail was left.
To date there has been no response from Zikking, the required fee has not been paid and a completed waiver form has not been received.
Section 395 of the FW Act, which deals with application fees, provides as follows:
395 Application fees
(1) An application to the FWC under this Division must be accompanied by any fee prescribed by the regulations.
(2) The regulations may prescribe:
(a) a fee for making an application to the FWC under this Division; and
(b) a method for indexing the fee; and
(c) the circumstances in which all or part of the fee may be waived or refunded.
Section 587(1) of the FW Act provides:
587 Dismissing applications
(1) Without limiting when the FWC may dismiss an application, the FWC may dismiss an application if:
(a) the application is not made in accordance with this Act; or
(b) the application is frivolous or vexatious; or
(c) the application has no reasonable prospect of success.Having regard to the circumstances of this matter, I am satisfied that as the application was not accompanied by the fee prescribed by the FW Act, the application was not made in accordance with the FW Act. As such, the application is dismissed pursuant to s.587(1)(a) of the FW Act. An order[1] to this effect will be issued with this decision.
COMMISSIONER
[1] PR742974.
Printed by authority of the Commonwealth Government Printer
<PR742973>
- AGLC
- Kayla Zikking v Progekt Group Pty [2022] FWC 1603
- Case
- [2022] FWC 1603
- Decision Date
CaseChat Overview and Summary
The primary legal issue the Fair Work Commission had to address was whether Ms Zikking's application for unfair dismissal met the requirements of the Fair Work Act. Specifically, the Commission needed to determine if the application was in compliance with the Act, considering that it was not accompanied by the required fee or a completed waiver form. The Commission also had to consider whether the application had a reasonable prospect of success and whether it was frivolous or vexatious. Given that the application did not meet the basic requirements of the Act and the Commission had made unsuccessful attempts to contact Ms Zikking to rectify the deficiencies, the Commission found that the application was not made in accordance with the Act and was therefore dismissed.
The Fair Work Commission found that Ms Zikking's application for unfair dismissal was not in accordance with the Fair Work Act because it lacked the required fee or a completed waiver form. The Commission emphasised that section 395 of the Fair Work Act mandates that applications be accompanied by the prescribed fee or a completed waiver form. The Commission had made multiple attempts to contact Ms Zikking to address these issues, but there was no response from her. Consequently, the Commission concluded that the application did not comply with the Act and was dismissed under section 587(1)(a). The Commission's decision was based on the procedural requirements of the Act and the unsuccessful attempts to contact Ms Zikking to resolve the deficiencies in her application.
The Fair Work Commission ordered that the application for unfair dismissal by Ms Kayla Zikking against Progekt Group Pty be dismissed. The dismissal was pursuant to section 587(1)(a) of the Fair Work Act, which allows for the dismissal of applications that are not made in accordance with the Act. The Commission also noted that an order would be issued with this decision, confirming the dismissal of the application.
Orders
Orders of the court
Full text does not contain this section.
Background
Background to the litigation
Full text does not contain this section.
Evidence
Evidence Before The Court
Full text does not contain this section.
Decision
Reasons for decision
Full text does not contain this section.
Ratio Decidendi
Legal Principle Established
Full text does not contain this section.