Mullarkey, A v Construction Engineering Australia Pty Ltd
[1987] FCA 10
•22 Jan 1987
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| THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA | 1 |
| NEW SOUTH WALES DISTRICT REGISTRY | 1 | No. G225 of 1986 |
| I | GENERAL DIVISION | ) |
| I |
| I | I | IN THE MA!ITFB of the Trade Practices Act 1974, Section 45E(1) |
| 1 | BJZCWEEN: ALLAN VICTOR MULLARKEY AND |
ANOTHER
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| I | Applicants |
| I | CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AUSTRALIA PTY LIMIW AND |
| l | OTHERS |
| I | Respondents |
| 1 | I | CORAM: | matt J |
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| l | - | DATE : | 22 January 1987 |
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| PLACE: | Sydney |
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MINUTES OF ORDER
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| I | On 12 August 1986 the Court ordered that the application by way |
| ! | of interlocutory relief referred to in the application herein |
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| dated 6 June 1986 be dismissed and reserved costs. | |
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| I | THE COURT ORDERS THAT: |
| I | The | applicants pay each of the respondent's costs of and |
incidental to the application for interim relief.
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| l | Note: Settlement and entry | of orders is dealt with in Order 36 |
| I | of the Federal Court Rules. |
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| IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA | 1 | No. G225 of 1986 |
| NEW SOUTH WALES DISTRICT REGISTRY | 1 | No. G226 of 1986 |
| GENERAL DIVISION | 1 | No. G227 of 1986 |
| 1 | No. G229 of 1986 |
| IN THE MA | = | of the Trade Practices |
Act 1974, Section 45E(1)
| BETNEEN: | ALLAN VICTOR MULllLRxEY | AND |
| ANOTHER |
First Applicants
CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING
AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED AND
OTHERS
| BETWEEN: | DOUNSKA JENCAR |
Second Applicant
| RICHARD CROOKES | AND |
| ASSOCIATES PTY LIMITED | AND |
| OTHERS |
| BETbEEN: | EDWARD JOSEPH McNAMARA |
Third Applicant
| LEIGHTON CONTRACTORS | PTY |
| LIMITED AND OTHERS |
| BEITWEEN: | RODNEY CAMPBELL |
Fourth Applicant
WHITE INDUSTRIES PTY
LIMITED AND OTHERS
| . . . . | - |
| CORAM: | matt J |
| : | 22 January 1987 . |
| PLACE: | Sydney |
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REASONS FOR JUIXMENT
| On | 5 May | 1986 the Court, as presently constituted, in matter |
G164l86, Roberts v Murlar Pty Limited & Others (Roberts' case),
| made | certain | interlocutory | orders | against | the | applicant's |
employer, the first named respondent including the following:
| That | the | first named respondent continue to | employ the |
| aPPl | icant without imposing conditions on such | employment, |
| that | the applicant, | ||||||
| (a) |
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| Employees' and Builders Labourers' Federation; | |||||||
| (b) | become a member of the Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia; | ||||||
| (c) | surrender his membership with the Australian Builders | ||||||
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| Federation. |
The Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia, (the BWIU or the organization) an organization of employees registered under
| the Conciliation | and Arbitration Act | 1904 was named as the second |
respondent in that matter, the third respondent being an official
within the organization being its job steward at Mr Robert's then
place of work, whilst the fourth named respondent was the person
whom it was alleged gave directions on behalf of the employer to
| the applicant as to the work | he was required to | do at that place |
| of work. In-that matter, filed therein, the applicant, following | as appears from the statement of clazm |
| his | dismissal from work |
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| by the first named respondent, alleged | a contravention by the |
first named respondent and the second named respondent, the
| organization, of paragraph | 45E(1) of the Trade Practices Act 1974 |
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(the Act) and made application for interim orders as set out
therein.
Section 45E(1) reads:
| 45E.(1) | Subject to this section, | a person who has been |
accustomed, or is under an obligation, to supply goods or
| services to, or to acquire goods or services from, | a second |
| person shall not make | a contract or arrangement, or arrive at |
| an understanding, with a third person (being | an organization |
| of employees, an | officer of such an organization, or another |
| person acting for or on behalf of such | an | organization or |
| offic&) | the | if | proposed | contract, | arrangement | or |
| ! | understanding contains | a provision that | - |
| has the | purpose | of | preventing | or | hindering | the |
first-mentioned person from supplying or continuing to
| ! | supply any such goods | or services to the second person |
| i | or, as the case may be, from acquiring or continuing to |
| acquire any such goods or services from the second person; |
| (b) has the | purpose | of | preventing | or | hindering | the |
first-mentioned person from supplying or continuing to
supply any such goods or services to the second person
| except subject to a condition (not being | a condition to |
| which the supply | of | such goods or services by the |
| first-mentioned | person | to | the | second | person | has |
| previously been subject by reason of a provision of | a |
contract existing between those persons) as to the
persons to whom, as to the manner in which, or as to the
| terms on which, the second person may supply | any goods |
| or services; or |
| (c) has the | purpose | of | preventing | or | hindering | the |
first-mentioned person from acquiring or continuing to
| acquire | any | such goods or services from the second |
| person except subject to | a | condition (not being | a |
condition to which the acquisition of such goods or
| services by the-f-2rst-mentioned person from | the-second |
| person | has | previously been subject by reason of | a |
contract existing between those persons) as to the
| persons to whom,.as to the manner in which, or | as to the |
| terms on which, the second person may supply | any goods |
| or services. |
"Services" are defined in the Act as:
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| "Services" includes | any | rights | (includinq rights in relation |
| to, and interests | in, real or personal property), benefits, |
| privileges or facilities that are, or are | to be, provided, |
| I | granted or conferred in trade or commerce, and without | |||||||
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| (a) a contract for or in relation to | - |
| (i) the performance of work (including work of | a |
professional nature), whether with or without
the supply of goods;
(ii)the provision of, or of the use or enjoyment of facilities for, amusement, entertainment, recreation or instructlon; or
| (iii) | the | conferring | of | rights, | benefits | or |
privileges for which renumeration is payable in the form of a royalty, tribute, levy or similar exaction;
(b) a contract of insurance;
| (c) a contract between | a banker and a customer of the |
banker entered into in the course of the carrying on
by the banker of the business of banking; or
| (d) | any contract for or in relation to the lending of |
moneys,
| but does not include rights or benefits | being the supply of |
| goods or the performance of work under | a contract of service; |
| When the matter was called on for the hearing | of the application |
| I | for interim orders there was no appearance by the first named | ||||||
| l | respondent employer. Even though the hearing of the interim | ||||||
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| application extended beyond one day, at no stage was the first named respondent represented before the Court. | |||||||
| The alleged facts leading up to the applicant's dismissal from | |||||||
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5.
| was not a | member of the BWIU nor did | he wish to become a member |
of that organization; that on 28 April 1986 he was directed to attend at the first respondent's office at Rydalmere and there spoke with the fourth named respondent and asked by him to sign
| an | application form to become | a | member of the BWIU. After |
signing the said form. the applicant was asked to surrender his
| BLF ticket and was told that if he did not hand that ticket over, | - |
| he would not have his | job | with the first named respondent. This |
he refused to do and was then dismissed. Other details of the
circumstances surrounding that applicant's dismissal are fully
| set out in the ex | tempore reasons for judgment given on 5 May |
1986 (not yet reported).
At the conclusion of the evidence, Mr Rothman of Counsel, who appeared for the BWIU, submitted that accepting for the purposes
| of argument the facts | as disclosed in the affidavits and the |
| particulars set out in the statement of claim, | any "services" |
| which | the | first | named | respondent, | the | employer, | had | been |
| accustomed | to | acquire | from | the | applicant, | were | but | the |
| performance of work under | a contract of service and that that |
| being so, | were by definition (see | s . 4 of the Act) excluded from |
| the meaning of "services" in | s.45E(1). | Mr Oslington QC, who with |
| Mr Haylen .appeared | f o r | Mr | - Roberts, argued | - that -the word |
| "services" is given | a very wide and inclusive meaning and after |
lengthy submissions persuaded the Court that there was, on those
| facts, | an arguable case to | be | presented to the Court by the |
applicant at the hearing of the matter, particularly as regards
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| paragraph (c) | of s.45E(l), that the "services" alleged to have |
been acquired by the employer respondent from the applicant and
| the acquisition of | which | had been prevented by the alleged |
arrangement between the employer and the BWIU went beyond the
| mere performance of | work under a contract of service. It | is |
stressed that the Court on that interlocutory application did not
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have the advantage of hearing evidence from or submissions
| I | generally from the respondent employer. | ||
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| that the balance of convenience was clearly in the applicant's | |||
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| should be presently noted that the BWIU in that case had not led | |||
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| granting of the said interim orders could well lead to industrial problems at the particular building site at which the applicant | |||
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| August 1986. Judgment, dismissing the application was given on | |||
| 22 August 1986 (not yet reported). |
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| Further, it was notorious that some few weeks before | 5 May 1986, |
| the BLF had | been | deregistered | pursuant | to | Commonwealth |
| legislation (Acts | No. 6 and 7 of | 1986 | (Cwlth)) and, as a |
consequence of the said legislation, was unable to represent Its
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members on building sites throughout various parts of Australia
| including New South Wales and Victoria | or be | a party to any |
| federal award, | or | represent those members before the Federal |
Arbitration Commission. Legislation having similar consequences
within New South Wales and Victoria was enacted by both the New
South Wales and Victorian Parliament.
It was also notorious that at that time several members of the only to resign from the then unregistered association but also
| refused to | join the | BWIU. | Further, it was notorious that the |
| policy of | "no ticket-no start" was strictly adhered to by | all |
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| unions | in | the | building | industry | in | those | States | and | that |
employers generally in the building industry in those States
| followed such | a policy. | A further consequence of the enacting of |
| thereafter the work which was formerly covered by the BLF was allocated to (inter alia) the BWIU leading to a new Award covering work formerly covered by the Building Construction | the said legislation and regulations made thereunder was that earlier Award had been binding on the BLF,being handed down by the Federal Arbitration Commission on 25 June 1986, effective on | |||||||||
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| It is clear in my view that the expressed reasons for granting | ||||||||||
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8.
| officials, it being immediately claimed by the | BLF | and those |
| officials that | the Court had ordered reinstatement of | a BLF |
member who had been dismissed by his employer for refusing to
| join the | BWIU | and that all members who had been | so dismissed |
should as a result of that decision be reinstated by their
respective employers.
This then was history immediately before the filing in this
Court of five applications, including the four particular matters
| shown in the heading hereof, on | 6 June 1986. |
In each of the above-listed four matters the applicants in their
| original statement | of claim alleged a contravention of s.45EC1) |
| of the Act by their respective employer, each being | a corporation |
within the meaning of the Act and the BWIU and the Master each respective applicant.
| The additional fifth application filed on | 6 June 1986 was matter |
No. G 2 2 8 f 8 6 , Siddons v Kern Konstructions Ptv Limited and Others,
| wherein Mr | Siddons alleged a similar breach of | s.45E of the Act |
| by his employer, Kern Konstructions Pty Limited, the | BWIU and the |
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Master Builders' Association of New Soutli Wales;
| The five matters were listed on | 16 June 1986 | for the hearing of |
| the applicants' application for interim orders. Mr Oslington | QC |
| with Mr Wheelhouse, appeared for all applicants and Mr Tobin | QC |
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9.
| with Mr Rothman and Mr | G. | Harris, appeared for the BWIU. Mr |
Callaghan of counsel appeared for the Master Builders Association of New South Wales, a named respondent in all matters other than
| G225/86. Additionally, | in | G225/86, | Mullarkev | and | Another | v |
| Steven Crabb and Others (Mullarkev’s case), Mr Uren | QC with Mr |
Lawrence appeared for the State of Victoria and for Mr Crabb, the
| then | Minister | for | Industrial | Relations | in | the | Victorian |
Government; whilst Mr Trew QC with Mr Vickery appeared for the
| applicants’ employer, Constructions Engineering Australia | Pty |
Limited; Mr Dejula, the employer‘s representative who terminated
the applicants’ employment and for the sixth respondent, the
Master Builders Association of Victoria; In matter G226/86,
Jencar v Richard Crookes and Associates Ptv Limited and Others
(Jencar’s case), Mr McDevitt of counsel appeared for the first
| named respondent, the applicant’s employer, and for | Mr | Barry |
Murphy and Mr Jack Campbell, respectively the employer‘s Regional
| Manager and foreman; | In matter G227/86, McNamara | v Leishton |
Contractors Ptv Limited (McNamara’s case), Mr Holmes of counsel appeared for the first named respondent, the applicant’s employer and its project manager, Mr Simon Oliver; In matter G228/86,
| Siddons | v Kern Konstructions Ptv Limited and Others (Siddons‘ |
case), Mr Ashburner of counsel appeared for the first respondent
| employer; in matter G229/86, Campbell | v | White Industries Pty |
| Limited and Others (Campbell’s case), | Mr McCarthy and Mr Lamprati |
appeared for the first named respondent employer and Mr Phi1
| Mouton and | Mr Ron Moses respectively the employer‘s project |
manager and foreman.
10.
Appearances having been taken in all matters. the Court suggested that the application for interim orders in the then five matters could be heard together. This was objected to by the respective
respondents but each indicated that they were quite happy to have
such applications for interim orders heard each following the
other with all parties' counsel in attendance, but on the clear
| understanding that the evidence in one case | was not to be used | as |
evidence in any other unless consented to. On the belief that
this would have an overall effect of shortening each matter, that
procedure was adopted.
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It is convenient at this stage to point out that early during the
| hearing of the applications Mr Siddons | in matter | No. G228/86, |
| l | through his counsel, withdrew | his application for interim orders |
for reasons which need not be stated. Accordingly, that matter
| was then stood over | for further directions. |
| At an | early stage Mr Oslington indicated that the applicants were |
| not | seeking | interim | orders | against | the | Master | Builders |
Association of New South Wales. Mr Callaghan then sought leave,
| which was granted, that | he be excused at will, indicating that | he |
| wished to | put final submissions to the Court as to the proper |
| construction of s.45E(1) | -of the Act. | This he did on 12 August |
| 1986. |
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| When the first matter was called. on for hearing on | 16 June 1986, |
Mr Uren immediately submitted that the Court had no jurisdiction
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| I | to hear the application against his clients as the Act did not | ||||||||
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| instrumentality or any agent of the State of Victoria (see s.2A | |||||||||
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| claim against Mr Crabb and the State of Victoria indicating that formal notice of discontinuance in that regard would be filed. | |||||||||
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| i | satisfied that any orders against the employer respondent in that | ||||||||
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| (1980) 50 FLR 130). | |||||||||
| Affidavit and oral evidence was led in each of the four matters. In all, the hearing of the evidence in all four matters occupied | |||||||||
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| submissions, the parties having been made aware sometime before that owing to its commitments, the Court would not be able to |
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12.
further sit in the matter until early in August. Mr Oslington
| then indicated that | he had reduced the applicant's submissions | on |
the matter of principle to writing which were then handed up. He
| then commenced | to speak to his written submissions. At that |
| stage | Mr | Uren reminded the Court that there had been some |
discussion on 3 July of amending the application in each of the
| matters and that | he | did not wish to prepare further written |
| submissions during the adjournment in July if the application | as |
| filed was to | be | amended. Amended applications apparently had | at |
that stage not been completely engrossed so the Court permitted
| Mr Oslington | to | address. | Mr | Oslington | finished | his | oral |
submissions shortly before 1.00pm when the Court adjourned for lunch. On resuming at 2.15pm Mr Oslington sought leave to file
an amended statement of claim in each of the four matters which
| were | accepted | after | it | was | indicated | that | the | respective |
| respondents had | no objection. |
| Paragraph 6 and 12 of | the | amended | statement | of | claim | in |
| Mullarkev's case reads: |
| The first | respondent | (employer) | has | been | accustomed | to |
acquire services from the applicant.
The applicant was employed by the first respondent for
| approximately 12 | months prior to April 1986 to perform work |
as a builder's laboufer (for the first respondent during that
period. (Emphasis added).
Whilst the other statements of claim vary marginally as to length
| of previous work, the substance of paragraph | 6 does not vary. |
13.
The amended statements of claim set out further particulars of
| other alleged services. These appear in paragraph | 12 | of the |
| statement of claim in Mullarkev's case and in paragraph | 7 in the |
| other matters. Paragraph 12 (or 7 ) reads: |
| Further, prior to | 23 April 1986, the first respondent made | an |
| arrangement or came to | an | understanding with the second |
respondent andlor the third respondent which contained a
| provision for the purpose | or purposes which included the |
purpose of preventing or hindering the first respondent from
acquiring and continuing to acquire the services from the
| applicants except subject to | a condition (which was not | a |
| condition | to which the | acquisition | of such services had |
| previously been subject to) that the | applicants: |
| (i) resign | from | the | Australian | Building | Construction |
Employees and Builders' Labourers' Federation;
| (ii) become | a member of the second respondent. |
| PARTICULARS |
| A | The particulars of the said services are: | |
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selection in the class of persons to perform work
| without reference to membership | or non-membership |
| of | any particular trade union, organisation | or |
federation;
| (b) | the right, benefit or privilege of accepting an | |||||
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organisation or federation;
| - | - -.--- | -4-c-F- | the | -- right;-benefit- --or--privi-lege- | - L e t a i r r i m | - - |
| employment | a | person without reference to that |
| person's | membership | or non-membership of any |
particular trade union, organisation or federation;
(d) the right, benefit or privilege of not having to
terminate or suspend 'a person from employment
| because of that | person's | membership | or |
| non-membership | of | any | particular | trade | union, |
organisation or federation;
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| (e) | the right, benefit or privilege of not having to | ||
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particular trade union andfor resign membership of
a trade union, organisation or federation.
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| This paragraph as paragraph | 7 | is repeated in each of the other |
three amended statements of claim, the only variation being the
| date in April | 1986 prior to which the alleged arrangement etc | was |
| made. |
| Mr | Uren then addressed the Court in support of | his | written |
submissions up until 4.30 pm when the matter was stood over
part-heard until 8 August 1986.
| When the matter resumed on Friday, | 8 August 1986 Mr Wheelhouse, |
in the absence of senior counsel for the applicant, sought leave
| to further amend the statement | of claim in all matters, copies of |
which had only some minutes before been handed to the respective
parties. Objection was taken by all parties to the filing of the
| further | amended | statements | of claim at that | stage | of | the |
| proceedings. | It | was | suggested | by | at | least | some | of | the |
respondents, if not all, that if accepted it would be necessary
| that | each matter be re-opened in order that further evidence |
| might be called. After hearing argument the Court adjourned | at |
| the request of Mr Wheelhouse | so that he might seek instructions. |
When the Court resumed at 11.30am, Mr Oslington who was part
| heard in | another Court and who had been granted short leave of |
absence therefrom stated,
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15.
I have been told Your Honour there is some difficulties with
| the amendment. May | I simply say this Your Honour, that the |
amendment only seeks to accommodate that which Mr Uren
addressed on the last occasion.
The Court thereafter during 8 August heard submissions from a11
parties as to whether the further amended particulars of claims
should be received at that stage of the respective proceedings
| before adjourning the matter to Monday, | 11 August 1986, |
On 11 August 1986 Mr Levine QC with Mr Rudge announced his
appearance for the applicants in each of the four matters. The
Court, during the forenoon, heard submissions from Mr Levine and
counsel for some of the respondents in respect of the filing of
the further amendments. On resuming at 2.15pm Mr Levine stated:
| MR LEVINE: | Your Honour, on Friday on behalf of each of the | |||
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| understood it on Friday and today, taken place argument as to whether or not your Honour should allow the amendment or amendments sought to be made as constituted in that document. MY instructions are to inform your Honour that the application to amend is withdrawn. | ||||
| MR m: | Costs, your Honour? | |||
| HIS HONOUR: | I will reserve costs. That is to say, we are | |||
| back to the application as formerly filed and the | ||||
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| of claim. |
| M R | LEVINE: | That is Eight. Our present position is, your | |||||
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| interlocutory relief; and their case is as set | |||||||
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| described a5 the amended statement of claim on 4 July. |
| HIS HONOUR: And the applicants submissions are as put by | Mr |
Oslington on 4 July?
| MR LEVINE: | That is right, your Honour. | ||
| HIS HONOUR: |
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| those other than to seek leave to file the | |||
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| did. | |||
| M R LEWINE: | In any event, your Honour, the position is this: | ||
| that no further submissions are to be made on behalf of the applicants in support of that case. Their case rests, as it were, on the submissions | |||
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| Honour has just said as to costs, I have nothing further to say; and with no disrespect either to | |||
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| Thereafter and on the following day, | 12 August 1986, Mr Trew, Mr |
McDevitt, Mr Callaghan, Mr Holmes, Mr Rothman and Mr McCarthy put
| submissions on behalf | of their respective clients opposing the |
granting of any interim orders. The Court then invited the
| solicitor for the applicants | to put any submission in reply |
| orally, | indicating | that | it | was | not | intended | to | grant | an |
adjournment to enable such Submissions to be reduced to writing.
| The applicants pressed for such | an adjournment. After hearing |
| the | solicitor | for | the | applicants | the | Court | refused | that |
application stating:
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HIS HONOUR: In the matters presently before the Court, Nos
| G225, 226, 227 and 229 | of | 1986 I | reject the |
application that the matters be adjourned to
| enable the applicants to await the transcript | so |
that either Mr Oslington or Mr Wheelhouse, who
are otherwise engaged this week, can read the
| transcript | and | make | written | submissions | in |
| reply. I reject | that | application | in | the |
| circumstances. | Without | detailing | those |
circumstances at this stage it is not proper, in
my view, that the matter should be delayed any
| further as | I am | of the firm view that the court |
| should | indicate | its | decision | as to | the |
| application for | interlocutory relief in the |
| various matters and | I feel sure there is nothing |
| that can be put in reply | which would cause the |
court to change that view.
| In all the circumstances, in each | of the matters |
where each of the respective applicants seeks
| interlocutory | relief | against | nominated |
| respondents I am of the | view | that | the |
interlocutory relief sought in each respective
matter should be refused for varying and various
reasons. I will publish full reasons in each
matter together with orders as to costs.
| A n essential condition for | a breach of | s.45E | to have been |
| committed is that | a person must have been accustomed, or under an |
| obligation, to supply or acquire goods or services to or from second person. The two persons in these matters, as pleaded, were the employer as the first person and the employee as the | a |
| second | and | the | allegation | was | that | such | employer | acquired |
services from the employee.
| It | is clear that the performance of work under | a | contract of |
| service is excluded from the meaning of "services" within | s.45E. |
| It will be seen that paragraph | 6 of all the amended statements of |
claim have the performance of work as the particulars of the
services acquired by the .first respondent employer.
| All applicants being employed under | a contract of service thus |
allege that the services the employers have been accustomed to
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acquire from the applicant are -the performance of work. This is
| not | a service within the definition of "services" in the Act |
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because it has been expressly excluded from that definition (see
| s.4). | Thus paragraph 6 of each amended statement of claim does |
| ! | not support | a cause of action alleging | a breach of s.45E. |
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| l | Turning then to paragraph | 12 (or | 7 ) . | First, it is extremely |
| unlikely that any of paragraph | 12 (or 7) services are in fact |
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services within the meaning of the Act. They do not fit within
| the language of the statute. | In my view, the elements of the |
| performance of work under | a | contract of service, such | as the |
| initial offer to work is | an integral part of the performance of |
| I | work and should not be treated separately | so as to constitute a |
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| I | service distinct from the performance of work. | ||
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| service within the meaning of the Act, they are not services which. according to the language of the statute, the employer had | |||
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| derived from the general law and not acquired from the applicant. | |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| & Others at p 20 of his roneoed reasons for judgment delivered on 22 August 1986. |
19.
| I | Further, it is alleged by each of the applicants that there was | ||
| i | an arrangement or understanding between their respective employer | ||
| |||
| the alleged services being acquired from the applicant by the employer unless the applicant became a member of the BWIU. | |||
| The evidence is that members of the BWIU would not work with | |||
| |||
| the "no ticket-no start" principle which, as pointed out earlier | |||
| |||
| is recognised not only by Unions but by most, if not all employers in that industry. Assuming, for argument, such arrangement exists, such arrangement would, in my view, be | |||
| directed to the performance of work by the non-member applicant | |||
| |||
| under paragraph 12 (or 7 ) . | |||
| For example, the arrangement does not affect the employer's free selection in a class of persons to perform work. The employer can still employ any person he wishes to. What the arrangement | |||
|
-
at a building slte under the contract of service.
| For these reasons the Court on | 12 August 1986 was of the opinion |
| that | the | interlocutory | mandatory | injunction | sought | by | each |
applicant in each of the cases should be refused. The test for
20.
granting such a mandatory inju&tion is set out in the judgment
| of | Gibbs | CJ | in | The | State | of | Oueensland | v Australian |
| Telecommunications Commission | (1985) 59 ALR 243. | It is not |
sufficient that there merely be a serlous question to be tried
l
| but the Court needs to have | a "high degree of assurance" that the |
applicant will succeed before granting such an injunction, even
| if the balance of convenience | is in favour of the applicant. |
| It is unnecssary in my view to make reference to the evidence | in |
| each | matter | directed | to | the | question | of | the | balance | of |
convenlence. Suffice it to say that that evidence is such that
the Court would not have found in the applicants' favour in most,
| if not al170f the matters | on the point. In this regard there was |
evldence which is accepted that should the Court make orders as asked then there was a real possibility that industrial unrest at various bullding sites would follow.
| Nor it is necessary that any definitive determination | be made as |
to submissions put by the respondents in Mullarkey's case and
| Campbell's case that, because the building work on | which | the |
applicants in those two matters was work being performed on behalf of the Victorian and New South Wales Governments
| _ | _ | .. |
respectively, then the section of the Act does not apply (see
Bradken's case and Sharkey's case).
The applications by way of interlocutory interim relief were
| rejected by the Court on | 12 | August 1986. | The formal orders of |
c
21.
| the | Court | in | each | matter | -is that | the | application | for |
| interlocutory relief set out | in each application is dismissed. |
Each applicant is to pay the respective respondent's costs of and incidental to each respective proceeding.
| I certify that this and the | &tb |
| preceding pages are | a true copy of the |
Reasons for Judgment herein of his
| Honour Mr Justice | matt |
Associate
| Counsel for the applicants in | G225 /86 : | Mr Oslington QC and | Mr |
| Wheelhouse. |
| Counsel for the lst, 3rd and 4th respondents | in G225f86: Mr Trew |
| QC and Mr Vickery. |
| Counsel for the 2nd respondent in G225f86: Mr Tobin QC, | Mr |
| Rothman and Mr Harris. |
| Counsel for the State of Victoria and | Mr Steven Crabb, Minister |
| for Industrial Relations in the Victorian Government: Mr Uren | QC |
| and Mr Lawrence, as amicus curiae. |
| Counsel for the applicants In | G226f06: | Mr Oslington QC and Mr |
| Wheelhouse. |
| Counsel for the lst, 4th and 5th respondents in | G226f86: | Mr |
| McDevitt |
| Counsel for the 2nd respondent | in G226186: | Mr | Tobin QC, Mr |
| Rothman and Mr Harris. |
Counsel for the 3rd respondent In G226f86: Mr Callaghan.
Counsel for the applicants in G227f86: Mr Oslington QC and Mr
Wheelhouse.
| Counsel for the 1st and 4th respondents | ~n G227186: Mu Holmes. |
22.
| Counsel for the 2nd respondent in | G 2 2 7 / 0 6 : | Mr Tobin QC, | Mr |
| Rothman and Mr Harris. |
| Counsel for the 3rd respondent in | G 2 2 7 / 0 6 : | Mr | Callaghan. |
| Counsel for | the applicants in | G 2 2 9 / 0 6 : | Mr Oslington QC and | Mr |
| Wheelhouse. |
| Counsel for the lst, 4th and 5th respondents in | G 2 2 9 l 0 6 : | Mr |
| McCarthy and Mr Lamprati. |
| Counsel for the 2nd respondent in | G229106: | Mr Tobin | QC, | Mr |
| Rothman and Mr Harris. |
| Counsel for the 3rd respondent in | G229106: Mr Callaghan. |
.