Secretary of the Ministry of Health v Australian Paramedics Association (NSW)

[2022] NSWSC 1431

Supreme Court

New South Wales

• Amendment notes

Medium Neutral Citation:

Secretary of the Ministry of Health v Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) [2022] NSWSC 1431

Hearing dates:

14 June 2022

Date of orders:

20 October 2022

Decision date:

20 October 2022

Jurisdiction:

Common Law - Administrative Law

Before:

Walton J

Decision:

(1) Pursuant to r 59.10(2) of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), extend the time to commence the proceedings up to and including 25 February 2022.

(2) The Amended Summons for Judicial Review filed on 25 February 2022 is dismissed.

(3) Unless there is a written application to the Associate to Walton J for a different order within seven days hereof, order the plaintiff is to pay the costs of the first and second defendants as agreed or, in default, as assessed.

Catchwords:

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW – judicial review – procedural fairness – where Commissioner requested written submissions from parties about provision of legislation – duty to warn – no denial of procedural fairness – error of law on the face of the record

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW – judicial review – jurisdictional error or error of law on the face of the record – privative clause – Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW), s 179 – whether certiorari can lie against a recommendation of Commission in arbitration – recommendations in arbitration are not legally binding and have no legal consequences – an order in the nature of certiorari does not lie against a recommendation made in arbitration – prerogative and declaratory relief is discretionary – discretion not to grant relief

EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS – employment of Aeromedical Control Centre Officers – employer is Crown in right of the State of New South Wales – Health Secretary exercises employer functions – Health Secretary may enter into contracts of employment that bind the Crown – Health Secretary has power to fix the salary, wages and conditions of employment of staff – NSW Health Service – Health Services Act 1997 (NSW), ss 116 and 116A

EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS – Industrial Relations Commission – industrial dispute – conciliation and arbitration – powers, jurisdiction and functions – power to make a recommendation in arbitration – recommendations are not legally binding and have no legal consequences – recommendation to pay an allowance – recommendation need not be connected or pursuant to a legal right, entitlement or requirement – Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW), s 136

EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS – Industrial Relations Commission – appellate jurisdiction – proper principles for leave to appeal – whether a recommendation can be appealed to the Full Bench

Legislation Cited:

Ambulance Service Act 1972 (NSW)

Ambulance Services Act 1976 (NSW)

Ambulance Services Act 1990 (NSW), ss 4, 13, 15, 19

Ambulance Transport Service Act 1919 (NSW)

Area Health Services Act 1986 (NSW), s 26

Commonwealth Constitution, s 51(xx)

Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904 (Cth), s 35

Gaming Machine Act 1991 (Qld)

Health Administration Act 1982 (NSW), s 21

Health Services Act 1997 (NSW), ss 33, 37, 115, 116, 116A

Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW), Ch 3, Ch 4 Pt 7; ss 3, 6, 10, 12, 130, 134, 135, 136, 137, 139, 146, 154, 155, 156, 175, 179, 187, 188

Industrial Relations Amendment (Industrial Court) Act 2016 (NSW)

Industrial Relations Commission Rules 2009 (NSW), r 1.4

Public Hospitals Act 1929 (NSW), s 40BA

Public Sector Employment Legislation Amendment Act 2006 (NSW)

Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW), s 69

Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 42.1, 59.10

Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Act 2005 (Cth)

Cases Cited:

Absolon v NSW Technical and Further Education Commission [1999] NSWCA 311

Ainsworth v Criminal Justice Commission (1992) 175 CLR 564; [1992] HCA 10

Ambulance Service of NSW and Health Services Union NSW (No 2) [2012] NSWIRComm 115

Australian Education Union, NSW Teachers Federation Branch v Department of Education [2019] NSWIRComm 1039

Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) v Health Secretary (NSW Ambulance re Disturbance Allowance) [2020] NSWIRComm 1020

Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) v Health Secretary in respect of NSW Ambulance (On Call Allowance for Aeromedical Control Centre Officers) (No 2) [2020] NSWIRComm 1028

Award Modernisation – Statement – Full Bench (2009) 188 IR 23; [2009] AIRCFB 865

BlueScope Steel (AIS) Pty Ltd v Australian Workers’ Union, New South Wales (2006) 153 IR 176; [2006] NSWIRComm 149

Bond v Australian Broadcasting Tribunal (No 2) (1988) 19 FCR 494

Bossak v Health Secretary in respect of Murrumbidgee Local Health District [2020] NSWIRComm 1009

Bragg v Department of Employment, Education and Training (1995) 59 FCR 31

Brambles Holdings Ltd v Bathurst City Council (2001) 53 NSWLR 153; [2001] NSWCA 61

Broken Hill Commerce and Industry Consent Award [2009] NSWIRComm 1095

Chapman-Davis v New South Wales (2015) 90 NSWLR 533; [2015] NSWIC 10

City of Sydney Wages/Salary Award 2014 (2014) 247 IR 386; [2014] NSWIRComm 49

Con-Stan Industries of Australia Pty Ltd v Norwich Winterthur Insurance (Australia) Ltd (1986) 160 CLR 226; [1986] HCA 14

Craig v South Australia (1995) 184 CLR 163; [1995] HCA 58

Crown Employees (Teachers in TAFE and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award and others [2008] NSWIRComm 250

Crown Employees (Teachers in TAFE and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award and others [2009] NSWIRComm 2

Crown in Right of the State of New South Wales (Director-General NSW Department of Health) in respect of Sydney West Area Health Service v New South Wales Nurses' Association (2011) 209 IR 49; [2011] NSWIRComm 111

Custom Credit Corp Ltd (in liq) v Commercial Tribunal of New South Wales [1999] NSWSC 1021

Director-General NSW Department of Education and Communities and New South Wales Teachers' Federation [2012] NSWIRComm 54

Fire & Rescue NSW on behalf of the Department of Premier and Cabinet v Fire Brigade Employees' Union of New South Wales (2013) 235 IR 261; [2013] NSWIRComm 63

Franklin v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) [2022] NSWCA 58

Gillies and Ors v Health Administration Corporation and Anor [2003] NSWIRComm 243

Greiner v Independent Commission Against Corruption (1992) 28 NSWLR 125

Home Secretary v AF [No 3] [2010] 2 AC 269

Hot Holdings Pty Limited v Creasy (1996) 185 CLR 149; [1996] HCA 44

Industrial Relations Secretary v Wattie [2017] NSWIRComm 1007

Jones v Canavan (1972) 2 NSWLR 236

Kirk v Industrial Court (NSW) (2010) 239 CLR 531; [2010] HCA 1

Kyriakou v Long [2014] NSWCA 308

Lord v Flight Centre Ltd (No 2) (2006) 156 IR 420; [2006] NSWIRComm 282

Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v SZMDS (2010) 240 CLR 611; [2010] HCA 16

Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs v Bhardwaj (2002) 209 CLR 597; [2002] HCA 11

Nadinic v Drinkwater (2017) 94 NSWLR 518; [2017] NSWCA 114

New South Wales Nurses' Association v Sydney Local Health District (2013) 232 IR 217; [2013] NSWIRComm 28

New South Wales v Bardolph (1934) 52 CLR 455

Notification by the Broken Hill Town Employees' Union of a dispute with the Broken Hill Musicians Club Ltd re negotiations for a new collective agreement [2001] NSWIRComm 213

NSW Local Government, Clerical, Administrative, Energy, Airlines & Utilities Union v Tamworth Council [2009] NSWIRComm 1008

NSW Nurses' Association v Sydney Local Health District [2012] NSWIRComm 52

NSW Nurses’ Association & Ors v South Western Sydney Area Health Service [1994] NSWIRComm 147

Nurses and Midwives’ Association v Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network (a Division of NSW Health) (No 2) (2013) 231 IR 224; [2013] NSWIRComm 29

Plaintiff M76/2013 v Minister for Immigration, Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship (2013) 251 CLR 322; [2013] HCA 53

Public Service Association and Professional Officers’ Association Amalgamated Union of New South Wales v Roads and Maritime Services (2015) 250 IR 412; [2015] NSWIRComm 1

Public Service Association and Professional Officers’ Association Amalgamated Union of New South Wales v Industrial Relations Secretary (2018) 96 NSWLR 762; [2018] NSWCA 39

Public Service Association and Professional Officers’ Association Amalgamated Union of NSW South Wales v Secretary for Industrial Relations [2018] NSWIRComm 1061

Public Service Association and Professional Officers’ Association Amalgamated Union of New South Wales v Roads and Maritime Services (2015) 250 IR 412; [2015] NSWIRComm 1

Public Service Association of NSW and Health and Anor v Broken Hill Town Employees’ Union (2003) 125 IR 54; [2003] NSWIRComm 100

Quinn v Commonwealth Director of Prosecutions (2021) 106 NSWLR 154; [2021] NSWCA 294

R v Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration; Ex parte Whybrow & Co (1910) 11 CLR 1; [1910] HCA 33

R v Kirby; Ex parte Boilermakers' Society of Australia (1956) 94 CLR 254

R v Marks; Ex parte Australian Building Construction Employees' and Builders Labourers' Federation (1981) 147 CLR 471; [1981] HCA 33

Rail Corporation New South Wales and Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union, New South Wales (2008) 174 IR 121; [2008] NSWIRComm 101

Re Australian Fertilizers Ltd and the Australian Worker's Union, New South Wales Branch [1983] AR (NSW) 237

Re Operational Ambulance Officers (State) Award (No 4) (2016) 255 IR 193; [2016] NSWIRComm 2

Re Refugee Review Tribunal; Ex parteAala (2000) 204 CLR 82; [2000] HCA 57

Secretary NSW Department of Education v The Australian Education Union New South Wales Teachers Federation Branch [2022] NSWSC 263

Secretary of the Ministry of Health v The New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association [2022] NSWSC 1178

Secretary, Ministry of Health v Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) [2021] NSWIRComm 1077

South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service v Health Services Union (on behalf of Peisley) (2007) 165 IR 43; [2007] NSWIRComm 157

Stanley v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) (2022) 107 NSWLR 1; [2021] NSWCA 337

State of New South Wales v NSW Nurses' Association [2012] NSWCA 179

State Transit Authority of NSW v Rail Tram and Bus Union (NSW Branch) [2010] NSWIRComm 9

Sydney Water Corporation v Australian Services Union (NSW and ACT Branch) (2005) 146 IR 388; [2005] NSWIRComm 305

The Local Government Engineers Association of New South Wales v MidCoast Council [2021] NSWIRComm 1081

Tuch v South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service [2009] NSWSC 1207

Twist v Randwick Municipal Council (1976) 136 CLR 106; [1976] HCA 58

Wattie v Industrial Relations Secretary [2017] NSWSC 1662

Wattie v Industrial Relations Secretary on behalf of the Secretary of the Department of Justice (CSNSW) [2016] NSWIRComm 1036

Webb v Goulburn Masonic Village (2004) 136 IR 309; [2004] NSWIRComm 258

Windrum v Matrix Healthcare Pty Ltd (2008) 180 IR 221; [2008] NSWIRComm 146

Wingecarribee Shire Council v Uri Turgeman trading as Uri T Design [2018] NSWLEC 146

Texts Cited:

AV Dicey (Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution (Macmillan, 10th ed, 1959)

New South Wales, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Council on 23 November 1995, 17 April 1996 and 7 March 2006

Paramedics and Control Centre Officers Award 2019

SC Taylor, “Industrial Relations in the Broken Hill Mining Industry” (1965) 7(2) Journal of Industrial Relations 101

W Blackstone (Commentaries on the Laws of England (1st ed facsimile, 1765) vol 1

Category:

Principal judgment

Parties:

Secretary of the Ministry of Health (Plaintiff)
Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) (First Defendant)
Health Services Union of New South Wales (Second Defendant)
Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales (Third Defendant) (Submitting Appearance)

Representation:

Counsel:
EC Muston SC and D Fuller (Plaintiff)
M Baroni (First Defendant)
T Slevin (Second Defendant)

Solicitors:
Ministry of Health (Plaintiff)
Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) (First Defendant)
Health Services Union of New South Wales (Second Defendant)
NSW Crown Solicitor’s Office (Third Defendant)

File Number(s):

2022/00002511

 Decision under review 

Court or tribunal:

Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales

Citation:

[2020] NSWIRComm 1028 (Primary Decision)

[2021] NSWIRComm 1077 (Appeal Decision)

Date of Decision:

20 April 2020

Before:

Commissioner Sloan (Primary Decision)
Chief Commissioner Constant, Commissioners Murphy and Webster (Appeal Decision)

File Number(s):

2019/00348333 (Primary Decision)
2020/00140271 (Appeal Decision)

Judgment

INTRODUCTION

1. By an Amended Summons filed 25 February 2022, the plaintiff, the Secretary of the Ministry of Health (“the Secretary”), sought an order in the nature of certiorari quashing a recommendation made in arbitration proceedings by the Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales (“the Commission”) that the Secretary pay Aeromedical Control Centre Officers (“ACCOs”) an “on call allowance” in certain circumstances. The Secretary also sought declaratory relief. For the reasons that follow, the Amended Summons should be dismissed.

FACTUAL CONTEXT

Aeromedical Control Centre Officers and the Underlying Dispute

2. The Aeromedical Control Centre (“ACC”) is the control centre for the State-wide aeromedical operations of the Ambulance Service of NSW (“NSW Ambulance”). Since 1987-1988, the ACC (or, formerly, the Air Ambulance Base) has operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

3. The plaintiff employs ACCOs in the ACC to coordinate aeromedical assets to ensure patients receive medical care and appropriate transport. When the matter was in the Commission, the Affidavit of Mr Paul Whitwell (who is the Manager of the ACC), filed and signed 10 January 2020, stated that the “key responsibilities” of ACCOs are as follows:

a) Identifying the clinical needs and facilitating advice on clinical management of patients requiring retrieval and transport to a higher level of care facility and providing proactive case management and facilitating the early activation of aeromedical/retrieval resources for patients who are at risk of significant injury or have acute, serious medical conditions;

b) Approving and authorising the transport of patients and undertaking efficient preparation and activation of aeromedical resources by updating of flight plans using the aeromedical computer aided data system, taking into account clinical needs, economics of flight, pilot duty limitations, weather conditions and airfield;

c) Maintaining communications and undertaking actions to ensure the patient care objectives of the NSW Health Critical Care Tertiary Referral Policy Directive are met, including monitoring and facilitating the timely progression of critically injured or ill patients through the health system; and

d) Providing advice, briefings and operational reports to the Retrieval Clinical Manager and Aeromedical Control Centre Manager to achieve quality patient outcomes through effective triage, resource allocation and co-ordination and assist with ongoing development and implementation of state-wide clinical coordination policy and local operating procedures.”

4. There are approximately 27 ACCOs employed in the ACC. They are employed under the Paramedics and Control Centre Officers Award 2019 (“the Award”). Approximately 12 of the ACCOs have a sub-specialisation of being Rapid Launch Trauma Coordinators (“RLTCs”). Mr Whitwell explained that RLTCs “are qualified ACCO's with additional certification in helicopter operations and are responsible for the coordination of helicopter and road retrieval vehicles”. In addition, the RLTCs monitor Triple Zero (000) calls and are the point of contact for search and rescue requests from NSW Police or the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.

5. According to Mr Tom Kiat, who is an industrial officer at the first defendant, the Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) (“APA”), there are generally:

1. During a day shift – 3 ACCOs, 2 RLTCs and 1-2 Duty Aeromedical Managers (“DAMs”) and Clinical Coordinators working in the ACC; and

2. During a night shift – 2 ACCOs.

6. NSW Ambulance has a procedure for allocating overtime work, which can be summarised as follows:

1. There is an electronic system called “myShift”, which is developed for staff to request overtime and shift swaps. The staff advise of their availability for overtime and ACC management can allocate overtime shifts based on rostering requirements.

2. ACCOs now receive an electronic notification from myShift regarding their request for overtime which they are required to provide a response.

3. If there is vacancy for overtime work and there are no staff who have indicated their availability for overtime on myShift, ACC management uses a web-based messaging system called “Whispir” to send out a SMS text message to all staff to see if anyone is interested in accepting an overtime shift. ACCOs are not obliged to respond to SMS text messages that they receive but a response is necessary if they wish to work on the vacant overtime shift.

4. If no ACCO response to a SMS text message sent on Whispir, ACC management will contact staff via telephone to offer vacant overtime shifts directly.

7. On 29 August 2016, Mr Randal Carlisle, a paramedic who had previously been an ACCO and a Duty Aeromedical Officer, sent an email titled “Some Changes to ACC Procedures to Coincide with the release of the next Roster Commencing 10/9/16” to some recipients that included ACCOs (then titled Aeromedical Operations Officer (“AMOOs”)). That email stated:

On Call Responsibility: Please remember that all AMOOs and RLTCSs [sic] are deemed to be on call and there is the potential for you to be re called to duty due to staffing or operational issues. It is a requirement for you to answer your mobile phone or return the call in a timely fashion.

8. Mr Whitwell forwarded Mr Carlisle’s email on 10 October 2016 to recipients that included the then equivalent of ACCOs. Mr Whitwell’s email made reference to the overtime allocation process but there was no suggestion he objected to or sought to correct Mr Carlisle’s description of the employees’ “on call” obligations.

9. The evidence of multiple ACCOs is that this procedure is used to request that they cover a vacancy that has arisen at short notice, either immediately or within a short period of time. The requests are either that they take an overtime shift or adjust their roster.

10. Mr Whitwell’s evidence is that ACCOs have been receiving a weekly on call allowance of $34.70 per week (or approximately $5,000.00 per annum) for over 30 years. However, his evidence is that, since he became the Manager in February 2011, he has not directed any ACCO, other than RLTCs or DAMs, to be on call as a requirement of their employment. Nevertheless, ACCOs would tick a box titled “On Call Week 1” and “On Call Week 2” when submitting their electronic fortnightly timesheets for approval on the system called “eTime”.

11. Mr Whitwell stated that an on call roster for ACCOs has not been implemented during his tenure as Manager nor have any ACCOs been required to be on call. He contrasts this with the current system for RLTCs where there is an on call roster.

12. In a conversation with Dr Sarah Coombes, A/Executive Director, Aeromedical Operations, about “sustainable funding for future growth”, Mr Whitwell identified the weekly on call allowance for ACCOs as being a “potential cost saving for the organisation”. This was in the context where ACC staffing had increased following the introduction of six ACCO Full Time Equivalents (“FTEs”). A review by the management found that there was no contractual basis for paying the on call allowance to ACCOs.

13. On 24 July 2019, Dr Coombes sent an email titled “Review of ACC On Call arrangements” to all ACC staff. Her email stated that there no longer existed a requirement under the Award to continue the payment of the on call allowance due to sufficient resourcing and 24 hour coverage by positions.

14. On 7 August 2019, Dr Coombes and Mr Whitwell advised that the on call arrangements were being reviewed and that payment of the allowance was to cease on the pay period commencing 17 August 2019. On 9 August 2019, following consultation with the APA and the second defendant, the Health Services Union of New South Wales (“HSU”), Dr Coombes advised staff that the proposal to cease paying the allowance was suspended.

8. On 9 October 2019, Mr Whitwell sent an email titled “Review of ACC On Call arrangements” and advised that payment of the weekly on call allowance would now cease in the pay period commencing 7 December 2019. The relevant parts of his email are as follows:

Our investigation of the union’s claims determined that there is no contractual basis for the payment of [the] weekly on call allowance to ACCOs. In terms of history, the ACCO classification was upgraded in 2005 from the pay scale of a DOCO [Duty Operations Control Officer]. Agreement was reached with the HSU to settle on a pay scale that was approximately 80% of difference between a DOCO and SOCO [Senior Operations Control Officer].

As per the Award, the entitlement for the payment of an on call allowance arises where there is a requirement for staff to engage in the activity of being rostered on call and hold themselves available to be recalled back to duty. As this requirement no longer exists, there is no entitlement under the Award for staff to be paid for an activity they do not undertake.

NSW Ambulance wrote to the unions on 9 October 2019 advising that only the conditions of the Award prevailed in respect to the payment of weekly on call allowance. The unions were invited to respond in writing to NSW Ambulance by the cob 25 October 2019. To date the unions have not been able to establish any grounds and reasons as to why On Call Allowance should continue to be paid to ACCOs.

Accordingly, NSW Ambulance is giving reasonable notice that the payment of the weekly on-call allowance will cease in the pay period commencing 7 December 2019, for ACCO’s who are not required to be rostered on call.

The Primary Proceedings

16. On 6 November 2019, the APA notified the Commission of an industrial dispute pursuant to s 130 of the Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW) (“IR Act”) (“Primary Proceedings”). The respondent was the Secretary and leave was granted for the HSU to intervene in the proceedings.

17. The matter was listed for a compulsory conference on 15 November 2019 before Commissioner Murphy. On that occasion, the representative for the Secretary stated, with reference to the email sent on 29 August 2016, that:

Just to put on the record that it is the respondent’s [Secretary’s] intention that when the payment of the on-call allowance ceases in its present format, the 2016 direction from the aeromedical control centre management for staff to hold themselves in readiness for on-call will no longer have any application.

18. On that same day, the Commissioner made a recommendation that NSW Ambulance “continue to pay the allowance that is in dispute to the officers receiving it until this matter is heard and determined by the Commission”. The Commissioner also issued a certificate of attempted conciliation pursuant to s 135(2) of the IR Act.

19. It is noteworthy that the crux of the dispute before the Commission was whether the ACCOs are entitled to the on call allowance. There was no controversy that ACCOs who are performing the role of an RLTC are entitled to receive the allowance. It follows that the controversy between the parties which is the subject of this decision is confined to those ACCOs who are not performing the duties of an RLTC.

20. The matter was arbitrated before Commission Sloan on 30 and 31 January 2020. The Commissioner made a recommendation in Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) v Health Secretary in respect of NSW Ambulance (On Call Allowance for Aeromedical Control Centre Officers) (No 2) [2020] NSWIRComm 1028 (“Primary Decision”) on 20 April 2020. The Commissioner gave a detailed exposition setting out his views as to whether ACCOs have an entitlement to the on call allowance, first, under the Award and, secondly, under their employment contracts in support of the recommendation.

21. On the first issue as to whether there is an entitlement to the allowance under the Award, the Commissioner rejected the Secretary’s submission that the on call allowance is payable only in return for the performance of work: at [52]. The Commissioner also rejected the APA’s submission that the allowance should be paid simply by being available to take a telephone call offering the opportunity for overtime or a shift swap: at [55]. Instead, the Commissioner preferred the view taken by Chief Commissioner Kite SC in Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) v Health Secretary (NSW Ambulance re Disturbance Allowance) [2020] NSWIRComm 1020. In that case, the Chief Commissioner had held at [30] that the “call” referred to in the on call provisions of the Operational Ambulance Officers (State) Award (which was identical to cl 23 of the Award) is not to a telephone call but “a requirement to be on call with all the obligations that entails”. The Chief Commissioner stated at [37] that recipients of an on call allowance “are obliged to hold themselves in readiness to respond, and to respond if called” and that “[t]he on call allowance is not a benefit applicable to a recall and is payable whether or not the officer is recalled to duty”.

22. In the Primary Decision, Commissioner Sloan noted that ACCOs (other than RLTCs) are not rostered to be on call, not obliged to accept offers to work overtime (although they generally attempted to assist out of a sense of duty) and none of the ACCOs who gave evidence have ever been compelled to work overtime against their wishes: at [56]. In these circumstances, the Commissioner held that the arrangements under which ACCOs work are not “on call” arrangements as that term is generally understood and not properly contemplated by the language of cl 23 of the Award.

23. The Commissioner found, after reviewing the emails of Mr Carlisle and Mr Whitwell in 2016 and Dr Coombes’ email in 2019, that they “suggest[ed] an acceptance by NSW Ambulance that there was at one point an entitlement for ACCOs to receive the Allowance under the Award”: at [62]. The Commissioner found that some of the evidence “might support an argument that NSW Ambulance has historically and deliberately adopted a construction of “on call” for the purposes of cl 23 [of the Award] which was peculiar to the ACCOs, having regard to their particular working arrangements, but they fall short of establishing the fact”: at [64].

24. Overall, the Commissioner did not consider that the ACCOs have an entitlement to the Allowance arising under the Award: at [67].

25. On the second issue as to whether there is a contractual entitlement to the on call allowance, the Commissioner held that a term may be implied into contract on the basis of custom or usage: at [79]. In summary, the Commissioner found:

1. Although ACCOs (or their predecessors in title) worked under a more “traditional” on call arrangement with an on call roster in 1987 and 1988, there were operational changes at some stage which also altered those on call arrangements. Thus, while the allowance has historically been referred to as an “on call allowance”, that has likely become a misnomer over time and its misdescription may have misdirected the parties to cl 23 of the Award: at [82]-[83];

2. There was considerable evidence as to the extent to which the Allowance was known and accepted in the ACC: at [85];

3. Mr Whitwell was aware that ACCOs were claiming the allowance through their timesheets and had historically authorised that payment: at [86]. He also accepted that the “purpose of the allowance … was on the basis that they [the ACCOs] could all be contacted”, “answering the phone” if called and that “[t]hey were receiving an allowance for the privilege of [managers] ringing them”: at [86];

4. In hiring Ms Haley Louise Mestroni (née Estreich), who is now a DAM but was previously an ACCO, Mr Whitwell stated “As an ACCO, you will get an on call allowance” as one of the terms of the offer of employment. Mr Whitwell agreed, in cross-examination, that “[a]ll staff have been provided that offer…[w]hether it be by [himself] or other members of [his] staff at the time”: at [86];

5. Mr Whitwell acknowledged that “he regarded it as a condition of payment of the Allowance that ACCOs be on Whispir. He accepted that payment was not conditional on ACCOs accepting any overtime or shift swaps offered to them”: at [89].

6. The ACCOs who were witnesses called by the APA consistently deposed that they considered that they “had an additional, if only moral obligation[,] to assist through performing overtime or swapping shifts”: at [90].

26. On the basis of this evidence, the Commissioner held that the contracts of employment for the ACCOs included an entitlement to payment of the allowance on the basis of usage: at [91].

27. The Commissioner then turned to consider whether s 116A of the Health Services Act 1997 (NSW) (“HS Act”) precluded the importation of a term on the basis of usage. The Commissioner held that, to the extent that representations regarding payment of the allowance may have been made by Mr Whitwell or other managers, there was no evidence that any of them had the necessary delegation from the Secretary under s 21 of the Health Administration Act 1982 (NSW) (“HA Act”) to fix conditions of employment under s 116A of the HS Act: at [93].

28. The Commissioner held that the implication of a term through usage is not dependent on representations having been made by people with authority to make them. In construing statutory provisions, an interpretation that is “consonant” with the general law and common law doctrines is preferred because Parliament is presumed not to override those doctrines “without the very clearly expressed intention to do so”: at [100]-[101].

29. The Commissioner held that the words “in so far as they are not fixed by or under any other law” appearing in s 116A of the HS Act could extend to terms and conditions “fixed” by reference to the common law principle of usage. At [103]-[104], the Commissioner stated:

[103] The Health Secretary submitted as follows:

“13. It is simply not credible that an allowance of nearly $5000 per year be paid to employees simply so they are in a position to be offered overtime. Especially when there is no requirement to then accept the overtime.”

[104] Whether the payment is credible or not, is not the question. The simple fact of the matter is that it is a payment which has been made to ACCOs knowingly and openly for more than 30 years. It is not now open to the Health Secretary to argue that it can simply cease to pay the Allowance on the basis that the historical payments “should not have been approved”. It is enough that they were approved, for decades.

[Emphasis in original.]

30. Overall, the Commissioner was satisfied the on call allowance was an entitlement of the ACCOs’ contracts of employment, arising from usage: at [105].

31. In other matters, the Commissioner found that there was an insufficient basis on which to find any failing by NSW Ambulance of its obligations to consult: at [106]-[107]. The Commissioner also rejected the submission of the Secretary that there would be wider ramifications and set a precedent for other employees covered by the Award and other awards for on call payments: at [108]-[109].

32. The Commissioner then made a recommendation at [119] in the following terms:

I recommend that NSW Ambulance continue to pay to each ACCO employed as at the date of this decision a weekly allowance equal to that set out in Item 4 of Table 2A - Allowances of Part B, Monetary rates of the Award, provided that:

(1) the ACCO is on Whispir and is required to take telephone calls from their manager to ascertain if they are available to fill shift vacancies at short notice; and

(2) this recommendation will not apply to ACCOs performing the duties of an RLTC who, the parties agree, are entitled to receive an on call allowance in accordance with cl 23 of the Award.

The Appeal Proceedings

33. On 11 May 2020, the Secretary filed an application for leave to appeal and an appeal from the Primary Decision pursuant to s 187 of the IR Act (“Appeal Proceedings”). The application was heard by Chief Commissioner Constant, Commissioners Murphy and Webster on 15 October 2020 and judgment was delivered almost one year later on 8 October 2021 in Secretary, Ministry of Health v Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) [2021] NSWIRComm 1077 (“Appeal Decision”).

34. The Full Bench refused leave to appeal. The reasons were succinctly stated at [37] in the following terms:

We have decided that there is not a sufficient basis upon which the Full Bench should grant leave to appeal in this matter for reasons including that it is not of such importance that leave to appeal should be granted and the issues raised in the appeal were not fully ventilated at first instance and were not sufficiently addressed in the Appeal. Finally, we have also formed the view that the resolution of the dispute is best dealt with by consideration of the making of an award and any appeal in this matter is unlikely to have a practical consequence in terms of resolving the underlying dispute.

35. The Full Bench noted that the amount in dispute (which was approximately $1,300 per week, that is, approximately $100 per week for 13 ACCOs who the Secretary suggested was not entitled to it) was not significant in the context of the overall spending of the Secretary: at [38]. Further, the Primary Decision resulted in a recommendation, which has no binding effect on the parties and is ultimately unenforceable.

36. The Full Bench concluded that the issue as to usage had not been adequately argued in the Primary Proceedings and the submissions of the parties in the Appeal Proceedings did not address in sufficient detail the authorities of this Commission as they relate to the concept of usage within the industrial relations context: at [50], [62]. The Full Bench referred to NSW Nurses’ Association & Ors v South Western Sydney Area Health Service [1994] NSWIRComm 147 (Bauer A-VP, Schmidt J and Conciliation Commissioner McKenna), Gillies and Ors v Health Administration Corporation and Anor [2003] NSWIRComm 243 (Schmidt J) (“Gillies”) and Nurses and Midwives’ Association v Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network (a Division of NSW Health) (No 2) (2013) 231 IR 224; [2013] NSWIRComm 29 (Boland J, President, Walton J, Vice-President, and Staff J).

37. The Full Bench held that the circumstances of the ACCOs are distinctive and warrant consideration being given to the making of an award that took into account all the factual circumstances: at [67]. The Full Bench put the parties on notice that it intended to issue a summons to show cause why the Commission should not, on its own motion, make or vary an award relating to preservation or removal of the allowance for ACCOs: at [69]. The availability of this course was accepted by counsel for the Secretary in the Appeal Proceedings, Ms Elizabeth Raper (as her Honour then was), at [68].

38. Before turning to other matters, I have occasionally used the expression “decision” to refer to the recommendation made by Commissioner Sloan and the Full Bench’s adjudication as a matter of convenience as that was the approach generally adopted by the parties. However, the use of that expression should not be taken as derogating from the analysis in this judgment as to what the true nature and effect of the recommendation made by the Commissioner was in law and practice or any counterpart adjudication by the Full Bench in that respect. Nor, as I will discuss, should the use of the descriptor be taken as definitively suggesting that an appeal did lie from the recommendation made by the Commissioner or that the observations by the Commissioner in support of his recommendation take on the status of a decision within the meaning of that term in the IR Act. The Commissioner’s statements in support of the recommendation do not declare rights and obligations of parties either in law simpliciter or by way of precedent.

THE PRESENT PROCEEDINGS

39. On 30 December 2021, the Secretary filed a Summons in this Court seeking judicial review of both the Primary and Appeal Decisions. Shortly thereafter, the APA and HSU noted, in their respective Response to Summons filed on 27 January 2022 and 18 January 2022, respectively, that the Secretary had given no reasons or grounds for an extension of time. Pursuant to orders made by Registrar Jones on 31 January 2022, the Secretary filed an Amended Summons on 25 February 2022 with the consent of the defendants.

40. The Amended Summons articulated eight grounds of review but counsel for the Secretary indicated at the hearing that grounds 6-8 were no longer pressed. Grounds 1-5 under the Amended Summons were articulated as follows:

Grounds relating to the primary decision

1 Commissioner Sloan made a jurisdictional error in that he denied the Secretary procedural fairness, by finding that a contractual term implied by custom or usage was ‘fixed by or under any other law’ within the meaning of section 116A of the Health Services Act when that contention was not made by the Applicant or Intervenor and the Commissioner did not give the Secretary an opportunity to respond to it.

2 Commissioner Sloan made a jurisdictional error in that he misconstrued the words ‘conditions of employment ... fixed by or under any other law’ in section 116A of the Health Services Act as including a term implied into an employment contract on the basis of custom or usage, and consequently:

a. made an error of law, which was outside his jurisdiction to make;

b. further or alternatively, took into account an irrelevant consideration (being whether there was an implied on-call allowance term in the ACCOs’ employment contracts, which was irrelevant having regard to the terms of section 116A).

3 Commissioner Sloan made a jurisdictional error in that he misunderstood or failed to fully or properly consider the legal principles for determining whether a term is implied into a contract on the basis of custom or usage, by:

a. failing to consider whether the practice relied upon as constituting the custom or usage on the part of the Secretary was engaged in by or with the authority of the Secretary (being the contracting party);

b. further or alternatively, failing to consider whether the on-call allowance term was inconsistent with the express terms of the relevant employment contracts, in particular the term providing that the conditions of employment for the position were embodied in the Award;

c. further or alternatively, failing to consider whether the on-call allowance term was inconsistent with the Award by reason on clause 23(f)(i) of the Award covering the field of circumstances in which employees covered by the Award were to be paid the identified weekly on-call allowance,

and consequently:

d. made an error of law, which was outside his jurisdiction to make;

e. further or alternatively, made a finding without evidence (being a finding that there was an implied term based on custom or usage, without evidence that the individuals whose conduct was relied upon as establishing a custom or usage on the part of the Secretary had any actual or ostensible authority to bind the Secretary to employment conditions);

f. further or alternatively, failed to take into account a mandatory relevant consideration in resolving the dispute before him (being any of the matters set out in subparagraphs a to c above).

4 Commissioner Sloan made a jurisdictional error in that, by reason of the matters set out in grounds 2 and 3 above (each or in combination):

a. the Commissioner’s finding that the Secretary was obliged to continue paying the on-call allowance was irrational;

b. further or alternatively, the recommendation made by the Commissioner was legally unreasonable.

Grounds relating to the Full Bench decision

5 By reason of the primary decision being affected by jurisdictional error (for the reasons in grounds 1 to 4 above, each or in combination), the Full Bench made a jurisdictional error in refusing leave to appeal.

41. At the hearing, the Secretary helpfully set out the questions for determination. The APA and HSU also considered that those questions were appropriately formulated. The questions are as follows:

Decision of Commissioner Sloan

1. Should time be extended to permit the Secretary to seek judicial review of the Commissioner’s decision?

2. Was the Secretary denied procedural fairness by the Commissioner (ground 1)?

3. Did the Commissioner make the errors of law that are the subject of:

(a) ground 2; and/or

(b) ground 3?

4. If one or both of these errors of law were made, were they jurisdictional errors (grounds 2 and 4)?

5. If jurisdictional error is established, what is the appropriate form of relief?

Decision of the Full Bench

6. If the Commissioner’s decision was affected by jurisdictional error, should the Full Bench decision be set aside (ground 5)?

APPLICABLE LAW

Conciliation and Arbitration in the Commission

42. This case concerned the powers and jurisdiction of the Commission when dealing with an industrial dispute by conciliation and arbitration. In the comprehensive second reading speech for the Industrial Relations Bill 1995 (NSW) (“the 1995 Bill”), the then-Attorney General and Minister for Industrial Relations, the Hon Jeffrey W Shaw QC (later a Judge of this Court), relevantly stated as follows (New South Wales, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Council, 23 November 1995 at pages 3850-3851):

The process is simple: if consultation at the workplace proves futile, employers and unions will be encouraged to use the expertise of the commission in the resolution of their differences, first by conciliation, and with arbitration available as required. At all stages throughout this process the parties will be held accountable for their conduct. To detail this process further, initially the commission must deal with all industrial disputes by conciliation. When attempting conciliation, the commission is empowered to do everything it considers proper to assist the parties to resolve the dispute, including arranging for compulsory conferences. Consistent with addressing concerns raised in the review process, the paper work needed to bring a dispute before the commission will be vastly simplified.

…

[The Commission] may use any or all of the following devices: continue conciliation; make recommendations or directions; make or vary awards; make dispute orders; and make any other kind of order it is authorised to make, including orders on an interim basis. It dispenses with the artificial and academic constraints of the "interests/rights" dichotomy, and truly focuses on ensuring the resolution of disputes in a prompt and fair manner with the minimum of legal technicality. The legislation recognises that an essential part of the powers which should be available to the commission to resolve disputes is the ability to direct the actions of the parties.

(For completeness, I note that the 1995 Bill lapsed when the Parliament was prorogued and was re-introduced in nearly identical terms as the Industrial Relations Bill 1996 (NSW) (“the 1996 Bill”), which later became the IR Act: see New South Wales, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Council, 17 April 1996 at page 82 (The Hon Jeffrey W Shaw QC): see Secretary of the Ministry of Health v The New South Wales Nurses and Midwives’ Association [2022] NSWSC 1178 at [20] (Walton J) (“Health Secretary v NSWNMA”).)

43. The principles governing the conciliation and arbitration of industrial disputes under Ch 3 of the IR Act was recently the subject of detailed consideration in Health Secretary v NSWNMA, especially at [23]-[35].

44. As the second reading speech makes clear, the purpose of Ch 3 of the IR Act is to allow employers and industrial organisations to utilise the expertise of the Commission to resolve an industrial dispute. This commences with a notification to the Commission under s 130 of the IR Act, which begins a process whereby the Commission will attempt to resolve the industrial dispute by conciliation. In Health Secretary v NSWNMA, I stated at [23]-[26] as follows

[23] Chapter 3 of the Act is titled “Industrial disputes” and sets out a procedure for the Commission to conciliate and arbitrate industrial disputes that arise within its jurisdiction. The Dictionary to the Act defines “industrial action” and “industrial dispute” in the following terms:

…

industrial dispute means a dispute (including a question or difficulty) about an industrial matter, and includes the following:

(a) a demarcation dispute,

(b) a threatened or likely industrial dispute,

(c) a situation that is likely to give rise to an industrial dispute if preventative action is not taken.

[24] Section 130(1) of the Act allows certain bodies, including an employer and industrial organisation, but not individual employees, to notify the Commission of an industrial dispute. Alternatively, the Commission itself may act on its own initiative to resolve an industrial dispute: s 130(2).

[25] The Commission has the power to convene a compulsory conference: s 131(1). To facilitate the effective resolution of a dispute, the Commission may require the attendance of any person whose presence the Commission considers would help in its resolution: s 132(1). Alternatively, the Commission may confer with a person without requiring their attendance: s 132(3).

[26] Section 133 of the Act requires that the Commission “must first attempt to resolve an industrial dispute by conciliation”. In doing so, the Commission is under a statutory command “to do everything that seems to be proper to assist the parties to agree on terms for the resolution of the dispute”: s 134(1). The Commission may make recommendations or give directions: s 134(2). This includes making recommendations or giving directions to the parties to bargain in good faith: s 134(4). The Commission can make arrangements or give directions to convene and conduct conferences with the parties: s 134(3).

45. Conciliation is “principally designed to focus on the issues in dispute and to bring about a quick, fair and just resolution of those issues by agreement or upon the basis of the Commission’s non-binding recommendation or direction and with a minimum of legal technicality”: Fire & Rescue NSW on behalf of the Department of Premier and Cabinet v Fire Brigade Employees' Union of New South Wales (2013) 235 IR 261; [2013] NSWIRComm 63 at 273-274 [46] (Boland J, President, Walton J, Vice-President, and Staff J).

46. Where conciliation does not resolve an industrial dispute, the Commission may then deal with the dispute by arbitration: see, eg, Crown Employees (Teachers in TAFE and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award and others [2008] NSWIRComm 250 (Walton J, Vice-President). In Health Secretary v NSWNMA, I stated at [27]-[28] and [33] as follows:

[27] Sometimes, conciliation will resolve an industrial dispute. Other times, it may not. Only if an industrial dispute is not resolved by conciliation may the Commission deal with the dispute by arbitration: s 135(1). Before arbitration, the Commission must issue a certificate of attempted conciliation: s 135(2). A certificate should not be lightly issued because they signal a failure of the primary dispute settling mechanism under the Act. Before a certificate is issued the relevant party must be given a reasonable opportunity to be heard as to whether a direction or recommendation under s 134(2) of the Act should be taken into account: NSW Teachers’ Federation v NSW Department of Education and Training (2000) 100 IR 441; [2000] NSWIRComm 169 at 445 [15] (Wright J, President, Walton J, Vice-President, and Commissioner Connor).

[28] Conciliation (or, more aptly, its failure) is, therefore, the “jurisdictional prerequisite” to the exercise of any powers by the Commission in arbitral proceedings: Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (NSW) v Newcrest Mining Ltd (2005) 139 IR 50; [2005] NSWIRComm 23 at 57 [20] (Walton J, Vice-President, Boland J, as his Honour then was, and Staff J).

…

[33] It is clear that the Act makes the Commission the principal organ to assist with the resolution of industrial disputes. It is also clear that Parliament intended for industrial disputes to be resolved by negotiation between the parties themselves or conciliation with the assistance of the Commission (following notification under s 130). This is evidenced by the fact that the Commission’s arbitral powers are not enlivened unless the Commission is satisfied that “there is no reasonable likelihood that the dispute will be resolved by conciliation”: s 135(6). To facilitate effective conciliation, Parliament conferred broad and significant powers on the Commission to require attendance of people, make recommendations and directions, and to facilitate conferences between the parties. This is so that the Commission is well placed to assist parties in resolving their disputes by conciliation.

47. In Secretary NSW Department of Education v The Australian Education Union New South Wales Teachers Federation Branch [2022] NSWSC 263 (“Education Secretary v AEU”), I outlined the aspects of s 135 of the IR Act at [48] as follows:

(1) The mechanism of the issuing of a certificate ensures that reasonable attempts have been made to resolve the industrial dispute by conciliation (see s 135(2) and (6)) and that there is a clear distinction drawn between conciliation and arbitration (see ss 135 (1), (2), (3), (8) and (9)).

(2) The determination to issue a certificate lies in the discretion of the Commission. The exercise of that discretion is guided by what the Commission considers constitutes “reasonable attempts”. That assessment will undoubtedly be informed by issues such as the complexity of the industrial dispute and the effect of any actual or anticipated industrial action on “the parties” (see s 135(4)) and the public generally (s 135(4)).

(3) An application for a certificate may be made by any person authorised to notify the Commission of a dispute which includes any entity referred to in s 135(6).

(4) Copies of the certificate are to be issued to “the parties” and the “Chief Commissioner”.

48. If a certificate of attempted conciliation is made, the Commission immediately moves to arbitration. The system of arbitration established under the IR Act envisages that the Commissioner, when arbitrating a dispute, is “an entire stranger to the dispute and to the parties”: R v Kirby; Ex parte Boilermakers' Society of Australia (1956) 94 CLR 254 at 342 (Taylor J); [1956] HCA 10. In R v Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration; Ex parte Whybrow & Co (1910) 11 CLR 1; [1910] HCA 33 (“Whybrow’s Case”), Griffith CJ stated at 25 that “the argument that the word “arbitration" connotes that the function of an arbitrator is a judicial function which can only be exercised between the parties to a dispute, and after hearing them, is incontestably right”.

49. In arbitrating an industrial dispute, the Commission is, at the very least, a quasi-judicial body and is accordingly obliged to accord procedural fairness and act judicially: Health Secretary v NSWNMA at [345], [351] (Walton J). In arbitration, the Commissioner must “act on the ordinary principles of justice involved in the necessity of allowing a hearing to all parties to the difference on which it must decide, and of abstaining from involving in its decision interests of others than the parties to the difference. It is not absolved from this duty by the fact that a Statute has imposed it on the parties as their tribunal, or has compelled them to submit their differences to it”: Whybrow’s Case at 36-37 (Barton J).

50. The role of the Commissioner in arbitration is to consider the industrial merits of the case, take into account the public interest, the objects of the IR Act and the state of the economy of New South Wales and the likely effect of its decisions on that economy: s 146(2) of the IR Act.

51. In exercising their functions, s 175 of the IR Act provides the Commission with the power to interpret a law or instrument. Section 175 states as follows:

175 Powers of interpretation

The Commission may, for the purpose of exercising its functions in connection with a matter before it, determine any question concerning the interpretation, application or operation of any relevant law or instrument (including the industrial relations legislation and any industrial instrument).

Powers of the Commission in Arbitration

52. The powers of the Commission in arbitration are very broad and s 136(1)(a) of the IR Act expressly contemplates the making of a recommendation to the parties to the dispute. Section 136 of the IR Act provides:

136 Arbitration of dispute

(1) The Commission may, in arbitration proceedings, do any one or more of the following:

(a) make a recommendation or give a direction to the parties to the industrial dispute,

(b) make or vary an award under Part 1 of Chapter 2,

(c) make a dispute order under Part 2,

(d) make any other kind of order it is authorised to make (including an order made on an interim basis).

(2) Any such action may be taken by the Commission on its own initiative or on application by any person authorised to notify the Commission of the industrial dispute.

53. It must be remembered, when construing these powers, that Parliament had understood that arbitration was the final stage of resolving an industrial dispute and the result should produce finality. In Sydney Water Corporation v Australian Services Union (NSW and ACT Branch) (2005) 146 IR 388; [2005] NSWIRComm 305, the Full Bench (Wright J, President, Walton J, Vice-President and Commissioner Stanton) stated at 403-404 [37] that, in furthering the objects of the Act, “it is vital that the Commission recognise the broad discretion granted by [the IR Act] to fashion appropriate relief by reference to the merits of the industrial dispute itself and the steps necessary to resolve it”. This involves a variety of considerations, including the “public interest in managing the industrial dispute in a fair and just manner with minimum disruption and disputation”. This passage was cited approvingly in Public Service Association and Professional Officers’ Association Amalgamated Union of New South Wales v Industrial Relations Secretary (2018) 96 NSWLR 762; [2018] NSWCA 39 at 791 [128] (Bathurst CJ with whom Gleeson and Simpson JJA agreed), Health Secretary v NSWNMA at [39] (Walton J) and BlueScope Steel (AIS) Pty Ltd v Australian Workers’ Union, New South Wales (2006) 153 IR 176; [2006] NSWIRComm 149 at [24]–[26] (Wright J, President, Walton J, Vice-President, and Marks J).

54. The powers given by s 136(1) of the IR Act can be summarised as follows.

55. The power to make a recommendation is a non-coercive power. In The Local Government Engineers Association of New South Wales v MidCoast Council [2021] NSWIRComm 1081 (“LGEANSW v MidCoast Council”), Commissioner Muir said at [73]:

Unlike a court, the Commission has a power of recommendation. Clearly, one reason that power exists is so that in appropriate cases the Commission may make a suggestion, using the Commission’s moral authority. It might be thought that the power to make a suggestion was obvious enough to be available to the Commission without being express, but the legislature expressly gave it.

56. A recommendation is not legally binding or enforceable. The purpose of this power is so that the Commission can give non-binding guidance to the parties or encourage a course which does not bind the parties. As Commissioner Muir described it, it is a “suggestion”. A failure to comply with a recommendation can not result in any penalty, does not amount to contempt and has no legal consequences.

57. The Commission’s views come with the authority of a trusted specialist institution which results in recommendations being very persuasive. However, by its nature, the making of a recommendation is an unusual step and remains nonetheless non-coercive and having no legally binding effect. It stands in contrast to a direction under s 136(1)(a) of the IR Act which is usually seen by the Commission as an elevated step over the making of a recommendation.

58. The word “direction” is inherently mandatory and is an instruction by the Commission to do or refrain from doing something. The word “or” in s 136(1)(a) of the IR Act makes it a counterpoint to a recommendation. Thus, a direction can have coercive force and a failure to comply with a direction can give rise to proceedings for contempt of the Commission under s 180 of the Act: Public Service Association and Professional Officers’ Association Amalgamated Union of NSW South Wales v Secretary for Industrial Relations [2018] NSWIRComm 1061 at [86] (Chief Commissioner Kite SC, Commissioners Murphy and Seymour).

59. The Commission can, pursuant to s 136(1)(b) of the IR Act, make or vary an award that sets “fair and reasonable conditions of employment for employees” (s 10 of the IR Act). (For the relevant principles for making new awards, see generally City of Sydney Wages/Salary Award 2014 (2014) 247 IR 386; [2014] NSWIRComm 49 at 390-391 [19]-[22] (Walton J, President, Commissioners Stanton and Newall). For relevant principles for varying existing awards, see generally Health Secretary v NSWNMA at [467].) Under s 12 of the IR Act, an award binding on all employees and employers to which it relates as well as any industrial organisations that were a party to the making of the award.

60. The Commission can make dispute orders under s 136(1)(c) of the IR Act. A contravention of dispute orders can result in proceedings commenced in this Court under s 139 of the Act, which can result in, amongst other things, the imposition of a penalty. Section 137 relevantly provides the kinds of dispute orders that can be made as follows:

137 Kinds of dispute orders

(1)    The Commission may make the following kinds of dispute orders when dealing with an industrial dispute in arbitration proceedings—

(a)    The Commission may order a person to cease or refrain from taking industrial action.

(b)    The Commission may order an employer to reinstate or re-employ any one or more employees who were dismissed in the course of the industrial dispute or whose dismissal resulted in the industrial dispute.

(c)    The Commission may order an employer not to dismiss employees in the course of the industrial dispute if the employer has threatened to do so.

(d)    The Commission may order a person to cease a secondary boycott imposed in connection with the industrial dispute.

…

(3)    A dispute order may not provide for the payment of compensation, lost remuneration or any other amount.

61. Lastly, the Commission can “make any other kind of order it is authorised to make (including an order made on an interim basis)” under s 136(1)(d) of the Act. This can include a power under another provision of the IR Act or another law.

62. In that broader framework, the power to make a recommendation is very important for the fair, just and expeditious resolution of industrial disputes. To explain why, I need to first distinguish the recommendation powers in conciliation and arbitration. In conciliation, the Commission has the power to make a recommendation to facilitate good faith bargaining: s 134(4) of the IR Act. And the Commission also has the power to make a recommendation to assist the parties to agree on terms for the resolution of the dispute: s 134(2) of the IR Act.

63. The Commission’s arbitral powers only arise after conciliation has not been able to resolve the industrial dispute. As the Commission only moves to arbitration if reasonable attempts have been made and those attempts have been unsuccessful, the recommendation powers operate in different circumstances and need to be distinguished. Of course, the Commission may revert at any stage to conciliation during arbitral proceeding as long as clear boundary lines are drawn between the one and the other.

64. Nonetheless there are important similarities between conciliation and arbitration recommendations which are important to the exercise of the Commission’s powers in both cases and have significance in this matter. The conciliation recommendation power and arbitration recommendation power share a common object “to encourage and facilitate co-operative workplace reform and equitable, innovative and productive workplace relations”: IR Act s 3(g).

61. Even in arbitration, the Commission will keep a wary eye on the prospect of producing cooperation between the parties and exploring means of resolving dispute without the need for coercive directions, orders or awards.

62. Thus, the arbitration recommendation power is a rare but significant tool in the Commission’s dispute resolution processes. Having been more fully appraised of the positions of each party and potentially having heard evidence or argument, the Commission would be in a better position to consider what is fair, reasonable and just in the resolution of a dispute than may exist at the conciliation stage. In these circumstances, the Commission may decide that it may be most appropriate in the circumstances not to immediately proceed to making any coercive order but instead assist the parties to settle their respective claims and so that the industrial dispute can come to an end: see, eg, Crown Employees (Teachers in TAFE and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award and others [2009] NSWIRComm 2 at [12]-[19] (Walton J, Vice-President) (“Teachers Award”); NSW Local Government, Clerical, Administrative, Energy, Airlines & Utilities Union v Tamworth Council [2009] NSWIRComm 1008 at [40]ff (Commissioner Cambridge). It will be for the Commission to judge the utility of this measure and the implications of any loss of time or resources of the Commission if the member of the Commission was unable to further sit in the proceedings because of the giving of an arbitration recommendation.

63. An example of where the recommendation power can be important is in the face of threatened or ongoing industrial action. After conciliation, the Commission could make a recommendation that any industrial action be lifted immediately whilst the merits of the industrial dispute are being arbitrated: see, eg, Ambulance Service of NSW and Health Services Union NSW (No 2) [2012] NSWIRComm 115. Depending on the circumstances, taking this course may be preferable to immediately rushing to make dispute orders. That is because members of a union may be more likely to call off a strike if this was urged upon them by the leadership of their union (who had considered and accepted the Commission’s recommendation) than if this was compelled by a dispute order made by the Commission. Of course, there are some circumstances where recommendations were not accepted or successful or appropriate to be made and a dispute order became necessary: see, eg, Director-General NSW Department of Education and Communities and New South Wales Teachers' Federation [2012] NSWIRComm 54. Nevertheless, where a dispute could be resolved by a recommendation, this was generally the preferable course for the Commission.

64. It is therefore important to acknowledge that the Commission can make a recommendation to do something that otherwise can not be made in the form of a direction, dispute order or award (whether because of a legal technicality or otherwise) or where it is highly undesirable to make a coercive order: see, eg, LGEANSW v MidCoast Council at [71]; Australian Education Union, NSW Teachers Federation Branch v Department of Education [2019] NSWIRComm 1039 at [91] (Commissioner Tabbaa AM FRSN). A recommendation can also provide for a procedure by which any remaining unresolved issues can be resolved: see, eg, Teachers Award at [14].

65. Thus, the Commission may recommend that a party do something even though there may not necessarily be a legal requirement or entitlement that it be done. This applies for the recommendation power in both conciliation and arbitration. For example, in State Transit Authority of NSW v Rail Tram and Bus Union (NSW Branch) [2010] NSWIRComm 9, the Commission in conciliation proceedings recommended that the offer made by the State Transit Authority, which involved a 3% increase per annum over two years, be accepted by the union and its members. It was noted that, if the dispute proceeded to arbitration, the effect of the NSW Government’s Wages Policy would mean that any wage increase above 2.5% per year was required to be funded by employee-related cost savings and the Commission would be bound to have regard to that position: at [8] (Boland J, President).

66. The Commission should not, of course, recommend that a party do something that is unlawful. But the power to make a recommendation under s 136(1)(a) of the Act is expressed in the broadest sense as to give a very wide discretion to the Commission – a body composed of members steeped in knowledge and experience in industrial relations in this State – to take a course that it considers is best to assist in the resolution of the industrial dispute. The power, however, is not unfettered. A recommendation needs to, of course, relate to the industrial dispute and further its resolution. But this Court, in exercising its inherent supervisory jurisdiction over inferior courts and tribunals, should be mindful of Parliament’s intent to confer broad powers and wide discretion on a specialist industrial relations body particularly in the making of conciliation and arbitration recommendations. Parliament had clearly intended that the members of the Commission could draw on their learning and expertise in resolving industrial disputes in a fair and just way – a function that the Commission has performed for over 120 years.

Appeals and Review of the Commission

71. An appeal against a “decision” of the Commission constituted by a single member lies to the Full Bench, which is to consist of at least three members: IR Act ss 155(1)(b), 156(1), 187(1). The term “decision” is not defined by the IR Act but r 1.4 of the Industrial Relations Commission Rules 2009 (NSW) broadly defines a “decision” to include “any award, order, direction, contract determination or ruling”. A recommendation is clearly not an award, order, direction or contract determination. I have some doubts that a recommendation could be considered a “ruling” because it merely gives a suggestion and does not involve deciding any question or issue nor have any binding or enforceable result.

72. In Rail Corporation New South Wales and Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union, New South Wales (2008) 174 IR 121; [2008] NSWIRComm 101 (“RailCorp v ARTBIU”), Commissioner McKenna, albeit in dissent, held at 136-138 [85]-[88] that a recommendation was jurisdictionally amenable to an appeal. Schmidt and Staff JJ, who were in the majority, appear to implicitly agree with Commissioner McKenna’s conclusion on this point given that their Honours decided to uphold the appeal and set aside the recommendation. This Court is not bound by decisions of the Full Bench even when the Full Bench was constituted by judicial officers: Health Secretary v NSWNMA at [326]-[329]; Education Secretary v AEU at [322]-[324]. With the greatest respect to their Honours and the Commissioner, I have some doubt as to the correctness of their decision. However, as no party raised this issue and it is unnecessary for me to decide whether a recommendation can be appealed to the Full Bench in order to determine these proceedings, I will assume in the remainder of this judgment that recommendations can be the subject of an appeal.

73. An appeal brought pursuant to Ch 4 Pt 7 of the IR Act requires leave of the Full Bench unless made by the Minister: ss 188(1), (4). The Full Bench is to grant leave to appeal “if, in its opinion, the matter is of such importance that, in the public interest, leave should be granted”: s 188(2). In the second reading speech of the 1995 Bill (New South Wales, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Council, 23 November 1995), the then-Attorney General and Minister for Industrial Relations relevantly stated (at pages 3852-3853) as follows:

The system of appeals under the [Industrial Relations Act 1991 (NSW) (repealed)] has given rise to excessive and, oftentimes, unwarranted litigation. The provisions concerning appeals have been revised in a number of key respects with particular emphasis on avoiding such problems. Under these provisions, appeals may be made against any decision of the commission whether made as a result of contested proceeding or made by consent, and - subject to discretionary extension - are to be made within 21 days. …

Appeals to the full bench may be made only by leave; and the bill ensures that stand-alone "leave to appeal" hearings may be heard separately from the overall merits of any appeal. Likewise, the bill specifically permits the full bench to delegate certain functions to a single member. These provisions have the aims of reducing any backlog in the hearing of appeals, and filtering out insubstantial or unmeritorious appeals.

The nature of an appeal must ultimately depend on the statute under which the appeal is authorised. As the proper construction of the appeal provisions in the 1991 Act has been the subject of differing interpretations, it is the Government's intention to resolve the legislative ambiguity concerning appeal principles. The appeal provisions within the bill have been redrafted to provide clear legislative direction concerning the principles to be applied by full benches when considering appeals against discretionary decisions of single members. The approach adopted by the High Court of Australia in judgments such as Mace v Murray - (1958) 92 CLR 370 - and House v The King - (1936) 55 CLR 499 - commends itself as the appropriate principle to apply in appeals against decisions involving an exercise of discretion, which we would regard as including decisions concerning wages and conditions of employment, and unfair dismissals.

The approach endorsed in the bill is that an appellate bench is not justified in interfering with the decision at first instance, except in limited circumstances where the appellate bench reaches a clear conclusion that, by reason of some error, whether of fact or law, the primary tribunal not only has taken a view different from that which the members of the appeal tribunal would have taken, but has failed to exercise properly the discretion committed to it. These appeal principles are intended to apply even in the comparatively isolated circumstances where additional evidence is received by the appellate bench: there is no intention to have two types of appeals and differing approaches to the nature of the appeal principles depending on whether additional matters are adduced. Last, unless such an approach was otherwise inconsistent with an express statutory provision, it is intended that the general appeal principles I have outlined should also apply to decisions made by the Chief Industrial Magistrate.

74. In Health Secretary v NSWNMA, I summarised the proper principles for the granting of leave by the Full Bench at [21]-[22] as follows:

[21] Generally, the Full Bench is likely to grant leave where the issues in the appeal are of some novelty, raise substantial issues of law and principle, and have implications for the wider jurisprudence of the Commission. The proper principles can be summarised as follows:

(1) It must be remembered that s 191 of the Act provides that an appeal to the Full Bench is an appeal in the strict sense: King v State Bank of New South Wales (No 2) (2002) 126 IR 407; [2002] NSWIRComm 353 at 427 [64] (Wright J, President, Walton J, Vice-President, and Kavanagh J); Justice Margaret J Beazley (as Her Excellency then was), Paul T Vout and Sally E Fitzgerald, Appeals and Appellate Courts in Australia and New Zealand (LexisNexis Butterworths, 2014) at 450-452 [10.47]. Therefore, the Full Bench should only intervene to correct error and it is not enough that the appellate tribunal would have come to a different view: Aboud v State of New South Wales (Department of School Education) (1999) 92 IR 32; [1999] NSWIRComm 449 at 42-43 (Wright J, President, Walton J, Vice-President, and Schmidt J); Ace Business Brokers Pty Ltd v Phillips-Treby (2000) 100 IR 420 at 428 (Wright J, President, Glynn and Hungerford JJ); Strathfield Group Ltd v Hall (2002) 121 IR 158; [2002] NSWIRComm 373 at 169 [45] (Wright J, President, Peterson and Kavanagh JJ). The Full Bench should not substitute its own views as to a decision that was reasonably open at first instance: Antonakopoulos v State Bank of NSW (1999) 91 IR 385 at 392 (Wright J, President, Walton J, Vice-President, and Commissioner Redman).

(2) Leave will not be lightly or automatically granted: Perrott v XcelleNet Australia Ltd (1998) 84 IR 255 at 265 (Hungerford, Peterson and Schmidt JJ). This is because the statutory scheme makes clear that the legislature intended that the Full Bench would filter appeals by granting leave to only those cases meeting the public interest test stated in s 188(2). The raising of a jurisdictional issue by an appellant does not, of itself, establish a basis for the grant of leave. Each case has to be judged against the statutory criterion. When leave to appeal is sought in relation to a jurisdictional issue, the Commission should have regard to whether there is a demonstrable case that the Commission has exceeded or failed to exercise its jurisdiction: Knowles v Anglican Church Property Trust (No 2) (1999) 95 IR 380 at 381-382 (Walton J, Vice-President, Glynn J and Commissioner Patterson) (“Knowles v Anglican Church”).

(3) It must be emphasised that the extent to which errors, whether jurisdictional or not, be ultimately established is not a matter to be finally determined on the question of leave but only on a full hearing of the appeal. Leave to appeal is attracted if the Full Bench is satisfied that the appeal raises “serious issues to be tested, are reasonably arguable and are of a nature proper to attract leave to appeal”: Burge v NSW BHP Steel Pty Ltd (2001) 105 IR 325; [2001] NSWIRComm 117 at 326 [4] (Walton J, Vice-President, Hungerford J and Commissioner Bishop).

(4) It is relevant to consider whether the appeal raises issues going to the proper administration of justice: Humphries v Cootamundra Ex Services and Citizens Memorial Club Ltd (2003) 128 IR 37; [2003] NSWIRComm 211 at 53 [77] (Walton J, Vice-President, Deputy President Harrison and Commissioner O'Neill).

(5) Leave would ordinarily, in the absence of changed circumstances, be refused where an appellant raises arguments or presses issues on the appeal which were not squarely raised at first instance: Caltex Petroleum Pty Ltd v Harmer (1999) 92 IR 264 at 269 (Wright J, President, Walton J, Vice-President, and Hungerford J). This is not to say that the admission of new evidence per se would have this result, but that the bringing of, in substance, a new or materially different case on appeal may constitute a basis for the refusal of an application for leave to appeal.

(6) Mere contest as to findings of fact which might otherwise remain open on the evidence will generally, in the absence of other considerations, not attract leave: Box Valley Pty Ltd v Price (2000) 97 IR 484 at 484 [4] (Walton J, Vice-President, Hungerford J and Commissioner Cambridge). It must be kept in mind that the Full Bench should not interfere with findings of fact unless the Full Bench is of the opinion that they were not reasonably open on the evidence: Hussmann Australia Pty Ltd v Walker (1993) 31 NSWLR 189 at 201 (Hill J).

[22] Consistent with the second reading speech, in exercising its powers under s 192 of the Act, the Full Bench must identify a “House v The King error” (that is, an error that falls within one of the grounds contained in the oft-cited passage in House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499; [1936] HCA 40 by Dixon, Evatt and McTiernan JJ at 504-505) at least in relation to discretionary decisions: TD Preece & Co Pty Ltd v Industrial Court (NSW) (2008) 177 IR 172; [2008] NSWCA 285 at 187 [77] (Basten JA); Public Service Association and Professional Officers' Association Amalgamated Union (NSW) v Secretary of the Treasury (2014) 242 IR 318; [2014] NSWCA 112 at 326 [27] (Basten JA with whom Ward JA, as her Honour then was, and Bergin CJ in Eq agreeing) (“PSA v Treasury Secretary [2014]”); Public Service Association and Professional Officers Association Amalgamated Union of New South Wales v Roads and Maritime Services (2015) 250 IR 412; [2015] NSWIRComm 16 at 416 [10] (Walton J, President, Kite AJ and Commissioner Newall).

75. I note that the Full Bench in the Appeal Proceedings stated at [28] that they applied the principles set out by Chief Commissioner Kite SC, Commissioners Sloan and Webster in Bossak v Health Secretary in respect of Murrumbidgee Local Health District [2020] NSWIRComm 1009 at [27]-[30]. Those passages refer to the enunciation of principles in Public Service Association and Professional Officers’ Association Amalgamated Union of New South Wales v Roads and Maritime Services (2015) 250 IR 412; [2015] NSWIRComm 16 at 416 [10]-[11] (Walton J, President, Kite AJ and Commissioner Newall) and Industrial Relations Secretary v Wattie [2017] NSWIRComm 1007 at [12]-[13] (Acting Chief Commissioner Tabbaa AM, Commissioners Stanton and Newall). I discern no inconsistency with the principles articulated in those cases and the principles that I identified in Health Secretary v NSWNMA.

Employment of ACCOs

76. Before the commencement of the Public Sector Employment Legislation Amendment Act 2006 (NSW) (“the 2006 Amendment Act”), the Ambulance Service of New South Wales was a statutory corporation that represented the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales: Ambulance Services Act 1990 (NSW) (repealed) s 4 (“AS Act”). (See also previous repealed statutes including the Ambulance Services Act 1976 (NSW) (repealed), Ambulance Service Act 1972 (NSW) (repealed) and Ambulance Transport Service Act 1919 (NSW) (repealed).) The Ambulance Service could “appoint and employ such employees as may be necessary for the purpose of exercising its functions” (AS Act s 13(1)) and “make and enter into contracts or agreements with any person for the performance of services” (AS Act s 19(1)).

77. Section 15(1) of the AS Act provided that “[t]he conditions of employment, including salaries, wages and remuneration, of the employees of the Ambulance Service (other than the Chief Executive Officer) are to be as determined from time to time by the Health Administration Corporation, except in so far as provision is otherwise made by law”. Under s 15(6)(a) of the AS Act, the Ambulance Service was required give effect to any determination made by the Health Administration Corporation (“HAC”).

78. The 2006 Amendment Act repealed the AS Act and inserted Ch 5A into the HS Act. The effect of the amendments was that the Ambulance Service would no longer be a statutory corporation. Instead, the 2006 Amendment Act transferred the ambulance functions to the NSW Health Service as a distinct and separate service within it and, importantly, made Ambulance Service employees and other public sector employees the direct employees of the Crown rather than individual statutory corporations.

79. The second reading speech of the 2006 Amendment Act shows that the mischief behind that Act was to prevent these public sector employees from being subject to the Federal industrial relations system, which had then been significantly reformed by the Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Act 2005 (Cth) (“Work Choices Act”): New South Wales, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 7 March 2006 (The Hon John Watkins MP, Deputy Premier and Minister for Transport). This was considered necessary because the Work Choices Act was made pursuant to the corporations power in s 51(xx) of the Commonwealth Constitution and there was a risk that “key front-line employees, such as nurses, ambulance staff, TAFE teachers and support staff, home care workers, and other employees of statutory corporations” would, as a result of the Work Choices Act, be subject to the “deleterious effects of the WorkChoices legislation”.

80. Following the 2006 Amendment Act, ACCOs are employed by “the Government of New South Wales”, which refers to the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales: see Health Secretary v NSWNMA at [127], citing Chapman-Davis v New South Wales (2015) 90 NSWLR 533; [2015] NSWIC 10 at 538 [12]-[15] (Walton J, President); Re Operational Ambulance Officers (State) Award (No 4) (2016) 255 IR 193; [2016] NSWIRComm 2 at 196 [6], [8] (Walton J, President, Kite AJ and Commissioner Tabbaa).

143. The purpose of the power in s 116A(1) is “to ensure a high measure of consistency in a large and diverse public sector organisation”: NSW Nurses' Association v Sydney Local Health District [2012] NSWIRComm 52 at [102] (Boland J, President). It is clear that a determination by the Secretary under this power is intended to set conditions that could cover the entire workforce or a very large cross-section of it. This only highlights how separate and distinct it is from the power to enter into contracts of employment. Under the doctrine of privity of contract, any contract can only bind the contracting parties (that is, the Crown and the relevant individual employee) and could not affect the legal rights of other employees.

144. This view is also clear from the legislative history of the provisions in ss 116 and 116A of the HS Act. As I have set out above, in relation to the provision of ambulance services, the power of the Ambulance Service under the AS Act to employ individuals and enter into contracts and agreements was separate to the power of the HAC to determine the conditions of employment.

145. This is also consistent with the scheme that existed in relation to the Area Health Services (which are now known as Local Health Districts) under the HS Act before the 2006 Amendment Act. The Area Health Services had the power to appoint and employ employees (s 33) and was empowered to enter into contracts or agreements with any person for the performance of services (s 37). This was always separate to the power in s 115(2) of the HS Act (which is the predecessor provision to s 116A(1)).

146. Nothing in the text of the 2006 Amendment Act sought to merge the powers or make the separate powers into one. Indeed, in the second reading speech of the 2006 Amendment Act, the Minister said:

The bill provides that the Director General of NSW Health may exercise the Government's employer functions on its behalf in relation to the staff employed in the NSW Health Service. Again, consequential provisions ensure that all staff who become members of the newly constituted NSW Health Service will continue to be employed in accordance with the terms and conditions that applied to them as members of staff of the statutory corporation concerned. The bill does not change the salary, wages or employment conditions of these employees.

150. This view is confirmed by a number of authorities in the Commission. Two will suffice. First, the Full Bench in NSWNA v SLHD agreed with the submission of the appellant Association that the power to enter into contracts was an alternative source to the power in s 116A(1) of the HS Act for terms and conditions of employment but ultimately found that the three individuals who had made representations did not have actual, delegated, ostensible or apparent authority to make those representations.

151. Secondly, in Gillies (which I note was decided before the 2006 Amendment Act came into effect), the applicants submitted that the private use of their employer-provided motor vehicles constituted a term of their contracts of employment. Schmidt J held at [173]-[174], in relation to s 115(2) of the HS Act, the following:

[173] There was no suggestion in these proceedings that s115 detracts from common law notions that those whom the respondents employ, are employed pursuant to a contract of employment. To the contrary, s33 of the Health Services Act 1997 empowers Area Health Services to appoint and employ employees such as the applicants. Section 37 empowers them to enter into contracts or agreements with any person for the performance of services. In doing so, an Area Health Service is undoubtedly obliged to have regard to conditions of employment determined by the HAC for its employees from time to time to, as well as agreements HAC has entered into with a union (see s115 (7)). Nothing in s115, however, suggests that the fairness of any contract which is entered into with an employee may not arise for consideration under s106 of the [Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW)]. (See s404 of the Act.) This is what is sought to be addressed in these proceedings - the alleged unfairness of each applicants' contract of employment.

[174] The HAC is empowered to 'determine' the conditions of employment of employees such as the applicants (s115(2)). The evidence did not show that the 1998 policy had resulted from any HAC determination. Even if it had, such conditions may be fixed 'except in so far as provision is otherwise made by law'. It follows that a determination could not be made inconsistently with the various requirements of the Act, or of an order or award made by the Commission under the Act, or of an order made by the Court, in proceedings such as this.

152. It is clear that her Honour regarded the conditions of employment set out in the contracts of employment as separate to the conditions of employment set out in determinations made by the Health Administration Corporation (“HAC”) (who, before the commencement of the 2006 Amendment Act, was the employer of the employees in the NSW Health Service).

153. Before the 2006 Amendment Act, the Area Health Service was under an obligation when entering into contracts of employment with staff to have regard to conditions of employment determined by the HAC. No such provision exists today but this can be explained by the fact that the function of the Area Health Service in entering into contracts of employment and the HAC in determining conditions under s 115(2) are now done by the same person – the Secretary. Thus, it can be assumed that the Secretary would not enter into contracts of employment that conflict with the conditions of employment that she herself has fixed in s 116A(1).

Whether Section 116A is a Defence to Implying a Usage in a Contract

154. It follows that the underlying premise of the Secretary’s submission – that the act of entering into a contract amounted to “fix[ing]” the conditions of employment under s 116A of the HS Act – may be significantly doubted. The submissions of the Secretary largely follow from this assumption.

155. As the power to make contracts of employment and power to fix conditions that are not otherwise provided by law are separate powers, it does not follow that s 116A of the HS Act is a shield, defence or “very simple answer” to the issue of whether a contract of employment can have a term implied by usage.

156. The term “law” in s 116A(1) is not defined in the Act. It must be construed in the context of the statute. There are a few notable considerations. First, the preceding word “other” operates in a way that suggests that the determination of the Secretary fixing the salary, wages and conditions of employment would also be a “law”. This is an interesting description because it is not ordinarily understood in common parlance that a determination of conditions of employment by a departmental secretary, let alone a policy directive or circular, is a “law”. Secondly, in relation to a predecessor provision, Schmidt J in Gillies at [174] held, with respect, correctly in my view, that the term “law” includes “an order or award made by the Commission under the [IR Act], or of an order made by the Court”. An award or order made by the Commission or a court does not apply to everyone. An award only binds the employees or employers within the scope of the award and any industrial organisations that were a party to the making of the award. An order of a court can only be binding on the parties in the particular proceedings. Thus, the “law” referred to in s 116A(1) does not have the same quality of universal application that a law made by Parliament ordinarily would have.

157. Having regard to those considerations, my preliminary observation is that the word “law” in s 116A(1) refers to any source that can bind the Secretary and relevant employees. This would include the provisions of the HS Act, IR Act and other statutes, as well as awards and agreements made by the Commission. It can also include, in my view, a contract entered into by the Secretary and which is binding on the Crown.

158. The words used in s 116A should be carefully considered. I note that conditions of employment can be “fixed” by a contract at the magic moment where mutual assent has been objectively manifested: see Brambles Holdings Ltd v Bathurst City Council (2001) 53 NSWLR 153; [2001] NSWCA 61. However, it is not correct to say that the Secretary alone can “fix” the conditions of employment by merely making an offer to a prospective employee. An offer can be accepted or rejected. It is for this reason why I am inclined to prefer the view, without deciding the issue, that the power to “fix” conditions of employment in s 116A(1) of the Act does not apply to the making of contracts. It can simply be answered by the fact that the fixing of conditions of employment by contract can not be done by the Secretary alone which is what s 116A(1) of the Act contemplates. In a contract, the conditions of employment can only be “fixed” by the Secretary and employee acting together. Once fixed, they bind the Secretary and the relevant employee.

159. At [102] of the Primary Decision, the Commissioner said “I see no reason why the words “in so far as they are not fixed by or under any other law” appearing in s 116A of the HS Act could not extend to terms and conditions “fixed” by reference to the common law principle of usage”. If the Commissioner meant that “any other law” refers to a contract that has “fixed” a condition of employment by usage, then there is no apparent error in the Commissioner’s reasoning. But if the Commissioner meant that the common law principles of usage is a standalone source of “other law”, then there is much to suggest that the Commissioner erred. In my view, the common law principles of usage alone are not sufficient to be a source of “law” that fixes conditions of employment. Those principles may imply a term in a contract but that is different to fixing a term binding on the parties outside of a contract.

160. Once it is accepted that an ACCO’s contract of employment includes an implied term that pays an on call allowance (and I express no opinion on whether this is established), it would appear to follow that this term is binding on the Crown and the Secretary would need to remunerate the allowance to the ACCOs.

Consideration of Ground 3

161. The proper principles of determining usage were not adequately argued before me. Further, there appears to be some tension between the Secretary’s acceptance that there was a usage, as a matter of fact, with respect to the on call allowance for the purposes of construing s 116A and its submissions with respect to this alleged error. I have some doubts as to the Secretary’s submissions.

162. The Secretary submitted that the Commissioner failed to consider whether the practice of paying the allowance was a practice of or attributable to the Secretary or her predecessors as the relevant contracting party. I do not accept that submission. The Commissioner clearly considered whether there was a delegation and accepted that “the issue of delegation is irrelevant to the enquiry into the presence and nature of a usage”: Primary Decision at [99].

163. The Secretary submitted that the Commissioner was wrong to find that a custom or usage could be located without making a finding that those practices were authorised by the Secretary or her predecessor as the employer to the relevant contracts. However, that submission appears to be contrary to authority. It has been held that a person may be bound by a custom notwithstanding the fact that she had no knowledge of it. Where a custom is of such notoriety that every person dealing in that sphere could easily ascertain the nature and content of the custom, a person would be presumed to know of the usage notwithstanding their ignorance of it: Jones v Canavan [1972] 2 NSWLR 236 at 243 (Jacobs JA). Whether sufficient notoriety has been achieved is a question of fact. In Con-Stan, the High Court stated at 237-238:

The result is that in modern times nothing turns on the presence or absence of actual knowledge of the custom; that matter will stand or fall with the resolution of the issue of the degree of notoriety which the custom has achieved. The respondent’s contention that industry practices unknown to [one party] are incapable of forming the basis of an implied term of the contract cannot be sustained.

164. The Secretary also submitted that the Commissioner failed to recognise that a contractual term cannot be implied by usage if it would be inconsistent with the express terms of the contract. However, in that respect, it must be noted that the Commissioner, in citing relevant authorities on usage, recognised at [70] that “[a] term will not be implied into a contract on the basis of custom where it is contrary to the express terms of the agreement”

165. From my review of the transcript and written submissions that was before the Commissioner, the highest that this argument was advanced was that the ACCOs’ employment contracts contained an express term that “[t]he conditions of employment for this position are embodied in the [Award]”. However, it is difficult to see why this term means that all conditions were set out in the Award and nowhere else. If that was so, then no condition of employment fixed by the Secretary under s 116A(1) of the HS Act could form part of the conditions of employment.

166. Further, the Secretary submitted that the Commissioner made an error in finding that the allowance was not inconsistent with the Award. I accept that, as a matter of principle, it was necessary for the Commissioner to consider whether any implied term conflicted with the Award. However, the arguments before me do not sufficiently explain how cl 23(f)(i) of the Award contained a “closed list of circumstances” and “evinced an intention to ‘cover the field’ exhaustively”. It is reasonably clear that the Commissioner turned his mind to whether there is any inconsistency. In those circumstances, it was open for the Commissioner to conclude that there was no inconsistency, as he found in [81]-[83] of the Primary Decision.

WHETHER THERE IS JURISDICTIONAL ERROR?

167. It was unnecessary to reach a concluded view as to grounds 2 and 3 because, even if an error of law was found, the Secretary has not established jurisdictional error in those respects as I will demonstrate below. I note that the effect of s 179 of the IR Act is that this Court does not have the power to grant prerogative or declaratory relief against decisions of the Commission that were affected by non-jurisdictional errors of law on the face of the record: Kirk v Industrial Court (NSW) (2010) 239 CLR 531; [2010] HCA 1 at 582-583 [104]-[105] (French CJ, Gummow, Hayne, Crennan, Kiefel and Bell JJ, as Kiefel CJ then was) (“Kirk”).

Secretary’s Submissions

168. Counsel for the Secretary submitted that the Commissioner’s finding that the Secretary was obliged to continue paying the on call allowance was irrational and that the recommendation made by the Commissioner was legally unreasonable.

169. The Secretary submitted that the Commission exceeded its jurisdiction in interpreting the law under s 175 of the IR Act. Counsel for the Secretary submitted that administrative tribunals are not generally authorised to determine questions of law authoritatively or to make decisions other than in accordance with the law. Therefore, if the Commission has made an error of law by identifying a wrong issue, asking itself a wrong question, ignored relevant material, relied on irrelevant material or made an erroneous finding, it will generally be jurisdictional.

170. In relation to whether the Primary Decision has any legal effect or consequences, counsel for the Secretary made two submissions. First, he accepted that a recommendation is not binding in a “strict legal sense” but submitted that there is a moral or cultural obligation on a party with ongoing proceedings before the Commission to comply with it.

171. Secondly, counsel submitted that the Primary Decision has “some life outside of the decision irrespective of whether [the Secretary] were actually bound to comply with the recommendation as a matter of law” because:

[I]f one interprets section 179, the privative clause in the IR Act broadly as precluding any challenge to a finding made by the Commissioner including on a question of law, accepting it's not a declaration as to how the law works but it is a finding nevertheless on a question of law which section 179 says we are not entitled to challenge.

If that be right then we are, at least until such time as another decision is made by the Commission which reaches a different view, particularly in circumstances where we not had an opportunity to bring an appeal from it, we are caught by that finding and that, we say, has sufficiently potential consequences for us to have as a bear minimum give us an entitlement to be heard on it.

APA and HSU’s Submissions

172. Both the APA and HSU submitted that any errors in the Primary or Appeal Decisions were errors within jurisdiction. This is of significance because the effect of s 179 of the IR Act precludes a decision of the Commission from being called into question by any court or tribunal unless it is vitiated by jurisdictional error.

173. The unions also submitted that there were discretionary factors against the granting of prerogative or declaratory relief because there are proceedings in the Commission to determine whether the Award should be varied and may resolve the dispute one way or another. Further, the issue of a recommendation has no legal consequence.

Consideration

174. It must first be recognised what power the Commission is exercising in the Primary Proceedings. I do not agree with counsel for the Secretary’s submission that the issue of jurisdiction should be determined by reference to only s 175 of the Act. What the Commission was deciding was whether to make a recommendation under s 136(1)(a) of the Act. That was the relief that was sought by the APA. That was also the case that the parties were answering in the arbitration proceedings. And that was the course taken by the Commissioner.

Any Error of Law was Within Jurisdiction

175. The recommendation made in the Primary Decision was that the Secretary should continue to pay a weekly allowance equal to the on call allowance set out in the Award, provided that the ACCO is on Whispir and is required to take telephone calls. This recommendation was clearly directed to the resolution of the industrial dispute that was notified by the APA. The recommendation was clearly about an industrial matter, which s 6(1) of the IR Act defines as matters affecting the rights and duties of employers and employees in any industry. The examples given in s 6(2) of the IR Act include remuneration and conditions of work. In my view, even if an error of law was established in the reasons of the Commissioner, the recommendation of the Commission was well within the ambit of its power in s 136(1)(a) of the Act.

176. It is well-established that not every error of law is a jurisdictional error: Kirk at 571 [66]; Quinn v Commonwealth Director of Prosecutions (2021) 106 NSWLR 154; [2021] NSWCA 294 at 158-163 [4]-[24] (Leeming JA); Stanley v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) (2022) 107 NSWLR 1; [2021] NSWCA 337 at 10 [35]-[36] (Bell P, as the Chief Justice then was); Franklin v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) [2022] NSWCA 58 at [45] (Macfarlan JA).

177. In Craig v South Australia (1995) 184 CLR 163; [1995] HCA 58 (“Craig”), the High Court held that an error of law by a court on the sorts of issues they have to routinely decide will not be jurisdictional, but an error of law committed by tribunals would generally be jurisdictional. This distinction was based on the view that a tribunal, unlike a court, does not have authority conferred on it to authoritatively determine questions of law or to make an order or decision otherwise than in accordance with the law.

175. However, it has been emphasised that this is not a rigid taxonomy. In Absolon v NSW Technical and Further Education Commission [1999] NSWCA 311, Fitzgerald JA held at [146] that the Equal Opportunity Tribunal was to be treated as a court for the purpose of Craig’s distinction. In Custom Credit Corp Ltd (in liq) v Commercial Tribunal of New South Wales [1999] NSWSC 1021, James J held at [102] that, where a statute provides for an appeal from a tribunal on a question of law, then it would appear that Parliament has conferred upon the tribunal the authority to decide questions of law.

176. There has been some debate as to whether Craig’s distinction or presumption still holds. It is not necessary to resolve that debate here. Any presumption that a tribunal does not have power to authoritatively determine questions of law must yield to the language of the Parliament and the terms of the legislation under which the tribunal is set up. In my view, Parliament had clearly provided in s 175 of the IR Act that the Commission may interpret and determine the operation and effect of relevant laws and instruments (although this is no declaratory power, which is reserved to this Court). And that the Commission’s decisions were “final” (s 179 of the IR Act) subject to jurisdictional error and thus cannot be reviewed for non-jurisdictional errors of law. As I explained above, the IR Act also provides for a system of appeal to the Full Bench on questions of law. All these factors point to the view that Parliament had conferred on the Commission the authority to decide questions of law such that “incorrectly deciding something which the decision maker is authorised to decide is an error within jurisdiction”: Re Refugee Review Tribunal; Ex parte Aala (2000) 204 CLR 82; [2000] HCA 57 at 141 [163] (Hayne J).

177. This was accepted in State of New South Wales v NSW Nurses' Association [2012] NSWCA 179 at [35]-[37] where Bathurst CJ (with whom Basten and Hoeben JJA agreed) held that the construction of the contract adopted by the majority of the Full Bench (Boland J, President, and Haylen J; Walton J, Vice-President, dissenting) was erroneous but nonetheless the Full Bench was acting within jurisdiction in determining the contractual rights and liabilities of the parties in relation to the contract entered into by them. This is because there was “no misconception by the Full [Bench] of its role or disregard of the limits of its functions or powers occurred” and the Full Bench “did not … seek to rewrite the contract”.

178. Even if it was established that the Commissioner adopted or preferred an erroneous interpretation of s 116A of the HS Act, this would be an error within jurisdiction. As “the record” includes reasons given by the Commission (Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) s 69(4)), it may be said that there was an error of law on the face of the record but not jurisdictional error.

179. The submission that the Primary Decision is legally unreasonable or irrational must be rejected. It must be remembered that simply disagreeing with the rationale of the Commission is not enough to make it irrational or unreasonable. The question is whether it is so irrational or illogical that no rational person could have made it or the conclusion was simply not open to the decision-maker on the facts: Minister for Immigration and Citizenship v SZMDS (2010) 240 CLR 611; [2010] HCA 16 at 647-648 [130] (Crennan and Bell JJ). In my view, it was open to the Commission to find that the allowance should continue to be paid as a matter of fairness given the length of time that the payment has already been paid and because of the fact that the ACCOs may need to take telephone calls to ascertain their availability to fill shift vacancies at short notice.

180. It follows that grounds 2 and 3 are incapable of establishing jurisdictional error and must be rejected. Ground 4 must also be rejected. As was accepted by counsel for the Secretary, the rejection of grounds 1-4 also necessitate that ground 5 must be rejected.

The Availability of Certiorari and Declaratory Relief for a Recommendation in Arbitration

184. The authorities establish that an order in the nature of certiorari does not lie against an act that has no legal consequences.

185. In Ainsworth v Criminal Justice Commission (1992) 175 CLR 564; [1992] HCA 10, a report was prepared by the Criminal Justice Commission and tabled in Parliament. It contained adverse recommendations about certain persons and companies involved in the poker machine industry, including those associated with the appellants. Although the High Court found that there was a breach of natural justice, the Court held that certiorari did not lie because no legal effect or consequence attached to the report, notwithstanding that it might bear on the appellants' prospects of obtaining licences under the Gaming Machine Act 1991 (Qld), to which reputation was a relevant factor.

186. In Greiner v Independent Commission Against Corruption (1992) 28 NSWLR 125, Gleeson CJ at 148 and Mahoney JA at 178-179 refused certiorari to quash a report of the Independent Commission Against Corruption which had no legal force of its own.

187. In contrast, in Hot Holdings Pty Limited v Creasy (1996) 185 CLR 149; [1996] HCA 44, the High Court held that certiorari was available to quash a report whose only legal force was that it had to be taken into account by the Minister before coming to his own decision. Brennan CJ, Gaudron and Gummow JJ said at 165:

A preliminary decision or recommendation, if it is one to which regard must be paid by the final decision-maker will have the requisite legal effect upon rights to attract certiorari.

[Emphasis added.]

188. In Tuch v South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service [2009] NSWSC 1207, Johnson J ordered certiorari of a report and recommendations made by a Review Committee on the footing that that the Chief Executive of the Health Service was obliged to take them into account as a matter of law.

189. As I have noted, a recommendation is not legally binding and does not affect a party’s rights in any way and does not effect any prejudice in any way. That the Commission’s recommendation may carry some moral or cultural authority does not create a prejudice. The party may object to the Commissioner making the recommendation from further sitting. Parties do regularly appear in repeat proceedings before the Commission but it could not be seriously suggested that the refusal of a recommendation would adversely affect a party’s standing before the Commission either in the instant matter or in the future (and no party has suggested otherwise in these proceedings). Recommendations of the Commission have been rejected by many parties over a long period of time. The Crown is in no different position. A failure to comply with a recommendation in conciliation may result in that rejection being considered in the future under s 134(2) of the IR Act but no such consequence exists for a recommendation in arbitration.

190. I reject the Secretary’s submission that a finding by the Commissioner on a question of law in the reasoning process to a recommendation is sufficient to give rise to certiorari because “we are caught by that finding”.

191. Expressing a view on the interpretation of the law is an act that tribunals and administrative bodies are called upon to do in the ordinary exercise of their functions. Sometimes an interpretation of the law will result in the making of an order or determination that affects legal rights. Other times, as in the case of a recommendation in arbitration, it does not. The fact that the reasoning process in reaching the latter may involve the interpretation of a statute does not have a sufficient legal consequence to give rise to an order in the nature of certiorari.

192. The former Industrial Court previously had a power to make a declaration such that it could declare the law: IR Act s 154 (which was repealed by the Industrial Relations Amendment (Industrial Court) Act 2016 (NSW)). No such power currently exists on the Commission. As mentioned, an interpretation of the law by the Commission does not have the effect of a declaration.

193. To the extent that the Secretary is suggesting that the Commission in a future proceeding is bound by the interpretation set out in the Primary Decision, this is mistaken. An interpretation of the law by a single Commissioner in arbitration does not have the force and effect of a binding precedent on the Commission in the future. There is no principle of ratio decidendi that operates and, even if it did, the principle could not operate with respect to a recommendation. The statements made by the Commissioner do not amount more than him exposing his thought processes in recommending a particular course.

194. It would be more arguable that an interpretation of the law by the Full Bench would bind the Commission constituted by a single member in the future but, in this case, the Full Bench did not embark on the merits so as to have any binding effect. At most, the Primary Decision may be followed the Commission in the future because it is influential or under principles of comity but the Commission is free to depart from an earlier interpretation.

195. Section 179 of the IR Act does not change this. Section 179 has the effect of preventing a court or tribunal from questioning a decision of the Commission. It does not have broader consequences to elevate the legal status of an interpretation of law expressed by the Commission when making a recommendation.

196. The Affidavit of Elizabeth Allen states that NSW Health has recently reviewed the contractual arrangements of doctors across NSW Health and identified approximately 400 arrangements that may fall outside the terms of the applicable award and other applicable industrial instruments and that may not have been approved by NSW Health. The details of this review was not provided to the Court. It is not clear that those approximately 400 arrangements would be identical or substantially similar to the allowances of ACCOs. And it is difficult to understand (and no example or demonstration was provided as to) how the Commissioner’s interpretation of s 116A of the HS Act had an impact on those arrangements.

197. As I have mentioned, the only possible consequence of a recommendation is to suggest a course with the moral authority of the Commission and a culture of compliance. I have earlier dealt with that proposition. In Notification by the Broken Hill Town Employees' Union of a dispute with the Broken Hill Musicians Club Ltd re negotiations for a new collective agreement [2001] NSWIRComm 213, Deputy President Sams observed at [3] that “[i]t has been the tradition precedent for the industrial parties to accept and abide by any recommendation so given”. In that case, the employees of the Broken Hill Musicians Club did not accept a recommendation made by Commissioner Bishop. The Commission expressed its disappointment that the recommendation was not accepted. Deputy President Sams stated at [10]:

This is contrary to the traditional, and hitherto accepted practice of the industrial parties in Broken Hill, to accept recommendations of this Commission - warts and all. I am concerned that the integrity of this practice has been compromised by a rejection of the Commissioner's recommendation. Such conduct threatens the orderly and responsible approach to resolving disputation in the unique environment of Broken Hill.

198. However, two factors need to be mentioned. First, the Deputy President was referring to the general industrial arrangements operating in Broken Hill or, more generally, the County of Yancowinna in which unique and special industrial arrangements have historically applied: see, eg, Broken Hill Commerce and Industry Consent Award [2009] NSWIRComm 1095 at [27] (Commissioner McKenna); Public Service Association of NSW and Health and Anor v Broken Hill Town Employees’ Union (2003) 125 IR 54; [2003] NSWIRComm 100 at 62 [26]-[29] (Wright J, President, Deputy President Harrison, Commissioners Connor and Tabbaa); Award Modernisation – Statement – Full Bench (2009) 188 IR 23; [2009] AIRCFB 865 at 39-40 [85]-[86] (Giudice J, President, Watson VP, Watson, Harrison and Acton SDPP, and Smith C); SC Taylor, “Industrial Relations in the Broken Hill Mining Industry” (1965) 7(2) Journal of Industrial Relations 101. Secondly, the Deputy President proceeded to deal with the industrial dispute on the basis that the failure to comply with a recommendation has no legal consequences.

199. In the absence of a recommendation in arbitration having any legal consequence, certiorari does not lie.

200. As I have noted above, a recommendation is a very broad power and it was deliberately designed to give the maximum latitude to the Commission to use its expertise, experience and knowledge to assist in resolving the industrial dispute. The terms of a recommendation may be such that the Commission would not be disposed to make an award, direction or order in those same terms. And a recommendation can be made to do something even if there is no legal requirement or entitlement to do it. Therefore, there is no requirement on the Commissioner to give reasons that sets out the legal basis for an entitlement for the allowance.

201. The full thought processes of the Commissioner have generally not been exposed when making a recommendation. I have noticed that there has now been a trend for the Commission to express its reasons for making or not making a recommendation in a formulaic way that creates an impression that it was a considered decision. It is usually undesirable for a Commissioner to create such an impression.

202. When an exposition of the basis for the giving of a recommendation is given, it is no more than a series of propositions which may support the recommendation that has been made which may encourage the parties to give serious consideration to the recommendation. But it should not be considered as a proper interlocutory or final decision that has legal effect. It should not be taken that the Commission would make or vary an award or make orders in the precise terms of the recommendation.

203. It is a requirement for the making of a declaration that it will have foreseeable or practical consequences for the parties: Plaintiff M76/2013 v Minister for Immigration, Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship (2013) 251 CLR 322; [2013] HCA 53 at 391 [233] (Kiefel and Keane JJ, as Kiefel CJ then was). The nature of a recommendation is such that a party can reject it on the basis that they believe the Commission made the recommendation on a false premise or because they held a settled view which would not be altered in any circumstances. This may not be entirely desirable, but the point is that a party may reject a recommendation entirely in a perfunctory way with no obligation to demonstrate that consideration had been given to it. Because the Secretary has the ability to choose whether to accept or reject the recommendation with no legal consequences, I am of the view for the reasons that I have given that there are no foreseeable or practical consequences to the making of a declaration in these proceedings.

Discretionary Factors Also Favour Not Granting Prerogative or Declaratory Relief

204. It must be remembered that prerogative and declaratory relief is discretionary. Even if error was established and certiorari and/or declaratory relief could be given, I am of the view that discretionary factors weight against granting such relief in this case.

205. The Commission is now considering the underlying dispute about the ongoing payment of the allowance and has issued a summons to show cause to make or vary an award about this allowance. As those proceedings are on foot and could reach a binding decision that the Secretary should continue making the payment or that it should cease (or some other determination), I accept the submission of the unions that there is no utility in quashing the Primary and Appeal Decisions or making the declaratory relief sought.

206. That conclusion is a fortiori when the grant of relief sought by the Secretary could have no other effect than to act upon an exposition of views in support of the recommendation which has no precedential impact and a recommendation having no binding legal effect.

207. Further, if this Court were to decide that the recommendation made by Commissioner Sloan was vitiated by jurisdictional error and may be “properly regarded, in law, as no decision at all” (Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs v Bhardwaj (2002) 209 CLR 597; [2002] HCA 11 at 614-615 [51] (Gaudron and Gummow JJ)), it would follow that the recommendation of Commissioner Murphy on 15 November 2019 would continue to operate because the matter had not been validly “heard and determined by the Commission”.

208. I do not agree with counsel for the Secretary that Commissioner Murphy’s recommendation is extinguished because the matter had been “heard and determined” as a matter of fact. If there was jurisdictional error in the Primary and Appeal Decisions, then it would be considered a purported recommendation in fact but not a valid recommendation at law. The consequence is that the underlying industrial dispute, as the APA notified to the Commission, had not been validly and properly “determined” and thus Commissioner Murphy’s recommendation would continue to have effect. This underscores the lack of utility in granting the relief sought by the Secretary in the Amended Summons.

CONCLUSION

209. It is important to emphasise the role of this Court in undertaking judicial review. It is not to substitute the decisions of the Commission because this Court prefers a different result. It is to review for jurisdictional error.

210. The Secretary has not established that the Commission denied procedural fairness in making a recommendation about the payment of a $5000/year allowance to approximately 13 employees. The arbitration recommendation power is very broad, is part of the exercise of a wide discretion, does not bind the parties and has no legal consequences if not complied with. The Secretary has not established that the Commission has made a jurisdictional error. And in any case strong discretionary factors favour not granting relief.

211. I have not heard the parties on costs. Ordinarily costs would follow the event: UCPR r 42.1. I will make that order, subject to the parties’ right to make a different application to my Associate within seven calendar days in which case I will set a timetable with a view to determining costs on the papers unless the parties request a hearing.

212. For these reasons, the Court makes the following orders:

1. Pursuant to r 59.10(2) of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), extend the time to commence the proceedings up to and including 25 February 2022.

2. The Amended Summons for Judicial Review filed on 25 February 2022 is dismissed.

3. Unless there is a written application to the Associate to Walton J for a different order within seven days hereof, order the plaintiff is to pay the costs of the first and second defendants as agreed or, in default, as assessed.

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Amendments

20 October 2022 - Amendment to case title

21 October 2022 - Amendments to correct typographical errors

Decision last updated: 21 October 2022