Street v Retravision (NSW) Limited

In *Street v Retravision (NSW) Limited*, the New South Wales Court of Appeal considered an appeal from a decision of the Supreme Court of New South Wales concerning a dispute between a former employee, Mr. Street, and his former employer, Retravision (NSW) Limited. The core of the dispute involved allegations of wrongful dismissal and the employer's purported repudiation of the employment contract.

The Court of Appeal was required to determine whether Retravision's actions constituted a repudiation of the employment contract, thereby entitling Mr. Street to resign and claim damages for breach of contract. Specifically, the court had to assess whether the employer's conduct, including alleged harassment and a failure to provide a safe working environment, amounted to a fundamental breach of the employment agreement.

The Court of Appeal found that the employer's conduct did not reach the threshold of repudiation. Applying established principles of contract law, the court reasoned that for conduct to amount to repudiation, it must be a breach of a fundamental term of the contract or demonstrate a clear intention by one party to no longer be bound by the contract. The court concluded that while the employer's conduct may have been unsatisfactory, it did not evince an intention to abandon or altogether refuse to perform its contractual obligations. Therefore, Mr. Street's resignation was not justified as a response to a repudiatory breach.

Consequently, the Court of Appeal dismissed Mr. Street's appeal, upholding the Supreme Court's finding that there was no wrongful dismissal.