NSD580 of 2012 - Originating Application

8/2/2019 NSD580 of 2012 - Originating Application

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IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA (FCA)NEW SOUTH WALES REGISTRY - FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIAFAIR WORK DIVISION No: NSD580/2012

NOTICE OF FILING AND HEARING

This application was filed electronically in the FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA (FCA) on

20/04/2012.

DETAILS OF FILING

Document Lodged: Originating Application under the Fair Work Act 2009 Alleging

Discrimination - Form 81 - Rule 34.05(1)

File Number: NSD580/2012

File Title: James Hunter Ashby v Commonwealth of Australia & Anor

District Registry: NEW SOUTH WALES REGISTRY - FEDERAL COURT OF

AUSTRALIA

Reason for Listing: First Directions

Time and date for hearing: 21/05/2012, 9:30 AM

Place: To Be Advised

Dated: 20/04/2012 Registrar

NOTES

1. This Notice forms part of the application and contains information that might

otherwise appear elsewhere in the application. The Notice must be included in the

application served on each party to the proceeding.

2. The reason for listing is descriptive and does not limit the issues that might be

dealt with, or orders that might be made, at the hearing.


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Form 81Ru l e 34.05(1)

Originating application under the Fair Work Act 2009alleging discrimination

N o. of 2 0 1 2F e d e ra l Court o f Aust ra l iaD is t r i c t Reg is t ry : New Sou th Wa lesDiv is ion : Fa i r Work

James Hunter As h b yAppl ican tThe Commonwealth of AustraliaFi rs t Responden tPeter SlipperS e c o n d R e s p o n d e n t

T o t h e R e s po n d e n t s

The Appl icant appl ies fo r the re l ie f se t out in th is appl icat ion.T h e Co u r t will hear th is appl icat ion, o r make orders fo r the conduct o f the proceeding, a t thetime and place s tated be low. I f you or your lawyer do not a t tend, then the Court may makeorde rs in you r absence .Y ou mu s t file a not ice o f address fo r serv ice (Form 10) in the Re g is t ry before at tending C ourt o rtak ing any o ther s teps in the proceeding.

Time and date fo r hearing: [Reg is t ry will insert time a n d date]Place: [address o f Court ]

Da t e :

S i g n e d b y a n of f i cer ac t ing wi t h t h e a u t h o r i t yof t h e Dis t r i c t Reg i s t ra r

Filed o n behalf o f (name & role of party) James Hunter Ashby, ApplicantPrepa red by (name of person/lawyer) M ich ae l DanjeJJHar merL aw firm (if applicable) Harmers W o i ^ l a c e J - a w y e r sTe l (02) 9 2 6 7 4 3 2 2 IIIIIIIIIZI1IIIIIIIIIIIIIIFax(02)'9264 4 2 9 5Email michael .harmer@harrners .com.au Address for service L e v e l 2Q~ S t Mart ins Tower(include state and postcode) 31 M arket S treet , Sydney , N S W , 2000

[Form approved 01 /08/2011 ]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Details of claim under the Fair Work A ctT he Ap p l i ca n t c l a im s that:The Parties1. Th e App l ican t i s a person ab le to su e and be sued in h is own nam e, and is em p loye d by

the S ec on d Re spo nde n t on beha l f o f the Co mm onw ea l th o f Aus t ra l ia under Pa r t III o f theMem bers of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984.

2. Th e F i r s t Re spo nde n t is the Co mm onw ea l th o f Au st ra l ia v ia the M in is te r fo r F inanc e andDere gu la t ion . The M in is te r fo r F inan ce and Deregu la t ion is the M in is te r admin is te r ing theMem bers of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984, and pursuan t to S che du le 6 .3 o f the Fa i r W o r kR egu la t i on s and R egu la t ion 6 .09 o f those R egu la t ions , i s the re levant Em ploy ingAutho r i ty of pers on s em ploy ed un der P ar t III o f the Membe rs of Parliament (Staff) Act1984.

3. T he S ec on d R e sp on d e n t , t he Sp ea ke r o f t he H ouse o f R ep r esen ta t i v es , is a p e r sonempowered to emp loy persons under the Mem bers of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984, a n dthus a lso an Employ ing Author i t y unde r Regu la t ion 6 .09 and S che du le 6 .3 o f the Fa i rWo r k R egu la t i on s . T he S ec on d R esp on d en t , on beha lf of t he C o m m on w e a l t h , em p loyedthe App l ican t .

Sexual Harassment4 . Be tw e en Ja n ua r y 2 0 12 a n d M a r ch 2 0 12 , t he Se con d R es p on d e n t m a d e un w e l com e

s e x u a l a d v a n ces , un w e l com e sex ua l com m en ts a n d un w e l com e sugges t i on s o f a sex ua lnature to the Appl icant .

Knowledge of the First Respondent - the Commonwealth5. I n o r a round mid 2003, the F i r s t Responden t became aware that t h e S e c o n d

R e s p o n d e n t had formed a re la t ionship of a sexua l na ture with a youn ge r m a le m e m bero f s ta ff emp lo yed in the o f f ice o f the Se co nd Re spo nde n t .

6 . Th e F i r s t Re spo nde n t ob ta ined th is know ledge v ia i ts em p loye e, M r To ny Nut t, a Se n io rA d v i s e r to the then P r im e M in is te r , J oh n H oward . M r Nutt wa s so in fo rmed by M ega nH o b s o n , a fo rmer m em ber o f the Se co nd Re spo nde n t 's s ta ff who had v iewed a v ideo inw h ich M r S l i p p e r w a s ob se r v ed t o:

(a) enter the be droo m of a jun ior ma le sta f f m em be r v ia the wind ow;(b) l ie on a be d with the jun ior male sta f f m em be r in shor ts an d t-shirt and hug

the jun ior male sta f f member in an in t imate fashion;(c) ur inate out of the win do w of the roo m.


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7 . M r Nut t, hav ing bee n in fo rmed o f (a ) and (b ) above by M eg an H obs on , d i rec ted M eg anH o b s o n to "....forget all about if

8. The Com mo nwe a l th therea fte r fa i l ed to take reaso nab le and e f fec t ive s teps to p reven tthe S e co nd Re spo nd en t f rom ut i l is ing h is off ice to foster se xu a l re la t ionships with y o u n gma le s ta f f members .

9 . In or around M ay Bu dge t W e ek 200 3 the jun ior ma le sta f f me mb er refer red to a t 6 (a)abov e had com pla ine d to M ega n H obs on to the e ffec t "I have bee n abu se d by Pe te r[Sl ipper ] . W e had dr inks a f ter an e lectora te even t on Au stra l ia Day [2003] . P ete r ma dea d v a n c e s on m e a n dIsa id "no"" . The jun ior ma le s ta f f me mb er showe d M eg an Hob sons c a b s on h is knu ckle s whe re he sa id he had recent ly h it a br ick wa l l whi ls t defe nd inghimse l f aga inst an a t tack by P ete r Sl ip pe r dur ing a par l iamentary trip to Ad e la id e .M e g a n H o b s o n r e c o m m e n d e d that the jun ior male sta f f member lodge a compla in tthrough the appropr ia te cha nne ls. Af ter v iewing the v ideo refer red to a t 6 abo ve , M eg anH o b s o n fo rmed the v iew that the re la tionsh ip was con se nsu a l .

Offer of Employment10. At so me t ime in o r a round Ju ne to Au gus t 2 01 1 , the Appl icant was inv i ted to the home of

t he Se con d R e sp on d e n t by a third pers on, wh o wa s launc hing a b id to enter loca lcounc i l . A t that t ime, the Se co nd Re spo nde n t aske d the App l ican t quest ions about thes e x u a l orientat ion of the third p e r son . T he Ap p l i ca n t r esp on d e d that he did not know, butin the co urse o f the con versa t ion the App l ican t open ly reve a led h is own hom osexu a l i t y .

11. O n or about 15 Oc tobe r 2 01 1 , t he Se con d R es p on d e n t en qu i r ed a s t o w he the r t heAppl icant would be in terested in a ro le as a media adv iser . A shor t t ime la ter , theS e c o n d Respondent of f ic ia l ly of fered the Appl icant the ro le. The Appl icant decl ined theo f fe r . The Se co nd Re spon den t wa s pers is ten t with his offer.

12. On or about 27 October 2 01 1 , the Se co nd Re spo nde n t aga in o f fe red the App l ican t thero le. The Appl icant aga in decl ined the of fer .

13. By le t te r da ted 5 December 2011 the Second Responden t la te r o f fe red the App l ican temp loymen t a s an Ad v ise r on h is persona l s taf f as an ongo ing e mp loy ee, to beem ployed as a Pe rson a l Em ploye e under Pa r t III o f the Mem bers of Parliament (Staff)Act 1984.

14. The App l ican t accep ted the pos it ion and com me nce d emp loyme n t on o r about 22D e c e m b e r 2011. The ro le invo lved work bo th in the E lec to ra te Of f ice in Que en s la nd andin C a n b e r r a .

First week in Canberra15. On 2 Ja n ua r y 2 01 2 , the App l ican t t rave l led to Ca nbe r ra to comm en ce work there .


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16 . At the ins is tence o f the S ec on d Respon den t , the App l ican t w as to s tay in the S ec on dR e s p o n d e n t ' s flat i n H ughes in C a n b e r r a .

17 . T h e S e c o n d R e s p o n d e n t told the App l ican t that another long term adv iser , T im Knapp,normal ly stayed in the flat but was away, and that other staff had a lso stayed in the flatwith h im.

18. Dur ing the first week o f the job , the Second Responden t came into the off ice of theApp l icant an d sa id "T im [Tim Kna pp] say s you're my fuck bu ddy." The Appl ican t ha dhea r d that term at h igh scho ol , and con side red it poor hum our but otherwise brus hed i toff at the time.

19 . On o r a bou t Wed n es d a y 4 Ja n u a r y 2 0 1 2 , t he Ap p l ica n t a n d t he Sec on d R esp on d en ta t tended P a r l iamen t H ous e for work purposes. Dur ing the day , the Second Responden tcom pla ined o f a sore neck. The App l ican t knew that there were medica l and others e rv i c e s ava i lab le in Pa r l iamen t House and suggested that t he Sec on d R esp on d en t usethose serv ices to treat h is neck. The S ec on d Re spon den t dec l ined to use thoseava i lab le serv ices .

2 0 . La te r that day, the App l ican t and Second Responden t t rave l led back to the SecondR e s p o n d e n t ' s flat after work. The S ec on d Re spond en t then sa id to the App l ican t "Ca nyou m as sa ge my neck." Th e App l ican t sa id words to the ef fect of " Y e a h , r ighto.", as hedid not know what other res po nse to g ive as he was brand new to h is job an d he wa sbe ing asked by h is emp loyer .

2 1 . The Second Respondent then lay on h is bed. He d id not have a shir t on and was c lothedon ly in shor ts . The App l ican t s tood be s ide the bed and be gan to m as sa ge the Se co ndR e s p o n d e n t ' s neck. A f te r about a m inu te the Second Responden t began to moan in am a n n e r that to the App l ican t ind ica ted in tense sexu a l p leasure . The App l ican t w ass h o c k e d , felt very uncomfor table a t what wa s happe n ing , and s topped immed ia te ly ,say ing "You ' re done" , and p roceeded to leave the room. The Second Responden t sa id"O h that felt so good . "

22 . The nex t morn ing , Thurs day 5 Jan ua ry 2012 , as the App l ican t was getting ready forwork, the Se co nd Respo nde n t sudden ly s a id words to the e f fec t o f:

"You ' re a s t range one" .Th e fo l lowing conve rsat ion then took place in words to the effect of:S e c o n d R esp o n d en t : "You ' r e w e i r d beca use you show e r with the door shut."Ap pl ican t : "Wh at 's weird about tha t?"S e c o n d Re spon den t : "Y ou ' re a p rude. "


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App l ican t : " Y o u can ca l l me what you l ike, I 'm happy to wear the tag ofprude.Idon't know what you pr iva te schoolboys got up to inyour day, but I 've never found it normal to shower with the dooro pe n . M y Dad 's nev er done it, I've n eve r do ne it, my mate s don'tdo it, that's not weird."

S e c o n d Re spo nde nt : "But you eve n go to the toilet with the door shut.App l ican t : It 's not weird and it 's normal.S e c o n d Re sponde n t : "Y ou shou ld tr y shower ing with the door open .App l ican t : It's neve r gonn a happe n .S e c o n d Re spo nde nt : "What have you got to h ide ? W hat are you doing in t he re? 'App l ican t : "I 'm not doing an ythin g in the re, it 's just not normal to shower

with the door open . "23 . The next morn ing , the App l icant was woke n by the sou nd of the showe r . The App l icant

beca m e a w a r e that the Seco nd Respo nden t wa s in the shower , bec aus e he cou ld hea rthe way the water fe l l . The Appl icant saw that the door to the bathroom w as ope n. TheS e c o n d Re spo nde nt thereaf ter cont inue d to show er with the door open for the rema inderof that week in Can ber ra .

24 . At the end of that first week, the App l ican t and the Second Responden t were requ i red toreturn to Qu ee ns la nd . The Se co nd Re spond en t requ i red the App l ican t to ac com panyhim and to make a stopover in Sydney. The Appl icant was wear ing a purp le Polo shir t ,which he had to purchase in Canberra as he had not taken any casua l c lo thes with h im .W hi le wa i ting in the queu e to reboard the a ircra f t for Br isba ne, the Se co nd Res pon de ntsa id to the Appl icant words to the effect of:

The App l icant rep l ied : "Wh y is tha t?" .The Second Respondent rep l ied : " I would have worn a la rge. No, actua l ly , Iwould haveworn an extra large. Y o u look fat in that."The App l ican t then swore at the S ec ond Respo nden t , who smi rked in respo nse .

25 . The App l ican t had p rev ious ly d isc lose d to the Sec on d Re spon den t that he hadprev ious ly had issues with his weight , but had m ana ge d to lose a s ign i f icant amount .T he S eco n d R esp on d en t thus w a s a w a r e that the App l ican t was sens i t i ve to issuesabout h is weight . The Appl ican t saw the com me nt abou t h is weight as v ind ict ive anddel ibera te ly sp i tefu l .

Iwouldn ' t h ave worn that shirt ifIw a s you .


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14 January 2012 and subsequent26 . On the morn ing o f 14 Janua ry 2012 , the App l ican t d rove to the home o f the Second

R e s p o n d e n t and h is wife in o rder to take the S ec on d Re spon den t to meet with s o m e o fh is const i tuen ts . The Second Responden t ind ica ted to the App l ican t that he wan tedco f fee be fo re they left. To avo id be ing la te , the App l ican t sugg este d ob ta in ing co f feefrom a ta kea w a y shop n ea r t he S ec on d R e sp on d en t ' s hom e . T he Ap p l i ca n t t he re fo res topp ed the ca r a t a takea way co f fee sho p loca ted approx ima te ly two k i lomet res fromthe hom e o f the Se co nd Resp ond en t . A f te r pu rchas ing the co f fee , and wh i le they w eres t il l pa rke d , the Se co nd Re spo nde n t aske d the App l ican t "Hav e you eve r com e in aguy 's a rse be fo re . " The App l ican t was shocked to hea r th is quest ion from h is emp loyerand repl ied "That 's not the k ind of que st ion you as k peo ple, Pe ter . " Th e c onv ersa t ionthen c e a s e d , but the Appl icant could not leave as he was obl iged to dr ive the SecondR e s p o n d e n t to the meet ing.

27 . S o m e we ek s la te r , aga in wh i le the App l ican t wa s d riv ing the Se co nd Re spon den t , theS e c o n d Re spon den t repea ted the quest ion and then as ke d the App l ican t "Tw inks o rB e a r s - what are you in to? " . The A pp l ican t re cogn ised the qu est ion as re la ting to t ypesof ga y sexu a l par tners and wa s uncom for table, rep ly ing to the ques t ions "They are notquest ions you ask . "

Text Mes sages on 1 and 2 February 201228 . O n or about 1 Februa ry 2 0 1 2 , the Su nsh ine Coa st Da il y , a loca l new spa per c i r cu la t ing

on the S un sh in e C oa s t in Qu ee n s l a n d a ske d t he Se co n d R esp on d en t t o d o a n i nt e rv iewon the S eco n d R esp on d e n t ' s use o f soc ia l m ed ia . T he S un s h in e C oa s t D a il y ha dpub l ishe d s to r ies adverse o r hos t il e to the Se co nd R es po nd en t Th e App l ican t , and theS e c o n d R e sp on d e n t ' s M ed ia Ad v i se r , K a r e n D oa n e , ha d a d v i sed t he Seco n dR e s p o n d e n t not to do the in terv iew a s the que st ion s could eas i ly be ske we d to ref lectba d ly on the S eco n d R es p on d e n t . T he Ap p l i ca n t sen t t he S ec on d R esp on d en t a textm e s s a g e from his mobi le te lephone a t 5.44pm on 1 February 2012 in the fo l lowingte r m s :

"D O N O T D O T H E S O C I A L M E D I A I N T E R V I E W W I T H C A T H Y . They a red igging for a new angle. I t will not be good ! ! ! ! The qu est ions a re laced withdouble meaning. I t 's l ike answer ing the "do Ilook fa t " quest ion . There 's not [s ic]right answer . The da i ly do not l ike u! U do not l ike them!Ido not l ike them! Donot help them sel l papers!"

29 . A shor t time la ter , the Appl icant found that t he Sec on d R esp on d en t ha d d on e t hein te rv iew desp i te h is Ad v is ers ' adv ices . A t 6.10pm the Appl icant sent the fo l lowing textm e s s a g e t o t he Sec on d R es p on d e n t :


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" Y o u ' r e not funny! Icannot be l ieve you ca l led her ! We ' l l have to c le an th is m es sup now!! ! Fuc k fuck fuc k"

30. At 7 .06pm the Se co nd Re spo nde n t sen t the App l ican t a text m e s s a g e that r ea d :"Re l a x my f r iend! x"

The App l ican t no t iced that it wa s en ded with an "x" , which was used in tex t ing to refer to"k iss" , but thought it may hav e bee n a s l ip wh en se nd ing the text. The App l ican t rep l ieda t 7 . 0 7 p m :

" It 's so very hard to when u care about the b loke they ke ep fucking o ver . 1 hop el ike hel l they don't fuck u over with this report."

31 . T he S ec on d R esp on d e n t t hen sen t a text m e ss a ge to t he Ap p l i ca n t a t 7.19pm w h ichmere ly s ta ted "Xxx" . W h i le the App l ican t cou ld assu me that one "x" was a mistake, heb e c a m e conc erne d at th ree and v iewed the m es sag e as b iza r re .

3 2 . At 9 .38pm that day, the Second Responden t sen t the App l ican t a text m e s s a g e w h i chs ta ted :

"Wou ld be good if you here bu t perha ps we a re not c los e eno ugh ?"De spi te the que st ion mark a t the end ind ica t ing that t he S ec on d R esp on d en t w a n ted ar e s p o n s e , the Appl icant d id not respond.

33 . W he n the Se con d Re spo nde n t d id no t rece ive a respo nse to a text m essa ge , t heApp l ican t was aware f rom h is t ime work ing fo r the Second Responden t that theR e s p o n d e n t w ou ld o f ten r e - sen d the sa m e m e ssa g e . A t 1 0 .0 0 p m , t he S eco n dR e s p o n d e n t again sent the text me ssa ge : "W ou ld be good if you here bu t perhaps w eare not c lose enough ?"

34 . The fo l lowing text exc han ge then took p lace :10.10.53-Applicant: " H a h a where 's T im ton igh t? "10 .10 .18 - Seco n d Respondent: " M i s s i n g "10 .10 .45 - Applicant: "G on e to p ick up lol"10.12 .44 - Seco n d Respondent: "Do you think timbo i s c loser to me than yo u? "10 .13 .52 - Applicant: "Y ea h bu t tha t 's to be e xpe cted . H e 's known u longer. Tha t sort o fstuff doesn ' t worry me."10 .14 .40 - Seco n d Respondent: "G on e to pr ick [s ic] up wh om ? An d closer to you th anpe te?"10.16.01 - Applicant: "N o he ' s c lose r to u.Ihard ly know him"


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10.16.14-Applicant: "A random roo t lol"10.17 .23 - Applicant: "I got ta stop be ing rude to my f r iends. Te xt u wh en Il ea v e "10 .37 .55 - Second Respondent : "U gett ing roks off . Pity"10 .38 .32 - Second Respondent : " I f you in terested we could be c l o se r ? "1 0 . 4 3 . 2 5 - S e c o n d Respondent:"?"10.49 .20 - Applicant: "I th ink we ' re go od a l ready. I'm happy se e ing T im be ing c loses t .Iha te s tepp ing on toes"1 0 . 4 9 . 2 9 - S e c o n d Respondent:":)"10.51 .26 - Second Respondent : "Y our ca l l if u wan t to kee p degre es o f sepa ra t ion . N ot o e s "1 0 . 5 1 . 4 4 - S e c o n d R e s po n de n t: "I told him positrion [s ic] open"10 .54 .38 - Second Respondent : "But your ca l l and no hard feel ings in that you on lywan t b us ines s l ike con tac t . In that eve nt of the d i f f icu l ty in our pe rso n la "10 .57 .22 - Applicant: "I don ' t know wha t t ype o f con tac t you expe ct Pe ter . Pe rha ps ushou ld def ine that u wou ld l i ke andIca n then be c lea rer on my pos i t ion . "10 .58 .14 - Second Respondent : "U w a n t som e th in g m o r e? U brillianmt [sic] atm a s s a g e s "10.59 .57 - Applicant: "N o I'm happ y the way th ings a re .Icare for u P ete but them a s s a g e i s as fa r as i t go es . L i fe 's a lo t more s im p ler whe n i t 's bu s ine ss and a fewdr inks a f ter work"11 .00 .38 - Second Respondent : " O h "1 1 0 1 . 3 2 - S e c o n d R e s po n de nt : "N o prob lem s and than ks for I"11 .01 .55 - Applicant: "A l l goo d "11 .04 .52 - Second Respondent : "So rry th ings not work ing out but app rec ia te you rf rankne ss. In fu tu re in c i r cums tanc es p le ase a r range a l l com mu ncoa t ions"11 .0 6 .2 9 - Second Respondent : "Thu tim as cannot gu a ran te e ava i lab il it y . So r ry umiss ing syd ha rbour c re ises [s ic: c ru ises ] "

3 5 . T he d i r ec t ion by t he S eco n d R esp o n d e n t t o t he Ap p l i ca n t to com m un ica te th r ough a na l te rna t ive adv ise r , T im K nap p, wa s a su dde n chang e wh ich the App l ican t cons idere d tobe a repr isa l for the App l ican t dec l in ing the sex ua l inv ita tions o f the Se co nd Re spo nde n t .T h e re fe ren ce to the H a rbour c ru ise w as re fe re nce to a c ru ise with a de lega t ion f romS a m o a , i nvo lv ing the Deputy P r ime M in is te r o f S a m o a . The App l ican t had been inv ited


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to a t tend, and was annoyed that he appeared to now being den ied permission to a t tendb e c a u s e he had re jected the sexua l inv i ta t ions put by the Second Respondent . Thefol lowing text e x c h a n g e took p la ce :11 .0 7 .0 8 - Applicant: "A mImissing i t now?"11 .08 .06 - Second Respondent: "Sus pec t if you m iss"11 .10 .06 - Second Respondent: I f you miss ok. T im has girlfrien a b d "11.10.31 - Second Respondent: "An d pe te needs to sor to u . "11 .17 .39 - S e c o n d Respondent: "Ok your cal l . Sor ry? Yo u s ti ll happy to ?c om e to ca n?If not can cover"

36 . The nex t morn ing , the Se con d Resp onde n t sen t the fo l low ing text a t 6 . 40 .57 a m : "H aonly jokin g last night! H ow m ed ia / d a il y? Som e t im esIfee l depre sse d and as tho theweight of the wor ld is on my shoulders."The fo l low ing exchange then took p la ce :7.53.18 - S e c o n d Respondent: "And suspect I 'm pretty s t r essed bout nex t week"8 .39 .39 - Applicant: " Y e a hIget that. Just be mindful we al l carry that same leve l o fcomm itment and st ress for var ious reas ons ."8 .47 .16 - S e c o n d Respondent: "Ok :)"10 .01 .46 - S e c o n d Respondent: "H ow d a i l y? M ed ia ? "

Text me ssag es on 26 February 201237 . On 26 Februa ry 2 01 2 , the Appl icant had a further text m e s s a g e e x c h a n g e with th e

S e c o n d Respondent . I t began a t 5.37pm with t he Secon d R esp on d en t texting theAp p l i ca n t with the number of " fo l lowers" he had on Twitter. Af t e r som e m essa ges a bou tthat, and about each o thers loca t ion , the App l ican t adv ised the Sec on d Re spon den t hewa s in Can be r ra . The S ec ond Res pond en t sen t the App l ican t a text m e s s a g e a t7 .18.28pm, sta t ing:

" L u c k y Canbe rra . T im [third person] thought you were a n ice twink!"38 . Tha t me ssa ge wa s repea ted a t 7 .32 .09 pm, with t he Sec on d a ga in sen d in g the m e ssa g e :

" L u c k y Canberra . T im [third person] thought you were a n ice twink!"39 . The App l ican t was concerned that the Second Responden t was d iscuss ing h im in sexua l

terms. H e could not reca l l who "T im [third person]" was, and could not reca l l meet inghim. At 7 .35.25pm, the Appl icant send the fo l lowing text m e s s a g e :


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"Why wou ld he have seen a p ic o f me? Tha t 's a little wei rd that comment f romhim. Wei rd he was hav ing that con v o with u"

40 . T he Se co n d R e sp on d en t rep l ied at 7 . 56 .46 p m"Met u in person"

4 1 . Th e fo llow ing exc han ge then occur re d :8 .0 0 .1 8 p m - Applicant: "Oh T im. Wha t was the d iscuss ion about . "8 .0 1 .25 p m - S e c o n d Respondent: " U "8.02 .10pm - Applicant: " In a good wayIhop e . "8 .03 .28pm - Seco n d Respondent: "Bout whe ther you r loya l ty w as to the thugs in L N Por to me!Itold him Iwas hopefu l your loya l ty was to me"The "T im [third person]" refer red to in paragraphs 37 to 41 was not T i m K n a p p .

4 2 . There then fo l lowed a leng thy exchange o f text m e s s a g e s in w h ic h t h e S e c o n dR e s p o n d e n t ap pe are d to be que st ion ing the loya l ty of the Appl ic ant an d a t tempt ing tocontro l h is act ions. In the course of that text ex cha n ge , t he Se co n d R e sp on d en t sen t t hefo l l ow in g m essa ge :

";;)okIdo l ike you but must understandIget upse t when you p lay with m yen em ies a nd ke ep m e in the dark. It is not what Iex p ec t o f som eon eIcon s id e r edIam clo se to. If you f ind th is in to lerable p le as e d is cu ss "

4 3 . Th e App l ican t has kep t a l l text m es sa ge s on h is mob i le te lepho ne a nd had h is m ob i lete lephone fo rens ica l l y examined to ensure that t he m ess a ge s w e r e gen u in e l y sen t .

Incident on 1 March 20124 4 . O n 1 M a r c h 2 0 1 2 , t he Ap p l ica n t p r ep a r ed fo r the S eco n d R esp o n d en t a You T ub e v id eo

of the Se co nd Re spo nde n t exp la in ing the s ign i f i cance o f the M ac e in the P a r l iamen t .The Appl icant had the v ideo on h is persona l laptop, and was s i t t ing in h is of f ice in theo f fi ces of the S ec on d R es p on d e n t .

4 5 . T he S ec on d R es p on d e n t ca m e a n d s tood beh in d the Ap p l i ca n t , a n d w a t ched t he v i d eoon the App l ican t 's lap top . Th e Se co nd Resp ond en t then pu t h is hand on the a rm o f theApp l ican t , and s t roked the App l ican t 's a rm, s ta t ing in low tones "Y ou do such a beaut ifu ljob with these v ideos " . The App l ican t immed ia te ly d ropp ed h is a rm to ensure thetouch ing c e a s e d .

Incident on 20 March 20124 6 . On 2 0 M a r ch 2 0 12 , t he Ap p l ica n t w a s in h is o f fi ce . T he Se co n d R esp o n d en t w a l ke d into

the o f f ice and sa id "C anIkiss you both" . There was no other person present in the


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of f ice , and the S ec on d Re spo nde n t was look ing on ly a t the App l ican t . The App l ican t sa id" N o " very loudly, so that t he M ed ia Ad v i se r K a r en D oa n e l ooked up from the next off iceto see what w a s ha p p en in g . T he Ap p l ica n t m ov ed a w a y from th e S e c o n d R e s p o n d e n t.

47 . By this time the App l ican t ha d fo rmed the v iew that t he Se con d R es p on d en t ha drecrui ted the Appl icant to h is persona l staff for the p urpo se of pursu ing a se xu a lre la t ionship with the App l ican t .

4 8 . T he Ap p l i ca n t w a s further i n fo r m ed by the Se con d R e sp on d en t that t h e S e c o n dR e s p o n d e n t ha d i n N ov em ber 2011 in terv iewed anoth er gay man for the purpo se ofrecruit ing that man to the of f ice.

Causes o f action49 . Th e con duc t set out in para grap hs 18 to 27, 30 to 36 , 37 to 42 and 44 to 46 const i tu te

a d v e r s e act ion by the R esp ond en ts aga ins t the App l ican t , such conduct be ing bec aus eof the pe rson 's sexu a l p re fe rence s. The con duct is in the na ture o f se xua l ha rassm en tand is unlawful in terms of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, and , inso fa r as the conductoccur red in Que en s lan d , in te rms o f the Anti-Discrimination Act 19 9 1 o f Qu een s l a n d ,a n d , i nso fa r as the conduct occur red in N ew So uth Wa les , the Anti-Discrimination Act1 9 7 7 o f N e w S o u t h W a l e s .

50 . Fur ther , the conduct set out in paragraphs 24, 34 and 35 were a t tempts to v ict imise theApp l ican t be cau se he re fused to have a sexua l re la tionsh ip with th e S e c o n dR e s p o n d e n t , his employer and a person in authority over the App l ican t .

51 . Due to the con duct o f the R esp ond en ts , the App l ican t has su f fe red cons id erab le s t ress ,humi l ia t ion and i l l ness and is cur ren t ly see k ing med ica l ass is tanc e .

52. The App l ican t i s concerned to ensure that t he S ec on d R esp o n d en t n o l on ge r uses h i sposi t ion to pursue re la t ionships of a sexua l na ture with youn g m a le em p loye es .

The App l ican t re l ies on sec t ions 340 , 3 5 1 , 539, 540, 545 and 550 of the Fair Work Act 2 0 0 9 .The Appl icant asks the Cour t for :(a) A n order that the Sec on d Re spo nde n t undergo counse l l ing and tra in ing in the a rea o f

ant i -d iscr iminat ion ;(b ) A c ivi l pena l ty be impo sed on the Re spon den ts ;(c) Co m pe ns at io n for the ad ve rse act ion ( to be ca lcu la ted fo l lowing the receipt of exper t

m ed ica l ev id en ce ) ;(d) Interest on a n y com p e n sa t i on ;(e) Co s t s ;


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(f) S u c h other orders as the Co ur t dee m s f it .A cco mp a n y in g document

This appl ica t ion is not accompanied by a cer t i f ica te issued by Fa i r Work Aust ra l ia under sec t ion369 of the Fair Work Act 200 9 as th is mat ter do es not involve d terminat ion of em ploym ent . Thisapp l ica t ion is accompan ied by a Genu ine Steps s ta temen t to the ex ten t that t he p r oceed in gsa re no t exc luded p roceed ings .Other reliefThe Appl icant a lso c la ims other re l ie f :Breach of Contract

5 3 . The te rms on wh ich the Comm onw ea l th th rough the S e c o n d R e sp on d en t em p loyed t heApp l ican t inc luded te rms that t he C om m on w ea l t h w ou ld :(a) not con du ct i tself , without r ea son a b le a n d p r op e r c a u s e , in a manner l ikely to

dest roy o r ser ious ly dama ge the re la t ionsh ip o f trust and con f idence be tween thepart ies ( the "Trust and Conf idence Term").

(b) act towa rds the App l ican t fa i rly and in go od faith (the " G o o d Faith Term");(c) act with due rega rd fo r the ag reed pu rpose o f the App l ican t 's con t ract o f

emp loymen t , cons is ten t l y with the just i f ied expecta t ions of the Appl icant , and withdue ca re to avo id o r m in im ise adve rse co ns eq ue nc es to the App l ican t suc h that itcould not act so as to interfere with the Appl icant 's abi l i ty to per form hisobl iga t ions u nder the contract or prevent the Appl ica nt f rom en joying the benef i tsof h is contract and would exercise any power under the Appl icant 's contract ofem ploym ent rea son ably hav ing rega rd to the nature of the contract and theentit lements under i t ( the "Cooperation Term"); a n d

(d) prov ide a sa fe sy ste m of work for a l l i ts em plo ye es includ ing the Ap pl ica nt andtake a l l rea so nab le ste ps to protect the safety of i ts emp loy ee s includ ing theAppl icant ( the "Safe Work Term").

54 . By the cond uct de scr ib ed in para grap hs 18 to 27, 30 to 36, 37 to 42 an d 44 to 48, theR e s p o n d e n t s have bre ac he d the Ap pl ica nt 's contract of em ploym ent , inc lud ing but notl im i ted to the T rus t and Con f ide nce Term , the G o o d Fa i th Term, the Coopera t ion Termand the S a f e W o r k T e r m .

5 5 . Fur ther , and without l imi t ing the preced ing c l a u se , the Responden ts have , by thecondu ct se t ou t be low, b reac hed i ts ob l iga t ions under the T rus t and C on f id enc e Te rm,th e G o o d Fa i th Te rm, the C oop era t ion Term and the S a fer Wo rk Te rm by invo lv ing theAppl icant in quest ionable conduct in re la t ion to t ravel .


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Particulars of Conduct(a ) On 27 Jan ua ry 2 01 2 , the Appl icant was required, as part of his dut ies, to

t ravel with t he Secon d R esp on d en t i n Syd n ey . T he Secon d R esp on d en ttravel led in a vehicle that was no t a Com mon wea l th C ar , wa s not obv ious lya tax i cab, and which d id not have a meter or any other form of cha rgedevice and which d id not d isp lay in any way obv ious to the Appl icant thatthe veh ic le was one fo r h i re o r reward . The Second Responden t told th eApp l ican t that he was being p icked up by a f r iend.

(b) Dur ing the journey, the Se co nd Re sp on de nt ask ed the dr iver words in or tothe ef fect of "How many cabcharges do you require?" The dr iver rep l ied"Three" . A t the end o f the journey , the S ec on d Re spon den t s igned th reevouchers but d id not otherwise fill in any deta i ls , and handed them to thedr iver.

(c) O n 5 Feb ruary 2012 , the App l icant wa s aga in required, as part of his dut ies,to travel with the Second Responden t in Sydney. The same d r iver , andwhat appe ared to be the sa me ve h ic le , were us ed fo r the t rave l . Ag a in , theApp l ican t was fo rced to w i tness the Se co nd Resp onden t s ign mu lt ip le cabcha r ge v ouche r s without any deta i ls being completed, and wi tness theS e c o n d Respondent hand them to the dr iver .

(d) On 11 Februa ry 2 01 2 , the Appl icant was aga in required, as part of hisduties, to travel with the Second Responden t in Sydney. The same d r iver ,a n d what appea red to be the sam e veh ic le , were u sed fo r the t rave l . Ag a in ,the App l ican t was fo rced to w i tness the S ec ond Re spon den t s ign mu l tip lec a b cha rge vouchers without any deta i ls being completed, and wi tness theS e c o n d Respondent hand them to the dr iver .

(e) Th e App l icant in tends to ma ke ar range me nts to ma ke a sta tement to theAust ra l ian Fe dera l P o l ice concern ing these exp en se issues concur ren tl ywith th e filing of th is Appl ica t ion .

56 . Due to the conduct o f the Re spond en ts , the App l ican t has su f fe red cons iderab le s t ress ,humi l ia t ion and i l lness and is cur rent ly see king m edica l as sis tan ce .

Th e App l icant a sks the Cou r t for :(a) Da m ag es for brea ch of contract (to be ca lcu la ted fo l lowing the receipt of exper t me dica l

ev id en ce ) ;(b) Interest on a n y d a m a ges ;(c ) Co s t s ;


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(d) S u ch other orde rs as the Cou r t de em s f it .Employee / Employment details

T he Ap p l ica n t com m en ce d em p loym en t on o r a bout 2 2 D e cem ber 2 01 1 , work ing as an adv iserto the S pe ak er for the H ou se o f Repres en ta t ive s at the loca l e lec to ra l o f fi ce in Bu dd ina ,Q u e e n s l a n d a n d in P a r l i a m en t H o use C a n be r r a .

Th e a l lega t ions con ta ined in the App l ica t ion a re suppo r ted by sworn /a f fi rmed ev id enc e and , inth e c a s e of text m e ssa ge s , by i n d ep en d en t f o ren s i c Information T e c h n o l o g y a s s e s s m e n t an dreport.Applicant's addressThe App l ican t 's add ress fo r serv ice is :P l a c e : cl- H a r m e r s W o r k p l a c e L a w y e r s

L e v e l 28, S t Mar t ins Tower31 M arke t S t ree tS Y D N E Y N S W 2 00 0

E ma i l : m i c h a e l . h a rm e r @ h a r m e r s . c o m . a uService on the Respondent

I t is in tended to serve th is appl ica t ion on the Respondents.

Da t e : 20 Apr i l 2012

S i g n e d by M icha e l D a n ie l H a r m erL a w y e r fo r the App l ican t
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

NSD580 of 2012 - Originating Application

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Transcript of NSD580 of 2012 - Originating Application