McCrystal, Shae --- "Unfair Dismissal, Reinstatement and Garden Leave: Blackadder vRamsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd" [2005] FedLawRw 18; (2005) 33(3) Federal Law Review 555
[*] Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Australian National University. I would like to thank Professor Phillipa Weeks, Dr Fiona Wheeler and the anonymous referee for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article.
[1] Perkins v Grace Worldwide (Aust) Pty Ltd (1997) 72 IR 186, 191–2 (Wilcox CJ, Marshall and North JJ).
[2] For discussion of potential difficulties that can arise after a reinstatement order is made by the AIRC and not covered by this note see Hedy Meggiorin, 'Reinstatement under the Workplace Relations Act (Cth): Is it Practicable, Appropriate or Just Plain Speculative?' (1999) 27 Australian Business Law Review 438.
[3] [2005] HCA 22; (2005) 215 ALR 87 ('Blackadder').
[4] The facts are taken from the decision of Redmond C in S Blackadder v Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd [2000] IRComnA 314 (Unreported, Redmond C, Print S4537, 29 March 2000) and Madgwick J in Blackadder v Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd [2002] FCA 603; (2002) 118 FCR 395.
[5] See Paul Swain v Ramsey Food Packaging Pty Ltd [1999] IRComnA 1504 (Unreported, Jones C, Print S2209, 24 December 1999).
[6] Commenting on the work performance of Mr Swain, Mr Blackadder stated: 'I am not prepared to say if the applicant was performing his duties correctly or otherwise': ibid [4].
[7] Blackadder [2005] HCA 22; (2005) 215 ALR 87, 99 [51] (Callinan and Heydon JJ).
[8] S Blackadder v Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd [2000] IRComnA 314 (Unreported, Redmond C, Print S4537, 29 March 2000) [62].
[9] Ibid [72–3].
[10] Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd v Blackadder [2000] IRCommA 737 (Unreported, Full Bench, Boulton and Munro JJ, Harrison C, Print S7395, 26 June 2000).
[11] Blackadder [2005] HCA 22; (2005) 215 ALR 87, 103 [64] (Callinan and Heydon JJ).
[12] Blackadder v Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd [2002] FCA 603; (2002) 118 FCR 395, 406–7 [49]–[53].
[13] Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd v Blackadder [2003] FCAFC 20; (2003) 127 FCR 381.
[14] Ibid 397 [21] (Moore J).
[15] Blackadder [2005] HCA 22; (2005) 215 ALR 87. The High Court made some minor alterations to the substance of the original orders that are peripheral to this discussion.
[16] The most extensive discussion of the common law in the Blackadder litigation is found in the judgment of Tamberlin and Goldberg JJ in the Full Federal Court decision: Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd v Blackadder [2003] FCAFC 20; (2003) 127 FCR 381, 413–15 [65]–[71].
[17] Collier v Sunday Referee Publishing Co [1940] 2 KB 647, 650.
[18] Marbe v George Edwardes (Daly's Theatre) Ltd [1928] 1 KB 269 ('Marbe'); Mann v Capital Territory Health Commission [1981] FCA 160; (1981) 54 FLR 23 ('Mann').
[19] [1928] 1 KB 269, 288.
[19] See White v Australian and New Zealand Theatres Ltd [1943] HCA 6; (1943) 67 CLR 266; Curro v Beyond Productions Pty Ltd (1993) 30 NSWLR 337.
[20] Turner v Sawdon & Co [1901] 2 KB 653; Wesoky v Village Cinemas International Pty Ltd [2001] FCA 32 (Unreported, Merkel J, 2 February 2001).
[21] [1998] IRLR 313 ('William Hill').
[22] For discussion of the decision in William Hill see Greg McCarry, 'Recent Cases: Termination of Employment, Payment in Lieu of Notice, Garden Leave and the Right to Work' (1999) 12 Australian Journal of Labour Law 56.
[23] [1981] FCA 160; (1981) 54 FLR 23.
[24] There was some argument in the case about Mr Blackadder's entitlement to a productivity bonus and whether or not this gave him a right to work under the common law. This is discussed later in this note.
[25] Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd v Blackadder [2003] FCAFC 20; (2003) 127 FCR 381, 416 [77].
[26] Ibid 416 [81].
[27] Ibid 406 [44].
[28] Ibid.
[30] Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd v Blackadder [2003] FCAFC 20; (2003) 127 FCR 381, 397 [21].
[31] Blackadder [2005] HCA 22; (2005) 215 ALR 87, 106 [73].
[32] Ibid 106 [74].
[33] Ibid.
[34] Ibid 106–7 [75].
[35] Ibid 107 [75].
[36] Ibid 90–1 [14].
[37] Ibid 94 [29]–[30].
[38] Ibid 94 [32].
[39] Ibid 95 [33].
[40] Ibid 97 [43].
[41] Ibid 97 [43]–[44].
[42] Ibid 95 [33].
[43] Ibid 95 [32]. See also at [34].
[44] Ibid 107 [76].
[45] Ibid 90–91 [14] (McHugh J); 94 [29] (Kirby J); 106 [74] (Callinan and Heydon JJ).
[46] See Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd v Blackadder [2003] FCAFC 20; (2003) 127 FCR 381, 395–7 [17]–[21] (Moore J).
[47] Blackadder [2005] HCA 22; (2005) 215 ALR 87, 95 [34] (Kirby J).
[48] Ibid.
[49] Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd v Blackadder [2003] FCAFC 20; (2003) 127 FCR 381, 399 [24], quoted in Blackadder [2005] HCA 22; (2005) 215 ALR 87, 107–8 [78].
[50] Blackadder v Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd [2002] FCA 603; (2002) 118 FCR 395, 410 [61].
[51] Ibid.
[52] Blackadder [2005] HCA 22; (2005) 215 ALR 87, 108 [80].
[53] Ibid. See also at 94 [32] (Kirby J).
[54] Ramsey Butchering Services Pty Ltd v Blackadder [2003] FCAFC 20; (2003) 127 FCR 381, 415 [72] (Tamberlin and Goldberg JJ).
[55] Blackadder [2005] HCA 22; (2005) 215 ALR 87, 94 [32].
[56] Ibid 108 [80].
[57] The duty of mutual trust and confidence in the employment contract was recognised in Mahmud v Bank of Credit and Commerce International SA [1997] UKHL 23; [1998] AC 20. For discussion of the development of the doctrine see Adrian Brooks, 'The Good and Considerate Employer: Developments in the Implied Duty of Mutual Trust and Confidence' [2001] UTasLawRw 2; (2001) 20 University of Tasmania Law Review 29; Kelly Godfrey, 'Contracts of Employment: Renaissance of the Implied Term of Trust and Confidence' (2003) 77 Australian Law Journal 764; Joellen Riley, 'Mutual Trust and Good Faith: Can Private Contract Law Guarantee Fair Dealing in the Workplace?' (2003) 16 Australian Journal of Labour Law 28.
[58] For discussion of the potential scope of the duty in the development of the employment contract see Riley, above n 57.
[59] See Johnson v Unisys Ltd [2003] 1 AC 518; Eastwood v Magnox Electric plc [2004] UKHL 35; [2004] 3 WLR 322; New South Wales v Paige [2002] NSWCA 235; (2002) 60 NSWLR 371. For discussion of Johnson v Unisys see Mark Irving, 'Recent Cases: Damages Arising from the Manner of an Employee's Dismissal' (2003) 16 Australian Journal of Labour Law 99; Phillipa Weeks, 'Employment Law — A Test of Coherence between Statute and Common Law' in Suzanne Corcoran and Stephen Bottomley (eds), Interpreting Statutes (2005) ch 10.
[60] Commonwealth, The Howard Government's Plan: Building Better Workplace Relations: Information for Employers (2005) 3, available at
Whether or not these employees will be able to access the State unfair dismissal regimes is a matter that will be clear only once the legislation has been promulgated.