Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union v Personnel Contracting Pty Ltd

• Jurisdiction: Australia Federal only
• Judgment Date: 17 July 2020
• Neutral Citation: [2020] FCAFC 122
• Date: 17 July 2020
• Court: Full Federal Court (Australia)

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union v Personnel Contracting Pty Ltd [2020] FCAFC 122

Appeal from:	Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union v Personnel Contracting Pty Ltd[2019] FCA 1806
File number:	WAD 584 of 2019
Judges:	ALLSOP CJ, JAGOT AND LEE JJ
Date of judgment:	17 July 2020
Catchwords:	INDUSTRIAL LAW – employee-independent contractor dichotomy – too deeply rooted to be pulled out – labour hire agency – “Odco” style arrangement – multi-factorial approach to characterisation – an intuitive exercise – evaluative assessment – need make an informed, considered qualitative appreciation of the whole – not a checklist exercise – proper role of contract – tensions in the application of the multi-factorial approach to new and novel labour arrangements – application of the control indicium to trilateral relationships – weight to be given to whether the putative employee is carrying on a business on their own account – preference for substance over form – employment as a relationship particularly susceptible to contractual obfuscation – need to ascertain the status of the worker – standard form contract provided to the worker on a take-it-or-leave-it basis – potential to revisit the legitimacy of the “Odco” style arrangement ; HIGH COURT AND FEDERAL COURT – the need for coherence in Australia’s single common law – comity to be given to the decision of another intermediate appellate Court – Farah Constructions Pty Limited v Say-Dee Pty Limited[2007] HCA 22; (2007) 230 CLR 89 – circumstances where a materially identical arrangement was found to be valid by the Western Australian Industrial Appeals Court in 2004 – Court should not depart from earlier decision in circumstances – to distinguish current arrangement would also be artificial ; CONTRACT – impact of a contract incorporating statutory health and safety obligations – unsound to deconstruct a contract and render non-contractual any term which substantially encapsulates a statutory obligation – need to look to the totality of the relationship, which includes documents which are not contractual in nature
Legislation:	Building and Construction General On-Site Award 2010 Employment Rights Act1996 (UK) s 230 Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) ss 15, 545, 546, 547 Industrial Relations Act 1979 (WA) ss 85, 90, 96K Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 (WA) ss 19, 20, 23F
Cases cited:	ACE Insurance Ltd v Trifunovski[2011] FCA 1204; (2011) 200 FCR 532 ACE Insurance Ltd v Trifunovski [2013] FCAFC 3; (2013) 209 FCR 146 Aldi Foods Pty Ltd v Moroccanoil Israel Ltd [2018] FCAFC 93; (2018) 261 FCR 301 Amita Gupta v Portier Pacific Pty Ltd; Uber Australia Pty Ltd t/a Uber Eats[2020] FWCFB 1698 Articulate Restorations and Development Pty Limited v Crawford (1994) 57 IR 371 Attorney-General for New South Wales v Perpetual Trustee Company (Limited)[1952] HCA 2; (1952) 85 CLR 237 Australian Mutual Provident Society v Chaplin (1978) 18 ALR 385 Autoclenz Ltd v Belcher[2011] UKSC 41; [2011] 4 All ER 745 Bain v Central Vermont Railway Co[1921] 2 AC 412 Branir Pty Ltd v Owston Nominees (No 2) Pty Ltd[2001] FCA 1833; (2001) 117 FCR 424 Building Workers’ Industrial Union of Australia v Odco Pty Ltd[1991] FCA 96; (1991) 29 FCR 104 C v Commonwealth [2015] FCAFC 113; (2015) 234 FCR 81 Cameron v Nystrom[1893] AC 308 Capital Aircraft Services Pty Ltd v Brolin [2007] ACTCA 8 Century Insurance Co v Northern Ireland Road Transport Board[1942] AC 509 Codelfa Construction Proprietary Ltdv State Rail Authority of New South Wales [1982] HCA 24; (1982) 149 CLR 337 Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society Limited v Producers and Citizens Co-operative Assurance Company of Australia Limited [1931] HCA 53; (1931) 46 CLR 41 Commissioner of Taxation of the Commonwealth of Australia v Barrett[1973] HCA 49; (1973) 129 CLR 395 Connelly v Wells (1994) 55 IR 73 Consistent Group Ltd v Kalwak [2007] IRLR 560 Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union v Personnel Contracting Pty Ltd[2019] FCA 1806 Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union of Workers v Personnel Contracting Pty Ltd trading as Tricord Personnel [2004] WAIRComm 11445; [2004] 84 WAIG 1275 Country Metropolitan Agency Contracting Services Pty Ltd v Slater [2003] SAWCT 57; (2003) 124 IR 293 Crown Resorts Ltd v Zantran Pty Ltd [2020] FCAFC 1; (2020) 374 ALR 739 Damevski v Giudice[2003] FCAFC 252; (2003) 133 FCR 438 Day v Ocean Beach Hotel Shellharbour Pty Ltd[2013] NSWCA 250; (2013) 85 NSWLR 335 Deatons Proprietary Limited v Flew [1949] HCA 60; (1949) 79 CLR 370 Denham v Midland Employers Mutual Assurance Ltd[1955] 2 QB 437 Dental Corporation Pty Ltd v Moffet[2020] FCAFC 118 Deputy Commissioner of Taxation v Bolwell (1967) 1 ATR 862 Drake Personnel Ltd v Commissioner of State Revenue[2000] VSCA 112; (2000) 2 VR 635 Ellis v Wallsend District Hospital(1989) 17 NSWLR 553 Fair Work Ombudsman v Contracting Solutions Australia Pty Ltd [2013] FCA 7 Fair Work Ombudsman v Ecosway Pty Ltd [2016] FCA 296 Fair Work Ombudsman v Quest South Perth Holdings Pty Ltd[2015] FCAFC 37; (2015) 228 FCR 346 Fair Work Ombudsman v Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd[2011] FCA 1176; (2011) 198 FCR 174 Fajloun v Khoury[2016] NSWCA 101 Farah Constructions Pty Limited v Say-Dee Pty Limited[2007] HCA 22; (2007) 230 CLR 89 Forstaff Pty Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue[2004] NSWSC 573; (2004) 144 IR 1 Gett v Tabet[2009] NSWCA 76; (2009) 254 ALR 504 Goldman Sachs JBWere Services Pty Ltd v Nikolich[2007] FCAFC 120 Gramotnev v Queensland University of Technology [2015] QCA 127; (2015) 251 IR 448 Hall (Inspector of Taxes) v Lorimer [1992] 1 WLR 939 Hasler v Singtel Optus Pty Ltd [2014] NSWCA 226; (2014) 311 ALR 494 Hollis v Vabu Pty Ltd[2001] HCA 4; (2001) 207 CLR 21 Humberstone v Northern Timber Mills [1949] HCA 49; (1949) 79 CLR 389 J A & B M Bowden & Sons Pty Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue [2001] NSWCA 125; (2001) 105 IR 66 Jamsek v ZG Operations Australia Pty Ltd [2020] FCAFC 1934 Jensen v Cultural Infusion (Int) Pty Ltd [2020] FCA 358 Johnson v Lindsay & Co[1891] AC 371 Johnson v MNG Investments t/as Australian Temporary Fencing [2011] ACTSC 124 Kirk v Industrial Court of New South Wales[2010] HCA 1; (2010) 239 CLR 531 Lancaster v Greaves (1829) 9 B & C 627 Lange v Australian Broadcasting Corporation[1997] HCA 25; (1997) 189 CLR 520 Lipohar v The Queen[1999] HCA 65; (1999) 200 CLR 485 Lopez v Commissioner of Taxation [2005] FCAFC 157; (2005) 143 FCR 574 Marshall v Whittaker’s Building Supply Company[1963] HCA 26; (1963) 109 CLR 210 Massey v Crown Life Insurance Co [1978] 1 WLR 678 McDonald v Commonwealth (1945) 46 SR (NSW) 129 Mersey Docks and Harbour Board v Coggins & Griffith (Liverpool) Ltd[1947] AC 1 Narich Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Pay-Roll Tax [1983] 2 NSWLR 597 National...