P.I. Case Note

In honour of International Women's Day, here is my presentation from the 2026 Queensland Australian Lawyers' Alliance Conference, exploring some quite shocking indirect and direct discrimination against women that appears in our current legislation.

[2025] QSC 302; rr 681, 687, 702 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 (Qld); s.316 Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); costs orders; PIPA defendant to pay costs as against employer defendant; costs on district court scale; costs of multiple counsel.

[2025] ICQ 025; ss. 232A - 232F Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); application for reinstatement of employment.

[2025] QSC 250; r 681, 702 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 (Qld); breach of court orders and UCPR; indemnity costs order.

[2025] QIRC 307; Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); scope of appeal before QIRC.

[2025] QIRC 299; s.32(5) Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); psychiatric injury; multiple stressors; bullying; reasonable management action; Jones v Dunkel.

[2025] QIRC 298; Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); accepted injuries; causation; competing expert medical opinions

[2025] QSC 285; Total Permanent Disability; TPD; court review of insurer decision.

[2025] QIRC 279; s.32(5) Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); psychiatric injury; reasonable management action taken in a reasonable way; refusal to perform employment duties; disciplinary process.

[2025] QIRC 273; r.230 Industrial Relations (Tribunal) Rules 2011 (Qld); lapsed proceedings due to inaction; application to re-instate proceedings; what constitutes an "action" in proceedings.

[2025] QSC 259; Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); common law; host-employer liability; evidence of alternative system of work; credibility.

[2025] QCA 188; s.31 Limitation of Actions Act 1974 (Qld); medical negligence; reasonable person in the position of the applicant; objective versus subjective test; appeal of discretionary decision; House v The King.

[2025] QIRC 310; Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); Notice of Non-Party Disclosure.

[2025] QIRC 267; s.552B Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); leave to be legally represented.

[2025] QIRC 263; s. 456, 541 Industrial Relations Act 2016 (Qld); issue estoppel; res judicata; double jeopardy; dismissal of proceedings where act or omission previously dealt with; overlap of legislative regimes; workers compensation; anti-discrimination.

[2025] QIRC 259; R. 64B-64G Industrial Relations (Tribunal) Rules 2011 (Qld); Notice of Non-Party Disclosure; service; objections; directly relevant; particularity; confidentiality; affidavit evidence re non-disclosure.

[2025] QIRC 261; s.11, sch 2 Pt 1 s3-5, Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); worker; independent contractor; labour hire agreement.

[2025] QDC 134; Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); r.171 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 (Qld); unassessed secondary or consequential injuries; application to strike out statement of claim.

[2025] QIRC 258; r.45 Industrial Relations (Tribunal) Rules 2011 Qld; dismissal of proceedings for failure to comply with directions; purpose of rules.

[2025] ICQ 20; s.131, 561 Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); time to bring statutory claim for compensation; application to adduce further evidence on appeal; correct application of Church v WCR; raise new arguments before the Commission; review of insurer decision in totality; taking proper instructions.

[2025] QSC 242; r.250 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 (Qld); application for inspection

[2025] QIRC 246; s552B Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); legal representation; appeal.

[2025] QSC 225; r. 171, 667, 668 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 (Qld); strike out of pleadings; reasonable cause of action; set aside previous orders on the basis of new facts discovered and fraud.

[2025] QSC 219; Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 (Qld); engineered stone case; request for trial date; delay in expert evidence.

[2025] QIRC 240; Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld); causation; medical science; conjecture versus inference