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Employee accused of lying in job interview can't be sacked

An employer has been blocked from sacking a worker who it believed lied during her job interview, because it was unclear whether it followed a procedurally fair disciplinary process.

Last month, the employee sought urgent interlocutory relief restraining the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and its capability and employment branch head, from dismissing her, pending the finalisation of her adverse action and enterprise agreement breach claims.

The employee told the Federal Court that when she applied for a role with the employer, she declared that she had resigned from her previous employment with another Commonwealth department during a workplace investigation...