Matt Camenzuli, the conservative powerbroker expelled from the Liberals after trying, unsuccessfully, to sue former prime minister Scott Morrison during a factional civil war over pre-selections, has lost another, more personal legal fight.
Last week, the Fair Work Commission found Camenzuli’s software firm Companion Systems had unfairly dismissed James Camenzuli, an employee for 14 years, whose dad happens to be Matt’s first cousin.
During the hearing before commissioner Jennifer Hunt, James had speculated that the cousins had fallen out over political matters and that Matt had strong views on COVID, lockdowns, and working from home – he’s recently been on The Project having a crack at the latter.
But the dispute in question arose in June last year, when James, who’d recently started working remotely from the Gold Coast, was offered redundancy while the business was experiencing a downturn, which later morphed into a summary dismissal after the employee failed to return his company-issued phone and laptop within a very tight two-day window.
Hunt found James’ dismissal was unfair, ordering compensation of $34,000 plus $3775 in super. In her ruling, the commissioner was particularly scathing of Camenzuli the elder, who declined to appear before the hearing (or comment on this story).
She described Companion Systems’ initial approach of getting an external human resources consultant to ask for voluntary redundancy and offer an additional $5000 if Camenzuli signed a deed of release with the company as “callous and unprofessional”.
Matt’s failure to reach out to his cousin – ignoring a phone call and declining to meet him while in the Gold Coast on business was “spectacularly callous,” she said.
And his refusal to give evidence meant the commissioner drew inferences against him in her final judgment.
“I conclude that Mr Matthew Camenzuli wished to remove Mr Camenzuli due to family disputations, and he was to be offered a redundancy with a $5000 sweetener in exchange for a release not to pursue any claims against the Respondent,” she said.
“Mr Alkan [the HR consultant] was brought in to execute the dismissal while … Mr Matthew Camenzuli’s hands remained clean.”
We don’t imagine the cousins will be getting together for Christmas any time soon.
LONDON CALLING
Now that we’re relying on our British friends to help build our new fleet of submarines, it might be best to avoid a diplomatic spat over a lousy 700 quid.
But that risk appears to have emerged after the British press reported that Transport for London (TfL) is threatening court action against what it says is a “stubborn minority” of foreign embassies in the city that are refusing to pay its famous congestion charge.
Father of the congestion charge, “Red Ken” Livingstone.Credit: HUGO PHILPOTT
All up, £140 million ($267.1 million) in fees have been racked up by overseas government-owned vehicles zipping around London since the charge was introduced in 2003 by the city’s uber-leftie then-mayor “Red” Ken Livingstone.
The worst offender, you might be surprised to learn, is the US embassy which owes more than £14 million, according to TfL. Japan (£10 million), India (£8.5 million) and Nigeria (£8.4 million) join the seppos at the top of the transport authority’s shame list.
But we’re mortified to note that Australia, too, has made the list of those who owe money—all the way down the bottom, mind you, but still. TfL wants High Commissioner Stephen Smith’s Australia House operation to pony up £760.
We gave Smith’s handlers at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in Canberra a shout on Tuesday, pleading for them to just pay off the poms, but owing to the time difference, DFAT was unable to get any answers from Australia House.
But if we don’t hear back soon, we might consider passing the hat around ourselves.
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