Skip to main content
FairWorkMate
FWCFair Work Commission · 28 April 2025

[2025] FWC 957

Citation: [2025] FWC 957

What happened

the Applicant was dismissed from his role at The Schoolhouse Education Australia Pty Ltd in November 2024. He applied to the Fair Work Commission for an unfair dismissal remedy. the Respondent argued the Applicant’s income exceeded the high-income threshold and he wasn't covered by a modern award or enterprise agreement. the Applicant had previously been a director and shareholder in the company. From March 2024, his salary was reduced by $30,000 per annum, treated as a loan to the company, and he also salary sacrificed 100% of his salary from July 2024. He also took on another job in October 2024.

What was decided

The Fair Work Commission dismissed the jurisdictional objection raised by The Schoolhouse Education Australia Pty Ltd. the Commissioner found that despite salary reductions and salary sacrificing arrangements, the Applicant’s annual rate of earnings remained at $190,000, exceeding the high-income threshold. the Commission noted that the salary sacrifice and loan amounts were 'applied or dealt with' on the Applicant’s behalf, and therefore included in his earnings. The matter was adjourned to determine the substantive unfair dismissal claim.

Want this applied to your situation?

Reading the decision is free. FairWork Mate goes further — it reads the full case library and applies precedents like this one to your specific facts, citing the cases as it reasons. General information, not a guaranteed outcome or legal advice.

Every statement above is drawn from the published decision. Read the original here:

https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/decisionssigned/pdf/2025fwc957.pdf

Want more cases like this?

FairWork Mate tracks Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission and Federal Court decisions across Australia. The AI advisor answers plain-English questions grounded on the full corpus — awards cited, industry, penalty amounts and affected employee counts — with a citation to the underlying decision on every answer.

Individual case summaries on this site are free. The full FWC and Federal Court library behind every advisor answer is on Pro.

FairWork Mate AI

This is one decision. Pro reads all of them.

Free case pages cite the top 250 decisions. Pro opens the full Fair Work Commission and Federal Court library, cross-references your own situation against it, and cites the decision behind every answer — plus document upload, so it can read your letter or contract line by line. 150 questions a month, cancel anytime.

Just need today sorted? A Day Pass is 25 questions over 24 hours, no account. Get a Day Pass — $4.99

Get notified on new Fair Work cases

Free email alerts when we publish new underpayment decisions, penalty orders, and workplace law updates.

Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

This summary was drafted from the published decision and reviewed before publishing. It is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, speak to the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) or a qualified lawyer. About these summaries & corrections

All cases