the Applicant v PaperCut Software Pty Ltd
Citation: [2026] FWC 178
What happened
the Applicant commenced employment with PaperCut Software Pty Ltd. He was dismissed after allegedly failing to follow a direction from his employer. the Applicant argued his dismissal was unfair and that the direction was unlawful and unreasonable. The Fair Work Commission considered whether PaperCut Software had a valid reason for the dismissal.
What was decided
The Fair Work Commission found PaperCut Software had a valid reason for dismissing the Applicant. The Commission stated that the Applicant failed to follow a direction from his employer. It also found the direction was lawful and reasonable. Therefore, the Commission determined the dismissal was not harsh, unjust, or unreasonable. The Commission did not award any remedy to the Applicant. As stated in the decision, 'the applicant failed to follow a lawful and reasonable direction'.
What it means for employers
Employers can assert a valid reason for dismissal if an employee fails to follow a lawful and reasonable direction. Clear communication of expectations and directions is important to ensure employees understand their obligations.
What it means for employees
Employees are expected to follow lawful and reasonable directions from their employer. Failure to do so can be grounds for dismissal. Employees should seek clarification if they are unsure about a direction or believe it is unlawful.
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/2026fwc178.pdfWant more cases like this?
FairWork Mate tracks Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission and Federal Court decisions across Australia. The full dataset, with structured fields for awards cited, industry, penalty amounts and affected employee counts, is available through the Business API. FairWork Mate answers plain-English questions grounded on the full corpus.
Individual case summaries on this site are free. API + advisor access is a paid product. Contact us for pricing or a 50% off first month.
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 →