WRC dismisses 15 complaints after finding Paulo Nobrega was not an employee

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) dismissed all 15 employment-rights complaints brought by Paulo Nobrega against Harrington Property Management. In a decision dated 26 August 2024, it found that Nobrega was not an employee of the property manager. Nobrega said an arrangement to provide out-of-hours assistance at a student residence became demanding work. The company said the arrangement was a barter exchange with Nobrega’s wife, not an employment contract with him. The WRC found that Nobrega had substituted for his wife as the contact person and was not an employee. It dismissed the complaints as misconceived, meaning it considered them based on a mistaken premise.