He said no to a new role and lost 16 weeks' redundancy pay

Alexander Jones had worked for Utility Mapping, a business that searches for underground utilities, for almost 10 years. By 2025 he was its Victorian State Manager, based in Melbourne, with eight direct reports, a salary of $157,500, a car allowance and a bonus.

In mid-2025 the company told him his state manager position was redundant and offered him a new National Technical Lead role. The salary, allowances and conditions were the same. At a final meeting on 6 June 2025, after getting legal advice, Mr Jones read a prepared statement declining it as "not a suitable alternative employment". His employment ended. Under the National Employment Standards he would otherwise have been owed 16 weeks' redundancy pay.

The company asked the Commission to reduce that to nil under s 120, which allows a reduction when the employer finds the worker "other acceptable employment". Mr Jones pointed to real differences. The new job was less senior, reported to a less senior manager and had far fewer direct reports. It was likely to mean more interstate travel, and he had two young children. Its bonus targets had not been set.

The Deputy President agreed the role was less senior, but found it was still acceptable. The work was of a like nature, he would not have had to relocate, and the pay was the same. The company genuinely wanted to keep him. Mr Jones was not obliged to take the role or to raise his concerns, the Deputy President said, but in his view Mr Jones "acted hastily", turning the role down on legal advice before the company could deal with his concerns about bonus targets and travel. The safest option, he said, would have been to take the role and look for other work from there. His redundancy pay was reduced from 16 weeks to nil.