Source :- THE AGE NEWS
A tribunal has ruled against Tennis Australia in a dispute with match officials who claimed they were silenced for criticising the organisation, rejecting an attempt by the sport to have legal action by the umpires thrown out.
Simon Cannavan and Karen Mak had their Tennis Australia officiating memberships terminated last October, preventing them from working at the Australian Open and other tournaments in Australia.
They alleged they were sacked after raising allegations about bullying and favouritism in the selection of umpires, claiming there was a culture of fear in tennis in which officials were afraid to speak up.
Tennis Australia, which has disputed their accusations, sought to have the case turned away by the Fair Work Commission, arguing that the match officials’ employment ended after the 2025 Australian summer of tennis, nine months before their accreditation was stripped.
However, Commissioner Leyla Yilmaz determined that Cannavan and Mak were dismissed, clearing the way for them to proceed with general protections claims against the sport.
The decision is a blow for Tennis Australia, whose incoming chief executive Andrew Abdo will inherit the matter when he joins from the National Rugby League in August.
The Australian Open organiser argued that match officials were hired on an ad-hoc basis and that their employment ceased after each tournament they were assigned to work at.
But Yilmaz found that Cannavan and Mak were casual employees with an ongoing relationship with Tennis Australia beyond the shifts they were selected for.
She said the continuing links with the sport were reflected by various policies and conditions in officiating membership contracts, Tennis Australia’s insistence that officials work a minimum number of days per year and by its distribution of uniforms even where an umpire had not applied and been selected for a tournament.
A lawyer for Cannavan and Mak told a hearing in January that match officials were obliged to attend membership forums, keep abreast of rules, comply with policy and complete training between events.
According to Tennis Australia, Cannavan and Mak had their registrations revoked for breaching standards of professional conduct with the contents of newsletters sent to Australian tennis officials last year. They affected the wellbeing of several employees, Tennis Australia has said.
The newsletters were distributed in their role as directors of officiating representative group Tennis Officials Australia. Cannavan, a professional umpire based in the United States, and Mak, a Melbourne barrister, have since resigned from its board.
Chair umpires, tournament referees, match assistants, review officials and other personnel are paid by Tennis Australia to officiate at events from grand slam to elite junior level.
The rates vary in an amount depending on the event and the role performed. For example, a top-line chair umpire receives $870 a day at the Australian Open while a match assistant gets $325.
At other pro tournaments during the tennis summer such as the Brisbane International, Adelaide International and the United Cup, the hourly rate is $31.19, with an umpire making at least $440 a day and line judges and match assistants receiving a minimum of between $179 and $245.
At lower-tier events, the baseline daily fee for chair and line umpires is $124.75 for four hours’ work.
By contrast, executives at Tennis Australia are the highest paid in Australian sport.
Outgoing Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has been on $2 million a year while three other full-timers are on $800,000 or more.
After 13 years in the post, Tiley will take over at the United States Tennis Association, which runs the US Open.
Tennis Australia settled with two other match officials who launched Fair Work Commission applications after having their memberships taken off them.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
Chris Barrett is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former South-East Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.
