A former general manager at Ventia Australia, a major infrastructure and facilities contractor, is suing the company for alleged adverse action, including a negative performance review, withheld bonus, and redundancy. Lena Parker, who earned an annual salary of over $413,000, claims these actions were taken after she was named in a significant Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) lawsuit.
Ventia, which holds multi-billion-dollar contracts with the Australian Defence Force, is accused by the ACCC and competitor Spotless Facility Services of cartel conduct and price-fixing related to maintenance and operations services for the Department of Defence. Ms. Parker was one of four executives named in the ACCC's Federal Court action, which she reportedly learned about in September 2024.
Shortly after becoming aware of her potential involvement in the ACCC proceedings, Ms. Parker raised concerns with Ventia about the lack of a support plan for her mental health. According to her Federal Court claim, just six days after the ACCC action began on December 12, 2024, her manager, Derek Osborn, rated her performance as 'needs improvement' in her annual review, citing a failure to align with company values. Ms. Parker states that there were no prior indications of performance concerns and that Mr. Osborn told her during a meeting on December 20, "no one wants to work with you."
Over the following six weeks, Ms. Parker lodged multiple complaints with Mr. Osborn and Michelle O'Neill, Ventia's General Manager of People, Safety and Culture, seeking a revision of her performance rating. She also complained to Mr. Osborn about insufficient business development support and constant calls while she was on personal leave.
In late May, Ms. Parker was informed that due to her performance review, she would not receive her 2024 bonus, potentially amounting to nearly $155,000, nor a pay rise for 2025. Her lawyers assert that the decision to withhold the bonus lacked a factual basis and breached her contract's good faith term.
While on personal leave for illness from September 30 to December 5, 2025, Ms. Parker received a letter dated December 5 notifying her of her position's redundancy. She is seeking damages for pain, suffering, stress, anxiety, loss of job security, damage to future employment prospects, and compensation for the withheld bonus and pay rise, as well as ongoing remuneration losses.
Ventia is required to file a defense by September 9, and the matter is scheduled for a directions hearing on October 23. The ACCC proceedings against Ventia and Spotless are listed for a conference on August 18.