Source : Perth Now news
Convicted baby killer Keli Lane’s partner unfairly lost his job at an elite Sydney school after being sacked for using his work email for messages about her parole, it has been ruled.
Teacher Patrick Cogan took St Pius X College Chatswood to the Fair Work Commission after he was dismissed following 27 years of service, accused of using his work email for personal matters, including to assist Lane, and failing to inform the school in advance of a May 2025 60 Minutes report about the case.
Mr Cogan, 50, was also accused of failing to provide what the school considered an adequate medical report when he took personal leave.
The College alleged the conduct “amounted to disregard for lawful and reasonable direction”, and that Mr Cogan was in breach of contractual obligation.
However, in an April 1 judgment, FWC Deputy President Tony Slevin found neither Mr Cogan’s failure to inform the school of his media engagement nor his medical certificate constituted a breach of obligations.
“I find that Mr Cogan’s dismissal was harsh, unjust and unreasonable,” Mr Slevin said in his judgment.
He denied there was any adverse reputational impact on the College because of Mr Cogan’s advocacy for Lane and his “devotion to his partner”.
Mr Slevin ordered the school reinstate Mr Cogan and that the two agree on lost wages, which were to be reimbursed.
Lane was found guilty in 2010 of murdering her new-born daughter in 1996 and sentenced the following year to 18 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 12 years and five months.
That ruling would have made her eligible for parole in 2024; however, under NSW’s ‘No Body, No Parole’ laws, that was denied.
The former champion water polo player has always maintained her innocence, and was granted a special supervised day release from maximum security Silverwater prison earlier this year to support Mr Cogan.
According to the commission’s judgment, Mr Cogan did not deny using his college email when assisting Lane.
Mr Cogan told the commission he had agreed to stop using for personal matters, but believed he was allowed to use it in regard to legal matters and used it for “matters related to Ms Lane” including to “lawyers, psychologists, politicians, journalists, and Corrective Services NSW”, the judgment said.
In his judgment, Mr Slevin said Mr Cogan’s use of his work email was explained his “unique circumstances”.
Mr Slevin also noted the way in which the school had contacted Mr Slevin was “unusual”, with three show-cause letters sent to him between May and October 2025.
“There was no need for the College to act with the alacrity it did,” he said.
“Mr Cogan was on unpaid personal leave. There was no imperative to dismiss him.
“It would have been a simple matter, after receiving his response to the third show cause letter, to raise with him the College’s ongoing concerns about the three matters and ask for his response to them, taken together, as justifying his dismissal.
“Its failure to do so amounted to a failure to notify him of the reason for his dismissal.”
Mr Cogan had proposed retrenching him to avoid any reputational risk, but the College refused, the court was told.
The College had claimed Mr Cogan’s reinstatement was inappropriate because of ongoing behaviour issues, that he had not been open about his advocacy for Lane, and that, as a result of further media attention, the school may incur reputational risk.
The school stated that it “cannot have any confidence that he would co-operate with the College in managing any reputational risk should he be reinstated”.
However, in his ruling, Mr Slevin said Mr Cogan had “devotion to his partner Ms Lane” and added: “It is apparent that he had a similar devotion to his career and to the College.
“From 2010, with the conviction of Ms Lane, and no doubt earlier, Mr Cogan was conscious of the need to balance the support he gave to his partner with the potential reputational impact that support may have on the College.”
