A university lecturer who wanted to work 900km away from campus has lost her fight in the Fair Work Commission after she failed to convince it that her ‘disability’ required her to work from home.
Dr Anna Kokavec, an academic based at the Townsville campus of James Cook University (JCU), sought a Fair Work order to allow her to work remotely on the Sunshine Coast.
She claimed she had been diagnosed with a cognitive disorder, and her request was for one year, subject to three-monthly reviews, to help manage physical and mental health symptoms associated with burnout.
The Senior Lecturer in Medical Education, Student Support and Professional Practice said that by doing so, it would also allow her to access support from her family.
She originally applied to her employer to consider the remote working arrangement in October 2024.
‘These changes will assist me because I have been diagnosed with a cognitive disorder, which is a recognised disability,’ she wrote in a Subject Request seen by the Commission.
‘Several work-related issues occurred last year that triggered my disability conditions and physically attending the workplace would further exacerbate my symptoms.’
Her request was declined, with JCU stating her role was ‘student facing’ and that she needed to be on campus so students could access in-person consultations.
Dr Anna Kokavec – who is a senior lecturer in medical education – failed to convince the Fair Work Commission that her claimed disability resulted in her having to work from home
She began working at James Cook University’s Townsville campus in February 2020
In a series of emails to Dr Kokavec in early 2025, JCU said ‘developing and implementing upskilling for staff and students in professionalism and self-care is a critical element’ of her role and that it was ‘best achieved’ with face-to-face workshops.
They advised her that while they were unable to accommodate her requests, they would be willing to consider a six-month trial of a remote working arrangement for 40 per cent of Dr Kokavec’s role, with the remaining 60 per cent ‘student-facing’ aspect of her role to be recruited externally.
She declined that offer and provided a medical certificate which stated she was medically fit to perform all duties from home.
The certificate also stated that attending the workplace would be detrimental to her mental health, and that engaging in conflict would also likely be detrimental to her mental health.
During a Fair Work hearing in Brisbane in May which was held to consider if JCU had refused her request on reasonable grounds, Dr Kokavec said she needed to work remotely because she has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a diagnosed adjustment disorder and fibromyalgia.
When asked about her claim that she’d been diagnosed with a cognitive disorder, Dr Kokavec told the Commission she’d used wording to ‘highlight’ her inability to perform her role on campus.
‘The wording I used was to highlight that attending the workplace would prevent me from being able to perform my role because it would create cognitive impairment such as inability to think, inability to remember, and it would be most distressing,’ she said.
‘So that term was not a diagnosis indicating some impact on cognition. After all, I’m not qualified to give a diagnosis.’
She’d wanted to work remotely from her home on the Sunshine Coast, 900km away from the Townsville campus, so she could access support from her family
In her judgement, Deputy President Terri Butler found that the evidence did not ‘establish that Dr Kokavec had a cognitive disorder’ when she made her work from home request.
The Subject Request states a disorder the Applicant concedes she did not have,’ Dep. President Butler said.
‘It does not describe the specific symptoms or manifestations affecting her as a consequence of any disorder or condition she actually did have.
‘It does not make clear how the arrangements sought – working only from home – related to any of the Applicant’s symptoms or any manifestations of any disorder or condition that she had at the time.’
Dr Kokavec’s application was dismissed.
Daily Mail has contacted Dr Kokavec for comment.
