AVC has been navigating turbulent waters stirred up by two managers, a spouse, a raft of rubber ducks and a satanic symbol.
Following testimony and deliberation, a statement summary was recently issued on the matter by the Fair Work Commission’s Chris Simpson.
The account says in June and July 2025 Emma Donato, a duty manager at the Cleveland Sands Hotel began placing rubber ducks in places for her manager to find.
Intended as such or not, rubber ducks have been used as symbols in political protests, representing non-violent resistance and linked to movements for democracy and social change.
While Donato later stated they were meant as a joke, the manager had seen it as a taunt.
The ‘joke’ was escalated when Donato put one of the ducks on the manager’s desk, on an image of an inverted pentagram, with caption that the duck was “engaged in a summoning ritual to summon more ducks”.
Apparently, this would then be consummated when she brought in a “giant” duck the following day.
Beyond the would-be taunt, the pentagram symbol is widely viewed as satanic, and the manager promptly submitted a formal complaint, with an image of the scene and statement on the symbol evoking the devil.
“I have past experiences that terrify me of these ritualistic actions,” she said.
Australian Venue Co (AVC) operates more than 200 pubs around Australia, including the Cleveland Sands and the Mansfield Tavern, both in Brisbane. The Mansfield also employed Emma’s wife, Serena Donato.
The duck ruckus prompted Instagram chats said to involve around 30 former and current hotel employees, with Serena asking who knew about “the aftermath of the ducks LMFAAAOOO” but asking people not to discuss it at work, presumably to help shield Emma.
AVC had no choice but to respond to the complaint, in its duty of care to provide a safe workplace.
During an investigation Emma subsequently apologised to both the manager and the company, suggesting the duck-drops were simply meant to be a “harmless prank”.
But AVC opted to dismiss both women.
A termination letter to Emma noted she had engaged in bullying, before raising the stakes to the point of “placing a grossly offensive symbol on the desk of this colleague”.
The letter to Serena accused her of significant misconduct by initiating discussion regarding acts of bullying by Emma, and “laugh[ing] in response to the victim’s negative reaction”.
However, significantly muddying the waters, shortly after the women were dismissed the ‘victim’ manager posted on social media how she had just gotten a new tattoo – of the same pentagram.
The Donatos appealed their dismissals to the Fair Work Commission.
In his assessment, Commissioner Simpson cited that Emma had consistently stated her motivation for placing the ducks was to “boost morale of the team as a whole”.
“I accept her submission that while her prank may have been unwise it was not intended to be malicious.”
He also noted the apparent contradiction of the manager’s pentagram tattoo, suggesting it “seems somewhat incongruent with the level of impact the complainant appears to have communicated”.
Simpson ruled that under the Fair Work Act legislation the evidence did not show Emma had engaged in bullying, and that Serena’s activities did not amount to bullying or mockery.
He awarded the couple compensation for lost wages, ordering $8,405 for Emma and $7,050 for Serena. Neither woman opted to be rehired.
In an official statement provided to PubTIC, a spokesperson for AVC acknowledges and respects the FWC’s decision but would not elaborate further out of concern for the privacy of those involved.
“We will review the findings carefully and continue to look for ways to improve our processes to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all employees.
“As a company, we a have a zero tolerance approach to bullying and harassment and are committed to creating a safe, respectful and supportive workplace.”
