A burlesque dancer and striptease artist at a ritzy cocktail lounge has won her case for wrongful dismissal after she said she was bullied out of her ‘dream job’ by bosses.
Alicia Rose Quinn performed in raunchy shows dressed as a sexy unicorn, and taught classes in striptease and Burlyflexx, a burlesque-style yoga, at Sydney‘s Emerald Room in Potts Point.
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) heard Ms Quinn started her ‘dream job’ in January 2024 and ‘hoped to have it for many years’.
But by November, she said she had been driven out by alleged bullying and unpaid wages.
She said the treatment of her and her artistic director – former Australia’s Got Talent finalist Brendan de la Hay – had made working there unbearable.
She filed a claim with the FWC claiming it had created ‘an incredibly stressful work environment’ that ‘took a toll on (her) mental health’.
The FWC found that there was no evidence HCH tried to end her employment and her pay was up to date when she resigned, minus her superannuation.
But it found the pair had suffered harassment and continuous late payment of wages and/or super, and said: ‘Ms Quinn had no effective or real choice but to resign.’
Burlesque dancer and striptease teacher Alicia Rose Quinn was forced out of her ‘dream job’ at a Sydney cocktail lounge after staff were bullied, not paid on time and out of pocket with their superannuation
The Fair Work Commission found that since resigning Alicia Quinn had been ‘seeing a physiologist to help process the mental trauma she incurred at this unstable workplace’
Alicia Quinn and the Emerald Room’s artistic director, TV star Brendan de la Hay (above, together),both quit their jobs after alleged bullying and non payment of staff became an issue
The venue is currently shut but was operated by Harbour City Hospitality run by Kings Cross entrepreneur Brandy Martignano, with his mother Diane Hart as a major shareholder.
Trouble at the club intensified in the lead up to the lounge’s five-week season of Christmas concerts, beginning in mid-November last year.
‘The growing tension came to a head when Ms Hart … sent an email to Mr De La Hay accusing him of not doing his job and falsely stating that he had not prepared a Christmas show,’ said the FWC.
Ms Quinn, Mr de la Hay and the other full-time performer Jonathon Holmes ‘were ready for the show, but it would not have been complete without the freelance performers who were refusing to work due to unpaid invoices,’ the FWC reported.
‘This made it impossible to rehearse. At this point, Ms Quinn was three weeks behind on her wages and she informed the directors of Harbour City that she would not be coming into work until she had been paid up to date.’
Mr de la Hay then resigned and ‘without his directions, costumes, and set’, Ms Quinn deemed it impossible to do her job.
She took a week’s mental health leave, then resigned, and has since ‘been seeing a physiologist to help process the mental trauma she incurred at this unstable workplace’.
Harbour City Hospitality formally objected to Ms Quinn’s complaint to the Commission, insisting it did not dismiss her.
Alicia Quinn and Brendan de la Hay were both full-time employees at the Emerald Room last year but they resigned after issues which Fair work Australia said included non-payment and late payment
Alicia Quinn (left on stage in a unicorn costume) and (right with fellow performers including Jonathon Holmes) thought she had found her long term ‘dream job’, Fair Work Australia concluded
Ms Quinn had alleged that bullying and harassment had been directed ‘predominately towards’ the venue’s artistic director Brendan de la Hay (above)
However Fair Work Commission Deputy President Tony Saunders concluded that effectively it had.
‘The requisite employer conduct in this case was persistent failures by Harbour City to pay Ms Quinn the wages she was owed in a timely manner,’ he said.
Mr Saunders also cited ‘the persistent disorganisation of Harbour City’s business and the stress it caused Ms Quinn.’
He added: ‘I accept that all of this had a significant impact on Ms Quinn’s mental health.
‘It is not enough for Harbour City to say that Ms Quinn’s wages were paid up to date at the time she resigned.’
He said ‘the persistent failures to pay Ms Quinn her wages on time in the months leading up to 12 November 2024’ forced her to quit.
The FWC decision noted directors had said the Emerald Room was likely to switch from ‘in house’ to ‘externally produced’ shows in 2025.
‘Ms Quinn was aware that her role may change, or be non-existent, in the new year,’ it added.
Alicia Quinn said after leaving the Emerald Room that the ‘last few weeks have been chaos and I’ve been submerged in its depths’
But the FWC decision also said that Mr Martignano had admitted operating company Harbour city was likely to go into administration soon.
Mr Saunders listed the matter for a conciliation conference.
Alicia Quinn posted on her Facebook page after leaving the Emerald Room that the ‘last few weeks have been chaos and I’ve been submerged in its depths’.
She added: ‘Currently taking time to refill my cup, it’s been a big year and I’m not entirely sure what direction I want to go next.
‘For now I’m teaching burlesque, yoga and back to the full-time freelance life. Me and my new personality … are back on the market.’