Sydney Mardi Gras’ former chief executive has failed in her bid to recover more than $21,000 in unpaid entitlements, after a court ruled she did not leave the role because of shingles but because she was unhappy in the job.
Claire ‘Gil’ Beckwith brought civil proceedings against Mardi Gras Arts Limited in the NSW Industrial Court, claiming she was owed long-service leave and interest after stepping down as CEO last June. She said illness and stress had prompted her departure.
Beckwith joined the organisation in 2018 before being appointed chief executive in October 2023. Under NSW law, workers employed for between five and 10 years may qualify for long-service leave if they resign because of illness or incapacity.
Court documents showed Beckwith was required to manage sexual misconduct complaints lodged by seven employees against three board members in the days following the 2025 Mardi Gras Festival.
Later that month, a board member made a complaint against Beckwith, alleging she was involved in governance issues, had contributed to growing hostility, and had prematurely escalated staff complaints concerning his own alleged conduct at the festival.
Beckwith later told her doctor she considered the complaint ‘vexatious’, described Mardi Gras as a ‘toxic workplace’, and reported severe stress, exhaustion and suspected herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles.
However, her claim was dismissed on Thursday after the judge found there was not enough evidence to establish that illness had caused her resignation.
The court heard Beckwith raised exhaustion and shingles with her GP on only one occasion. Her test results were clear, and she was never diagnosed with shingles.
Former Mardi Gras CEO Claire ‘Gil’ Beckwith (pictured) took legal action against the organisation over long-service leave.
Beckwith told the court she was handling several sexual misconduct complaints involving board members after Sydney Mardi Gras (pictured).
A board member lodged a complaint against Beckwith over her handling of complaints at the festival (pictured)
Justice Peter Kite also found her decision not to renew her contract in June 2025 was a choice, rather than a necessity, which was evident when she told the board: ‘Being CEO is a lot of hard work and I don’t think I want to do it for another year.’
Court documents say Beckwith went to the GP in March 2025 saying she felt exhausted, run down, and suffering from a rash that may have been herpes zoster.
She was given antivirals, swabs were taken for testing, and she was given a medical certificate for three days.
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Under cross-examination in July, Beckwith told the court her test results were normal and she did not follow the matter up with her doctor.
During her three days’ sick leave, Beckwith had a Zoom meeting with the board when she was offered a 12-month extension to her CEO contract, which was due to expire three months later in June 2025.
She declined the offer, telling the board she didn’t want to continue for another year and would leave the organisation at the end of her current contract, the court judgement read.
She didn’t cite any medical issues during the Zoom meeting, or in her formal resignation email to the board in April, in which she said ‘the past two years have been very challenging’.
On her final day of employment in June 2025, she emailed the board to say she was experiencing ‘undue stress, impacting on my physical and mental health and ability to do my job’.
Former Mardi Gras CEO Gil Beckwith is pictured ahead of the 2024 Mardi Gras parade
Pictured: Beckwith with Sydney Mayor Clover Moore (centre) and NSW Arts Minister John Graham (second right) when the program was announced for the 2024 festival
The court heard that was the first time Beckwith told anyone at the organisation she was unwell.
She told the court that she felt uncomfortable sharing her personal information due to a number of sexual misconduct complaints against board members, and lodged her medical certificates directly with HR.
‘I felt at that time I didn’t have the trust or ease of communication with the co-chairs to share my personal information,’ Beckwith told the court.
In the published judgement, Justice Kite said Beckwith’s job may have been demanding and stressful, and she may have had fatigue and job dissatisfaction.
He said those feelings can amount to illness, but Beckwith had failed to prove she suffered illness as a result of those factors.
The judge ruled that Beckwith was not entitled to long-service leave and dismissed her application.
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