Australian Workers’ Union cases M 93/2026 and M 115/2026 are both heading to pre-trial conferences in October
Shell’s troubled Prelude floating LNG operation has acquired another legal complication.
The Industrial Magistrates Court of Western Australia is now listing two separate proceedings brought by the Australian Workers’ Union against Shell Australia FLNG Pty Ltd, the Shell entity associated with the Prelude project.
The first case, Australian Workers’ Union v Shell Australia FLNG Pty Ltd, M 93/2026, is listed for a pre-trial conference at 11:00 am on Friday 2 October 2026. The court’s current hearing list names Shell Australia FLNG Pty Ltd directly as respondent. imc.wa.gov.au
A second case, Australian Workers’ Union v Shell Australia FLNG Pty Ltd, M 115/2026, is listed for a further pre-trial conference at 11:00 am on Thursday 8 October 2026. imc.wa.gov.au
These are therefore direct Shell-party proceedings, not cases in which Shell merely appears in the background through a contractor, joint venture or project connection.
Two separate court files
The existence of two different file numbers is important.
The first proceeding is:
M 93/2026 — Australian Workers’ Union v Shell Australia FLNG Pty Ltd
Pre-trial conference: 2 October 2026, 11:00 am. imc.wa.gov.au
The second is:
M 115/2026 — Australian Workers’ Union v Shell Australia FLNG Pty Ltd
Pre-trial conference: 8 October 2026, 11:00 am. imc.wa.gov.au
At present, however, the publicly available hearing lists do not disclose the underlying pleadings, causes of action, alleged contraventions or relief sought.
It would therefore be premature to describe either case as an underpayment claim, enterprise-agreement enforcement proceeding, safety case or other specific industrial dispute.
What can be said safely is that the AWU has commenced two distinct Industrial Magistrates Court proceedings against Shell Australia FLNG Pty Ltd, and both have progressed to the pre-trial conference stage.
Why Prelude matters
The development is notable because Shell Australia FLNG Pty Ltd has already appeared repeatedly in Australian industrial-relations litigation connected with Prelude FLNG.
Earlier 2026 proceedings before the Fair Work Commission concerned, among other things, interpretation of the Shell Prelude Enterprise Agreement 2022 and flexible-working arrangements sought by long-serving Prelude employees.
Those Fair Work Commission matters are separate from the newly identified Industrial Magistrates Court cases.
The emergence of M 93/2026 and M 115/2026 therefore suggests that the industrial-relations picture surrounding Prelude remains active across more than one legal forum.
A different court from the Fair Work Commission
The distinction is worth explaining.
The Fair Work Commission is Australia’s national workplace-relations tribunal. It deals with matters including enterprise agreements, bargaining, unfair dismissal, workplace flexibility and industrial disputes.
The Industrial Magistrates Court of Western Australia, by contrast, is a court.
Among other things, it can deal with enforcement proceedings concerning workplace laws, industrial instruments and statutory entitlements.
That does not tell us what the AWU is alleging in these two cases. The precise issues will only become clear when pleadings, orders or other substantive court material become publicly available.
Prelude’s wider industrial-relations history
Prelude has had a substantial history of industrial-relations disputes.
The giant floating LNG facility off Western Australia has previously been affected by bargaining disputes, industrial action and litigation involving both direct Shell employees and contractor workforces.
That wider history means the appearance of two fresh AWU proceedings merits attention even though the public court listings presently contain only limited information.
The safest course is to follow the court record rather than speculate about the underlying allegations.
What is established—and what is not
Established from the official court listings:
Shell Australia FLNG Pty Ltd is the respondent in two separate Industrial Magistrates Court proceedings brought by the Australian Workers’ Union.
Case M 93/2026 is listed for a pre-trial conference on 2 October 2026. imc.wa.gov.au
Case M 115/2026 is listed for a pre-trial conference on 8 October 2026. imc.wa.gov.au
Not presently established from the public material:
the precise cause of action;
the factual allegations;
the amount of any claim;
whether the two cases arise from the same underlying dispute;
whether either concerns wages, rosters, the Prelude Enterprise Agreement, safety, dismissal or another employment matter;
or whether Shell contests the claims and, if so, on what grounds.
Until the pleadings become available, any stronger characterisation would be speculation.
The dates to watch
The immediate dates are therefore:
2 October 2026 — M 93/2026 pre-trial conference
8 October 2026 — M 115/2026 pre-trial conference
If either conference produces directions, orders or publicly accessible pleadings, we should then be able to establish what the AWU is actually alleging and how Shell intends to respond.
For now, the significance is straightforward:
Shell Australia FLNG Pty Ltd is facing two fresh industrial court proceedings in Western Australia while Prelude continues to generate employment and industrial-relations litigation across several forums.
Primary source: Industrial Magistrates Court of Western Australia hearing lists. imc.wa.gov.au
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