It's law in Australia. If you do not serve a notice period you owe the company wages for that period. 1 month wages minus 1 month notice = 0. Most people have no notice periods, serve their notice period, or get approval not to serve it at all.

In this case though (when I followed up with accounting) they confirmed they wanted to step on my neck.

Even now the entire situation seems utterly surreal. I've been through a few companies since then and never had any problem, I'm the likeable hard working quiet person. I guess they just really didn't like me!

Anyway I remember walking out of that office in tears and feeling that no matter what happened I could cling onto whatever self worth I still had. I didn't know how bad it was about to become. But I came out okay in the end :-)