Many SME leaders not across their psychosocial hazard obligations
New research by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has revealed that many SME leaders are unaware of their legal obligations under Safe Work Australia’s July 2022 Code of Practice for Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work.
Many of these businesses lacked formal policies or designated personnel for psychosocial risk management, and many decision-makers had never heard of this Code. The report found:
- One in five (22%) decision-makers in micro businesses (1-19 employees) lacked awareness about psychosocial hazard obligations.
- One in 10 (12%) decision-makers in medium enterprises (101–200 employees) lacked awareness.
- Nearly one in 10 (8%) decision-makers in small enterprises (20–100 employees) lacked awareness.
QUT recommended that workplaces create resources that facilitate compliance and design targeted education and awareness campaigns, especially in micro enterprises.
Calls for national strategy to address apprentice hazing and protect mental health
Numerous voices are calling for stronger regulations to protect apprentices’ mental health and address a hazing culture that has prevailed for decades.
A South Australian Apprentice of the Year, says she experienced regular sexual harassment and sabotage of her work as an apprentice, leading to severe and ongoing mental health impacts. She said that she’s never met an apprentice who hasn’t gone through hazing, a form of workplace bullying used as initiation.
A television presenter who worked in the construction industry for 30 years, said the hazing culture in the 1980s was “horrific”. He has called for enforceable standards around workplace culture to address hazing.
Department fined $188,000 for failing to manage psychosocial risks
The Department of Defence has been convicted and fined for failing to manage psychosocial risks relating to the death of a worker. This is the first penalty of its kind for a Commonwealth employer. The court also made an adverse publicity order, with details to be determined.
Defence pleaded guilty to a single charge under section 33 of the Commonwealth Work Health and Safety Act (WHS Act), admitting it did not take reasonably practicable measures to eliminate or minimise the health and safety risks to the worker. The worker took his own life while on duty at RAAF Base Williamtown near Newcastle, NSW, on 28 July 2020.
Defence breached its primary health and safety duty under section 19(1) of the WHS Act by failing to provide the necessary training for supervisors involved in the use of a draft work plan procedure used as a performance management tool. The worker displayed increasing signs of distress and ill-health during the performance management process.
The investigation found Defence knew the worker was not coping and that he was experiencing personal issues. The serious and foreseeable risks required a proactive approach to work health and safety that the department failed to deliver.
Racing Victoria settles with chief vet in FWC bullying case
The stop bullying application brought to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) by a former vet of Racing Victoria, has reached an out of court settlement.
The application alleged that senior staff pressured her into allowing international horses with a high risk of injury to compete.
Neither party has commented on the terms of the settlement.
Reforms to Model Work Health and Safety Act incident notification requirements
Safe Work Australia has published significant amendments to the national model Work Health and Safety Act, expanding incident notification requirements for PCBUs.
Under the amended Model WHS Act, PCBUs must now notify their WHS regulator where there has been a ‘relevant occurrence’ which includes the existing category of ‘notifiable incidents’. It also introduces two additional categories:
- Notifiable extended absences (of 15 or more consecutive days).
- Notifiable suicides (which includes attempted suicides).
The list of ‘notifiable incidents’ has been expanded to include ‘violent incidents’. This is where the conduct of a business or undertaking exposes a person to a serious risk of psychological harm through, among other things:
- Sexual assault.
- Physical assault.
- Threat of sexual or physical assault.
Previously, PCBUs only needed to report these incidents if they resulted in physical harm. This new category is intended to capture psychological harm as well. These changes will take legal effect once adopted by all the States and Territories signed up to the harmonised work health and safety regime (except Victoria).
Research shows need for stronger measures to protect staff at public pools
New research from Royal Life Saving Australia has highlighted the need for stronger protections, training, clearer policies, and nationally consistent messaging to protect staff from occupational violence and aggression at public pools.
The research, which analysed incident data from 250 public aquatic facilities across Australia, found 445 incidents of verbal abuse, 50 incidents of physical assault or aggression, and 185 incidents of harassment – including sexual harassment – recorded in the 2024/25 financial year.
This report highlights the need to embed psychosocial safety into work health and safety systems, strengthen incident reporting, and align patron codes of conduct with zero tolerance for violence, harassment and abuse, including sexual harassment.
Violence in schools impacting leaders and costing the education sector
A new report from the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education at Australian Catholic University highlights the widespread and costly impact of bullying, threats and aggression on Australia’s school leaders.
Violence in schools is costing the education sector an estimated $206 million per year based on time spent dealing with offensive behaviours such as physical violence, threats, bullying, and sexual harassment. A reported 93.5% of school leaders surveyed experienced such behaviour in the past year and many reported stress, anxiety, sleep problems, and feelings of fear or isolation as a result.
Some of the report’s recommendations include:
- A national offensive behaviours response framework: standardising prevention, reporting, and support procedures across all states and sectors.
- Preventative psychological support programs, including wellbeing check-ins and trauma-informed counselling for school leaders.
- Stronger legal protections: amending laws to protect school leaders from workplace aggression.
Lonely construction workers at highest risk of suicide
A new study from University of WA and MATES in Construction WA has shown that high levels of loneliness among construction workers is the most pertinent factor driving suicidal thoughts.
The study found 11% of construction workers in WA experienced suicidal thoughts in the 12 months prior, with people in the LGBTQIA+ community, those with a recent relationship breakdown, apprentices and individuals working in a FIFO/DIDO (drive-in drive-out) arrangement being the most vulnerable groups. The most critical risk factor was loneliness followed by workplace bullying, work-family conflict and substance abuse.
The findings call for evidence-based training, such as mental health first aid, as well as anti-bullying workplace policies, clear reporting processes and timely investigations to ensure psychological safety.
Researchers emphasised that employers must manage mental health risks with the same rigour as physical safety. They concluded that industry-wide codes of conduct could set consistent expectations around behaviour, diversity and inclusion, and reduce bullying and other harmful practices.
Tribunal finds doctor touched colleagues inappropriately
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has found that a former president of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, inappropriately touched seven female interns and registrars while supervising them.
The doctor first drew the attention of Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) in 2019, leading to the Medical Board of Australia imposing conditions that banned him from supervising medical students and junior doctors. In one incident at a hospital in Wangaratta, it was alleged that he deliberately put his hand on a registrar’s thigh while they were seated next to each other at a farewell dinner.
The VCAT described his conduct as “inherently sexual and improper”. The tribunal is yet to make a final determination, with the matter listed for a mention on 22 January.
