Safety, Wellbeing and Security Strategy — Discovery - Executive Summary | FOI document library

FOI 25/26-2921 DOCUMENT 17

Talking Points – Deep Dive Psychosocial hazards PPT

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2	What is happening in the NDIA environment.

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The operating environment is becoming more challenging with the escalation of external aggression towards our staff, increasing exposure to objectionable material and ongoing organisational change and reform pressure
The August 2024 Workplace and work-related violence and aggression in Australia report we provided a view of the prevalence, causes and impacts of violence in Australian workplaces, highlighting an alarming trend in serious workers’ compensation claims arising from workplace violence and assault. Having surged by 56% between 2017–18 and 2021–22. Reinforcing the alarming change in the nature of harm in Australian workplaces and the increased risk of aggression we face in environment that we operate in.
Emerging factors are compounding baseline psychosocial risks, particularly in frontline roles. This includes a perception of constant changes, reform programs, resourcing pressure, the industrial relations climate, and public scrutiny

Slide	Talking Points
3	What psychosocial incidents are being reported?

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This pattern aligns with the frontline service delivery exposure and high-volume decision environments
The Employee Assistance Program (TELUS Health) utilisation for the last 12 months (January to December 2025) was 22.50% which is 16.98% higher than the industry benchmark and 17.14% higher than the National benchmark.
High EAP utilisation is generally considered a positive indicator of organisational health as it demonstrates strong awareness of the service offer, high levels of mental health history and represents a culture where seeking support is normalised
The top 5 presenting issues were:
- Stress- personal
- Workplace Issues
- Relationship- general
- Anxiety
- Mental Health

Slide	Talking Points
4	What are staff telling us?

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particular focus on identifying and addressing psychosocial hazards. The top 10 psychosocial hazards identified from analysing the coded data are:

Poor/lack of support 29%
High job demands 15%
Poor organisational justice 15%
Poor organisational change management 9%
Conflict or poor workplace behaviours 7%
Fatigue 5%
Bullying 4%
Lack of role clarity 3%
Violence/ aggression 3%
Exposure to confronting information or events 3%
These risks will be further explored and mitigation strategies developed as part of the Safety, wellbeing and security strategy. With interim measures in place. For example, establishing an internal clinical workforce and embedded workplace supports (a clinician from EAP placed in high-risk business areas).
Diversity Groups Discovery Workshops were also conducted. These results weren’t dissimilar to those of the other Discovery Workshops.
- Harassment and bullying were reported more frequently
- High Job Demands were identified in fewer diversity groups overall but emerged strongly within the Neuroinclusion cohort.
However, it is important to highlight that Intersectionality significantly increases psychosocial risk because individuals with multiple marginalised identities experience, compounded and unique forms of workplace harm.
Regulators (SafeWork Australia/Australian Human Rights Commission) note that social-cultural factors- such as race, gender, and disability can interact to amplify the severity of hazards like discrimination and harassment, often creating greater barriers to reporting and safety.

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Slide	Talking Points
5	What is the leading cause of injury for compensation claims?

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However, psychological claims are 3.3 per 1,000 FTE, above the Commonwealth rate of 1.9 - this is the key premium driver.

Proactive supports are helping

Adjustments and workplace supports have reduced incapacity periods.
Average return-to-work duration is now around 29 weeks down from 52 weeks, showing improvement.

Points to reinforce:

Accepted claims = premium cost
- Every accepted claim increases NDIA’s Comcare premium.
- Our focus is on prevention and early intervention - not just managing claims after they occur.
- When a claim is accepted, our focus on return to work becomes the priority
Early intervention success
- External aggression and objectionable material risks are being controlled through early intervention action.
- These strategies are preventing claims and reducing exposure.
Next steps for improvement

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Continue targeting psychosocial risk factors: workload, interpersonal conflict, and work pressure.
Strengthen manager capability and early intervention responses to reduce psychological claim lodgements.

Benchmark context
- NDIA is performing better than the Commonwealth overall on total claim rate.
- But psychological claims remain higher than the benchmark - this is where we need to focus.

Slide	Talking Points
6	What is the cost of injury for compensation claims?

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Re-opened claims add complexity and prolong liability.

Direct cost of claims is substantial

From December 2024 to December 2025, total claim costs reached $960,595.75.
Psychological claims are the dominant contributor to this figure.

Link to premium risk

Every accepted claim increases NDIA’s premium.
Reducing claim lodgements and preventing re-opened cases is critical to controlling costs.

Slide	Talking Points
7	What controls are in place now for our top psychosocial risks?

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Specialist Programs:
- Embedded Workplace Supports (EWS): Clinicians provide individual sessions, seminars, mindfulness activities, and team meeting support.
- Role Supervision & Wellbeing Checks: Structured oversight for high-risk roles and formal wellbeing assessments with psychometric reporting.
- Mental Health First Aid Training: Internal resources delivering tailored courses since early 2024.
- Leadership Accountability: SES plans now include specific goals and actions to ensure psychosocial safety within their areas of control.
- Early Intervention & Rehabilitation: Dedicated team supports employees’ health and safe return to work following injury.

Safety & Security Measures:

Comprehensive training suite for staff and leaders.
Peer Support Contact Officer network for confidential assistance.
Incident reporting system (“Speak Up”) for WHS and security issues.
Security Officer Program deployed at service delivery sites for visible deterrence and respectful de-escalation.
The Agency’s Safe and Respectful Workplace Program provides a structured framework to prevent, identify, and respond to bullying, harassment, discrimination and other unacceptable behaviours, supporting a zero‑tolerance approach and ensuring all workers uphold professional, respectful conduct to maintain a healthy, safe, and psychologically secure workplace.
Additional Safeguards: Objectionable material handling framework and PACE system alerts to manage participant-related risks

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Slide	Talking Points
8	What are we doing next to lower the risk?

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Slide	Talking Points
9	How is psychosocial safety positioned within the NDIA’s strategic and risk architecture?

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Oversight is provided through the National Health and Safety Committee and related governance committees, which monitor health, safety, security and wellbeing risks and controls.
This is supported by policy and procedures on roles and responsibilities in relation to safety.
We also rely on data driven insights from Census results, incident trends and deep dive analysis, to inform priority risks and assess whether controls are effective.
In Addition, internal audit and targeted assessment activities, such as site safety risk assessments, provide assurance over controls.

Slide	Talking Points
10	How can you create a psychologically safe workplace?

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Accelerate APP Actions

Prioritise and unblock APP-related tasks inside your remit, actively remove delays for your teams.

Champion Staff Engagement

Be visible: spend time with frontline teams in high-risk or high-pressure areas.
Act on staff feedback quickly and transparently, close the loop so people see their input matters.

Sponsor Safety, Wellbeing & Security

Personally sponsor at least one initiative and speak to it consistently in leadership forums.
Reinforce the messaging in your decisions, ensure safety and wellbeing are integrated into priorities, not added on later.

Set the Standard Through Leadership

Participate in WHS and due diligence training model that learning in everyday decisions.
Ask the psychosocial impact question in briefs and decision papers:

“What is the psychosocial impact of this decision or change?”

Use leadership influence to normalise open conversations about risk, pressure, and workload.

Lead Change Safely

Build safety and wellbeing considerations in from the earliest stages of any change program and involve People Culture & Wellbeing early.

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Require clear evidence of consultation, risk identification and mitigations before approving change.
Monitor impacts throughout implementation, not just at the end.

Intervene Early and Engage Early

Act immediately when early signs of stress, conflict, or escalating risk surface.
Bring Safety, Wellbeing and Security teams in early to prevent small issues becoming major ones.
Encourage proactive reporting and reward early escalation rather than crisis management.

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