Victoria is introducing new regulations to strengthen workplace mental health protections, ensuring psychosocial hazards like bullying, harassment, and exposure to trauma are managed with the same seriousness as physical risks.
The changes, set to take effect on 1 December, follow recommendations from the Boland Review, the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, and the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Mental Health. They align with existing regulations in other Australian states and territories.
A Compliance Code will guide employers on meeting their obligations, including developing prevention plans to identify and control psychosocial hazards.
Work-related mental injuries are on the rise, accounting for 18% of new WorkCover claims in 2023-24, up from 9% before 2009. WorkSafe’s WorkWell program has supported over 16,000 workplaces since 2017 to reduce mental health risks.
Deputy Premier and Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC Ben Carroll said, “Every worker deserves a psychologically safe workplace. Mental injuries can devastate lives, and employers must do everything possible to reduce these risks, just as they do for physical injuries.”
Added WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin, “These regulations make it clear: psychosocial hazards must be treated as seriously as physical hazards. Employers will have the tools and clarity they need to create mentally healthy workplaces.”
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