The PsychProof Newsroom

In late 2025, the Department of Defence was criminally convicted under the Commonwealth WHS Act and fined $188,000 following the suicide of an RAAF technician who was subjected to performance management plans and showed signs of distress, but was not offered support. This landmark case highlights the importance of managing psychosocial risks and ensuring that performance management processes do not cause psychological harm.

An Australian court made a landmark decision convicting the Department of Defence for failing to manage psychosocial risks arising from a performance management process. The department was fined A$188,000 after a worker died by suicide while on duty, highlighting the need to minimise psychosocial risks under the WHS Act.

Australia has formally recognized psychosocial hazards, including stress, bullying, fatigue, and violence, as enforceable WHS risks. Most jurisdictions have adopted new national psychosocial regulations, and employers are now required to identify, assess, and control them with the same diligence applied to physical hazards. Victoria has introduced its own OHS (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025.