Hunter workplace mental health complaints double in five years
SafeWork NSW recorded 302 complaints about psychological hazards in Hunter workplaces in 2025-26, double the 154 reported five years earlier.
Complaints about workplace mental health hazards in the Hunter region have nearly doubled in five years. There were 154 complaints in 2020-21 and 302 this year.
Workers often develop psychological injuries after physical accidents, then face extra stress from the workers compensation system itself, injured worker advocate Kevin Mungoven said. The NSW government launched a Psychosocial Advisory Service to connect workers and employers with trauma-trained advisers.
The service, developed with the Black Dog Institute, includes a hotline and website. SafeWork NSW has hired 20 inspectors focused on psychological risks.
The agency issued more than 80 improvement notices for psychosocial hazards.
- 302
- Complaints in 2025-26
- 154
- Complaints in 2020-21
- 20
- SafeWork NSW inspectors hired
- 80+
- Improvement notices issued
Why it mattersThe doubling of mental health complaints shows Australian workplaces are becoming more psychologically unsafe, or workers are more willing to report harm.
AustraliaNSW workers now have access to free counselling for work-related trauma, but the government has also tightened eligibility for long-term compensation, making support harder to access.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
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