WorkSafe ACT Commissioner Jacqueline Agius is back in the job for a further five years. Photo: WorkSafe ACT.
WorkSafe ACT’s Jacqueline Agius has weathered claims of a toxic culture within her own organisation to be appointed Work Health and Safety Commissioner for a further five years.
Ms Agius will now lead the independent authority until 27 April 2030.
A former senior industrial officer at the ACT branch of the Australian Education Union (AEU) and former criminal defence lawyer, Ms Agius was appointed in 2020 after WorkSafe ACT became an independent authority when the ACT Government amended the Work Health and Safety Act in December 2019.
Ms Agius also served on the board of the ACT Work Safety Council from 2016 to 2019.
The former Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety, Rachel Stephen-Smith, stated at the time that the change to an authority was intended to enhance the independence, transparency, accountability and scrutiny of WorkSafe.
Last year, former and current employees came forward to accuse the organisation of having its own bullying issues. It also emerged that in 2023, the CPSU had written to WorkSafe ACT listing a litany of workplace issues.
The letter alleged staff had been exposed to psychosocial hazards and that there was a pattern of poor workplace culture and change management at WorkSafe.
This involved the misuse of Preliminary Assessments without basis to punish staff, unclear merit selection practices in hiring senior staff, inadequate training, inadequate support for staff exposed to occupational violence and failures to adhere to public service policies, procedures, values and behaviours.
Former inspectors claimed they had been purged, but Ms Agius reportedly said she was cleaning up poor culture in the workplace.
WorkSafe also faced a $400,000 compensation claim in the Federal Court from one former employee, Leith Dawes, who claimed he was bullied from the day he took up an inspector’s position.
He spent time in hospital for mental health reasons and was eventually sacked for alleged “serious misconduct” based on “cumulative behaviour” that was “inconsistent with the ACT Public Service”.
That matter went to mediation and Mr Dawes accepted a confidential settlement.
WorkSafe did not respond to Region questions last year, citing the court case, although the CPSU letter and previous allegations from former employees had been made well before that.
The ACT Government would not comment, stating that WorkSafe was an independent authority and that all questions should be referred to it.
Then Industrial Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Mick Gentleman always maintained confidence in Jacqueline Agius and her team.
Ms Agius has obviously retained that government confidence, with a further five-year appointment.
A new Work Health and Safety Strategic Plan 2025-2029 and Work Health and Safety Compliance and Enforcement Policy 2025-2029 have also been released.
Original Article published by Ian Bushnell on Region Canberra.
