Comcare CEO Greg Vines has quit ComCare to advise the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on labour management. Photo: Supplied.
Comcare’s Chief Executive Officer Greg Vines has quit the job and the Australian Government after just 22 months into the role to take up a new post advising the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on labour management.
Comcare was without a CEO for a year after Sue Weston resigned, with Aaron Hughes acting in the role until he left the organisation at the beginning of 2023 to become CEO of the Public Trustee and Guardian.
The CEO position was finally filled in April 2023 when Mr Vines did his mate Tony Burke, who was then Employment and Workplace Relations Minister, a favour by accepting the position.
However, with Mr Burke’s portfolio changing in July last year and Murray Watt taking charge of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR), it appears Mr Vine’s commitment to Comcare evaporated.
Region asked the minister’s office about the move and was referred to the department.
A spokesperson for DEWR subsequently said the department has “no comment on Mr Vines’ decision to leave Comcare” and that the deputy chief executive officer of Comcare, Michael Duke, is acting in the role until a permanent replacement is announced.
“The CEO of Comcare is appointed by the Governor-General pursuant to the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988,” the spokesperson said
“Filling the substantive vacancy, which is subject to the Government’s Merit and Transparency Policy, is a matter for government.”
A stalwart of the labour movement, Mr Vines was deputy director-general for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) from 2012 to 2022 but failed in a nominated bid to become the director-general of the ILO.
He was also Minister (Labour) with the Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Geneva, from 2009 to 2012.
Previously, he was chair of the Civil Service Task Force in Timor Leste (2008-2009), Public Sector Standards Commissioner of Victoria (2005-2009), executive director of Industrial Relations Victoria and deputy secretary of the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development (2003-2005), and State Service Commissioner, Tasmania (2000-2003).
His most notable achievement while in Comcare’s top job was an address to the Public Service Commissioners’ conference at the end of 2023, when he declared psychological safety at work had become a high priority for the Australian Public Service and a key area of concern for the government’s workplace health and safety regulator and insurer, Comcare.
Bullying and harassment were the number-one cause of psychological injury in the Commonwealth jurisdiction, accounting for 38 per cent of all accepted claims related to mental stress over the past two financial years.
“At its core, psychosocial safety is the assurance that people can do their work without fear of psychological harm,” Mr Vines said at the time.
“It’s about ensuring that workers feel secure, valued and respected. This isn’t just about personal wellbeing – it’s about the overall health of our organisations.
“At a minimum, it’s a workplace that promotes workers’ mental health and wellbeing, protects mental health by effectively managing work-related risks and hazards, and focuses on preventing mental illness and injury from occurring in the first place.
“For me, psychological safety in workplaces is also about creating an environment where staff can speak up, share ideas, ask questions and make mistakes without fear of humiliation or retribution.”
Comcare is the national authority for work health and safety, as well as workers’ compensation, with several important core roles as a regulator, scheme manager, insurer, and claims manager.
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Riotact.
