APSC’s Anne Nguyen-Pham (left) and Amaly Khalaf of the award-winning Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Unit. Photo: Comcare.
The Australian Public Service Commission’s (APSC) Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Unit developed an APS-wide approach to managing psychosocial hazards that is proving so successful, it has been recognised with a top government gong.
Designers of the model, known as ADDRESS (Autonomy, Define, Demands, Recognition, Exposure, Support and Strengths), recognised there was confusion about psychosocial safety, inconsistent data collection and varied agency practices.
They created a suite of guides and supporting resources to help government agencies simplify what is often a complex process.
It also helps agencies to adapt to a legislative framework that now includes specific regulations for managing psychosocial hazards and risks.
The APSC unit has been named joint winner of Comcare’s category-one honours, the Prevention Award.
Key features of ADDRESS are using good work design principles and existing APS Census data to help identify hazards.
Mental health and psychological safety measures featured strongly in Comcare’s 2025 awards for public service initiatives aimed at making employees’ working lives healthier.
Physical safety and protection also rated highly among the projects acknowledged by Comcare, the Federal Government’s work health and safety, and workers’ compensation authority.
Comcare’s National Work Health and Safety Awards, now in their 20th year, were celebrated at a gala event in Canberra on Thursday night (13 November), showcasing some remarkable innovations.
The joint winner in category one was Inland Rail for its Journey Management System (JMS) mobile app, designed to enhance road safety for workers on the 1600-kilometre freight rail line between Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, NSW and Queeensland.
The agency identified motor vehicle incidents as a primary work health and safety risk for the project and developed the JMS application to strengthen controls across its operations.
Replacing a manual, paper-based process, the app streamlined the monitoring of high-risk journeys with capabilities such as an automated check-in process for drivers, audible reminders for fatigue breaks, and real-time vehicle tracking.
Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth and Comcare’s acting CEO Michael Duke presenting the awards. Photo: Comcare.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth said workplace injuries – whether physical or mental – didn’t just impact individuals, but had ongoing consequences for families and communities.
“Workplace health and safety is often spoken about in terms of compliance, checklists and procedures. But at its heart, it’s about people,” she said.
“As a former WHS trainer myself, I understand the importance of best practice in work health and safety.
“When we create safe and healthy workplaces, we see better productivity, higher job satisfaction and stronger workforce participation.
“Prevention is the foundation of a safe and healthy work environment. By identifying and doing everything we possibly can do to eliminate hazards before they cause harm, we reduce the likelihood of incidents and protect our people …
“But unfortunately, things do go wrong, and when injury does occur, whether psychological or physical, we need to have the best possible supports in place for recovery and return to work …
“It’s important to ensure we see best practice across the whole spectrum of Comcare activities, from WHS risk management to enabling an employee’s return to work.”
Thr winner of the Recovery at and Return to Work award was Australia Post’s early intervention mental health program.
The award for an outstanding contribution by an individual for Impact and Contribution went to Royal Australian Navy Chief Petty Officer Matthew Jacques, while the gong for an outstanding contribution by a team for that category was won by Telstra for its Driver Safety Campaign.
Tamsin Anspach, an electoral officer for Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, was the joint winner with Siew Dyer from the National Indigenous Australians Agency of the new category, the Health and Safety Representatives award.
That award celebrates the work of elected health and safety representatives in Commonwealth workplaces.
The Judges’ Choice awards went to Psychosocial Risk Management Framework, Western Sydney International Airport in the metropolitan category; and Ric Selim from the Australian Border Force in the regional category.
Comcare’s acting chief executive officer Michael Duke said the biennial event rewarded outstanding work by organisations and individuals to improve safety across the diverse Commonwealth WHS jurisdiction.
“It’s essential that we recognise significant efforts to make our workplaces safer and healthier, highlighting best practice and innovation that creates positive impact,” Mr Duke said.
“Importantly, the awards are not only about preventing harm. Initiatives that help workers recover from injury and illness, and achieve safe, fast and durable return-to-work outcomes, have always been a significant feature.
“Congratulations to the winners and finalists, and the record 45 organisations, teams and individuals who provided entries this year. These efforts shine a light on the importance of work health and safety, rehabilitation and return to work.”
A list of all the winners, along with details about their initiatives and programs, can be found on Comcare’s website.
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
