When Regulators Close Ranks: Systemic Harm - March 2021 - Part 2

In systems designed to protect people, silence causes harm.

This post documents a moment many injured workers recognise instantly: when you do everything you are supposed to do — report harm, seek help, follow process — and the very agencies entrusted with safety go quiet or dismiss a serious WHS breach. 

I am sharing this because formal processes did not stop further harm.

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The Day Everything Fell Apart

In March 2021, after months of workplace harm, isolation, and deteriorating health, I contacted my GP in distress. I had just received yet another delayed, stock-standard, dismissive and distressing letter from a WHS manager at SafeWork NSW — still no protection.

The letter arrived late.

No explanation.

No action.

No acknowledgement of the immediate risk I was facing.

By that point, as readers know,  I had also already lodged serious complaints with the NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA NSW) about workers compensation non-compliance, including what I was advised may constitute fraudulent conduct. Months had passed. I was given no timeframe, no updates, and no clarity — all “due to privacy”.

Yet my own privacy had already been breached by senior HR executives.

The contradiction was devastating.

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What I Asked For Was Simple

I asked to be called, not sent another dismissive letter.

I asked to be protected, not left exposed.

I asked the regulator to use its authority to stop ongoing bullying, coercive isolation, and victimisation.

There is no law under workers compensation that requires injured workers to be isolated from colleagues. In fact, it’s the opposite: connection and support are part of recovery.

Had the law been followed, I would have been back at work recovering — not fighting for my safety.

Instead, the silence continued.

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Silence as a Systemic Failure

Silence does not look dramatic.

It doesn’t leave bruises.

It doesn’t shout.

But silence is one of the most effective tools of harm in bureaucratic systems.

When regulators like SafeWork NSW delay, deflect, or retreat behind form letters with excuses, the message to the injured worker is clear:

• You are alone.

• Your distress is inconvenient.

• Survival is your responsibility.

That is not regulation.

That is abandonment.

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This Is a WHS Issue — Not a “Complaint”

I was not asking for special treatment.

I was asking for the law to be applied.

Workplace Health and Safety exists to prevent further harm. When an injured worker is left exposed to ongoing victimisation, isolation, and fear — that is an active WHS failure.

And when regulators do not intervene, that failure compounds.

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Why I Am Sharing This

I did not choose this lightly.

I chose it because:

• internal escalation failed

• regulatory processes stalled

• silence caused further injury

• my health and safety were at risk

This should never have reached this point.

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To Injured Workers Reading This

If the system has gone quiet on you, you are not imagining it.

Document everything.

Trust your instincts.

Silence is not a reflection of your credibility — it is a red flag.

You deserve dignity, protection, and to be heard.

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Primary source correspondence referenced in this post:  documents 153 and 158