Reasonable boundaries I attempted to request - 2020

When people feel that they are treated with dignity, it brings out the best in them – they flourish. Our highest common denominator as human beings is our desire to be treated with dignity. It doesn’t matter where we are, who we are with, the unspoken message we send to one another is “Treat me as something of value and worth.”

Donna Hicks, Associate of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University

This first part was written for the employment lawyer after I had made the claim upon advice. But whether it’s due to professional negligence, or the systemic design “flaws” that allow abuse of power to be used as adverse action, or a combination of the two, I found myself wanting to bang my head against a brick wall. My right to a safe work environment and my family’s right to feel safe and respected by a publicly funded university, fell on deaf ears. Repeatedly. 

In whatever legitimate “process” that may exist, I had noted what I needed to negotiate:

1. A signed agreement of reasonable boundaries to return to a safe work environment;

2. Agreed time off for proper rest and recovery from psychological injuries caused by HR & WHS “leaders”, with no more harassment causing unnecessary and unjustified distress;

3. The procedures and processes improved with my input so it never happens to someone else;

4. A plan by my employer on how they propose to help an entire family heal from all this abuse (NOTE: I would expect, given all this proof of gross negligence and misconduct, that would be under new leadership). What support will they provide to restore my dignity as per commitment to the Mission? I always fulfilled my commitment and obligation to the organisation (despite being reminded of this at inappropriate times when I needed to prioritise my own health and my family’s). I expect agreement to an ethical and fair return to work plan in collaboration with my health practitioners. The organisation has a legal obligation to put in place fair, reasonable and respectful adjustments to ease my return to work. Given HR implicated my family’s privacy unlawfully and then were authorised to use a carrier to menace and intimidate them, what will the organisation do to support my family’s healing? 

This second part were my notes for discussion during a psychology consultation as part of my RTW Plan. But the RTW coordinator, working under the biggest cause of injury and ultimately the claim, the national manager of employment relations and SAFETY, sabotaged my attempts with more privacy violations, withholding important information, withholding benefits, refusing to cooperate to implement the agreed injury management plan, refusal to contact my NTD and an inability to reach her by phone. How unconscionable and reckless of all of them as WHS staff. 

HR never gave me an opportunity to propose to them these reasonable requests / adjustments / boundaries. The illegal adverse action continued, including WHS violations, under workers compensation regulations.

I have been denied my human rights completely. I need this abuse to end immediately and to be supported and cared for by a support network who truly have my health, wellbeing and safety at heart, to recover and return to my work.

Given the manager has now retired, enjoying the fruits of her labour while I am still being defrauded and systemically abused, the reasonable requests listed below are now irrelevant. 

What I need are for SIRA NSW and SafeWork NSW to fix the mess they caused me and my family because of their gross negligence, recently described as complaints “mishandling”. 

To read the initial serious complaint that the PCBU chose to completely ignore, go to http://mystory-myvoice.blogspot.com/2024/07/bullying-discrimination-and-harassment.html. It is a five part post. 

These were the reasonable requests / boundaries / adjustments I had attempted to propose:

1. To make reasonable decisions when I’m the most senior staff there. If the outcome is fair and reasonable, I won’t be criticised (and in front of staff) because it wasn’t done in the way the manager would do it. My decision is to be respected and if feedback is given, it’s to be given respectfully and privately, only when constructive. I also have the right to disagree, providing a valid argument, and be shown respect by listening. (However, until such times that I may feel it is “safe” to do so, I require a third person, as a witness, in one-one meetings with the manager in her office with the door closed. I need to ensure meetings remain professional, respectful, and task-related).

2. If I’m ever demeaned in a meeting or in front of staff, I will raise this privately (with a witness at the beginning), giving feedback concerning how I felt and why. 

3. My team will be managed with my managerial style. I require autonomy and trust to lead and manage my team. That means equally by applying the Staff code of conduct for ALL staff and staff capabilities framework, approving leave as required and the application of work-life balance policies. The manager will not pressure me to do what I deem unethical and a violation of any individual’s personal boundary. I’ll raise my concerns if the manager causes distress to staff at personal vulnerable times with her judgement and behaviour. If the defensive behaviour occurs and I cannot communicate respectfully, I’ll document it. As my manager, if I need to take a day of personal leave (e.g. sick or carer’s), the manager will respect my right to privacy, and will not intrude or attack me for this.

4. If my team members bypass me with complaints, the process will be to refer them to me first. I cannot fix what I do not know. My primary focus is managing my team, including time for individual meetings, team meetings and giving me the breathing space for regular reviews with my team regarding updates on performance. The manager needs to respect my decisions and maintain confidentiality. I also will not tolerate disrespectful behaviour from any of my team members during the PRP meetings, other meetings and toward each other. I am committed to supporting each individual and the team. Kindness and communication will be encouraged, disrespectful behaviour won’t be tolerated.

5. The manager will refrain from judgement, labels and opinions regarding staff. It is gossip and disrespectful and I felt uncomfortable and stressed with coercion to take on her views. I will not micromanage and I require the autonomy, flexibility and trust to work with the Senior Library Coordinator at North Sydney to have a cohesive and inclusive Sydney team.

6. The agreed objectives in my PRP are the only expectations to be assessed. No more vague expectations, unreasonable demands and constant (irrelevant) criticism.

7. I do not want to hear the word “should” again, regarding unreasonable demands and expectations.

8. I will not tolerate gossip. The manager claims she dislikes gossip, but engages in it constantly.

9. I will receive feedback from my team after one year of managing in my style with no unhealthy interference / harassment. It would help the manager to listen to honest feedback from both her campus and from the working group that she facilitates.

10. Management is my priority and applying what I had learnt in the leadership and management courses I have completed. Management involves quality relationships. That will mean less liaising with clients (staff, students and researchers in the Schools I liaise with) so less will be recorded in the Library Engagement Data statistics form from me. I will only take projects I know I can contribute to. I would like suggestions from the manager what she would like to see achieved, with the understanding that she will listen to my feedback as to whether the idea is realistic in timeframe, logistics, practicalities, etc.

11. I will carve out time for private individual work from a room away from the open office. I need to manage my time in a way that is effective, realistic and productive for me. There will be no more constant interruptions from the manager. We can agree to meet at a specific time each day to discuss work related tasks. There will be a third person present during these meetings to ensure that what is discussed only relates to work matters. The meetings must remain objective, respectful and professional.

12. I need to be included in all debriefs if any future incident occurs in the library. I will raise my concerns regarding any conflicting instructions, or any expectation to be a mind reader.

Regarding dignity and injury, Donna Hicks also wrote the following in this brief, yet significant article:

“I define dignity as our inherent value and worth and inherent vulnerability. We are all born with dignity, and we are also born with an inborn vulnerability to having it injured. Research in neuroscience shows us that when we experience a wound to our dignity, it shows up in the brain in the same area (amygdala in the limbic system) as a physical wound. Seemingly, these two ‘injuries’ have a shared neural pathway. Essentially, the brain doesn’t appear to know the difference between the pain of a physical injury and the pain of a dignity violation. This research opened doors for me. The message is clear: dignity matters and we must take it seriously.”

Hicks, D. (2022, 25 January). ‘Why dignity matters in the workplace.’ Emerald Publishing [Online blog]: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/opinion-and-blog/why-dignity-matters-workplace

This post is based on document 58. 

NSW workers compensation “scam” - Some references

Attwood Marshall Lawyers. (2020, 4 August). ‘Workers’ compensation schemes investigated as unethical practices exposed - WorkCover Queensland the best scheme in Australia’. [Blog]. https://attwoodmarshall.com.au/investigation-workers-compensation-schemes/

NOTE: And NSW is still the worst. The article compares the “schemes” of QLD and NSW.

Carmody, B. (2023, 9 March). ‘Maria went to WorkCover for a mental health claim. She says the process made her sicker.’ The Age. https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/maria-went-to-workcover-for-a-mental-health-claim-she-says-the-process-made-her-sicker-20230308-p5cqd9.html

‘Fair compensation for work injuries ‘almost impossible’ if NSW scheme issues not resolved’. (2020, 3 August). National Tribune. [Online]: https://www.nationaltribune.com.au/fair-compensation-for-work-injuries-almost-impossible-if-nsw-scheme-issues-not-resolved

“There are systemic failings in the system which are negatively impacting injured workers. However, we were further shocked to hear the claims of unethical conduct and financial mismanagement at icare exposed in the media last week.

These allegations must now also be examined closely by this Committee. Unethical behaviour cannot be tolerated.

It was very concerning to hear about multimillion-dollar contracts allegedly being awarded with zero scrutiny at the same time as injured workers are being dragged through distressing dispute processes that ultimately undermine their ability to recover. (NOTE: Let’s not sanitise this. It’s corruption). 

The priority must be to ensure that anyone who is injured at work receives the support they need and fair compensation to look after themselves and their families.” 

NOTE: Nothing has changed. It’s worse. From my own experience, SIRA NSW lets insurers commit workers compensation fraud and SafeWork NSW allows WHS units in larger organisations to commit fraud and reckless conduct during the first six months to deny a worker their right to recover in their job. Imagine if I were the one refusing to cooperate in implementing the injury management plan agreement and behaved like this. It’s systemic, grossly negligent and unacceptable government gaslighting.

Ferguson, A. (2020, 7 August). ‘Perrottet’s key lieutenant resigns amid icare salary scandal’. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/perrottet-s-key-lieutenant-resigns-amid-icare-salary-scandal-20200806-p55jdj.html

Ferguson, A., Day, L. and Robinson, L. (2020, 27 July). ‘Snouts in the trough circle Australia $60b workers’ comp system’. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/snouts-in-the-trough-circle-australia-s-60b-workers-comp-system-20200726-p55fiu.html

NOTE: I’ll be writing more on the above reference in a few posts time. 

Ferguson, A., Day, L. and Robinson, L. (2020, 27 July). ‘They treated me like a leper’: How workers’ comp claims were rejected’. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/they-treated-me-like-a-leper-how-worker-comp-claims-were-rejected-20200727-p55fs9.html

Purse, K. and Guthrie, R. 2008). ‘Workers compensation policy in Australia: New challenges for a new government.’ Journal of Applied Law and Policy. pp. 99-110. [Open access]: http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/JlAppLawP/2008/7.html

Visentin, L. and Smith, A. (2020, 3 August). ‘Icare boss quits after failing to adequately to declare wife’s involvement’. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/icare-boss-quits-after-failing-to-declare-his-wife-s-involvement-20200803-p55i2i.html

My personal story - Part 5 - Mark Foys and Ladies in Black

When I first watched the brilliant Australian film Ladies in Black, I told my family to watch it too. Set in 1959, in an elegant department store, these characters showcase a time my parents knew well. 

They were the “new Australians” in the neighbourhood. A door within the backyard fence was an opportunity to share my dad’s infamous BBQ souvlakia and my mum’s homemade traditional Greek food with the Hillmans next door. Mrs. Joyce Hillman really loved mum’s potato and garlic dip (skordalia). Mr. Peter Hillman loved my dad’s perfectly marinated, charcoal BBQ’d lamb souvlakia. 

Dad offered to give Mr. Hillman a lesson on preparing and cooking them himself, but when he asked our dear neighbour how it went, Mr. Hillman humbly admitted that it didn’t quite turn out like my dad’s souvlakia. It was dad’s specialty, and both my parents were raised to practice the Greek concept of Philotimo. There was always plenty to share with others, including from my dad’s beautiful vegetable garden.  

The Hillmans had two children. From memory of stories, their daughter, Christine, was about my mum’s age, and their son, John, a teenager, when my brother was a boy. I was born six years after my brother Peter.

When John’s mum, Joyce, was in her last days in a nursing home, he came back to the old neighbourhood to tell us. Perhaps his mum remembered that era and time in her life, as tends to happen in such moments in life. The memories for all of us in those decades was one of respect, dignity, kindness, looking out for one another, and hospitality. 

Sadly and regrettably, we didn’t get the chance to visit Joyce Hillman before she passed away. We attended her funeral at St. Declan’s at Penshurst. For me, attending Joyce’s funeral felt like the end of a chapter in a book on one’s life. Living and growing up in Hurstville, my childhood was a mixture of the older Australian generation and younger European migrants, raising families. 

I loved the elders in my neighbourhood. I loved having conversations on my way home from school, including at the lawn bowls club up the road, with Miss Frost a few doors down, and a number of others. Now, it’s a very different suburb, turned city, that’s overpopulated and dense. It’s like this in many suburbs where property development has replaced the green and aesthetically pleasing suburb that I prefer to raise a family. 

But that’s my experience growing up in a single dwelling with a backyard, a Californian bungalow home, running around with friends and going to the park to play. With all this social injustice, political interference and systemic abuse that I’ve recently experienced in our “progressed” society, it makes me yearn for simpler days. I feel a need to escape by going to a place like my mum’s village in Greece, to breathe in mountain air. I feel so alone here, right now. 

Jeannie Baker, collage artist and author of award winning picture books, displays urban development really well in her collages. One of my favourites when studying Education at the University of Sydney, was a book titled Window. I recommend this book for generating conversations around the environment and town planning. As the child grows up, he looks out the window at new roads being built, new houses etc (and you know it’s over when a McDonalds is established). When he becomes a father and is holding his own child in his arms, looking out the window of his new home, it’s a view like the one he experienced in his childhood. But we can all guess the continuation of that story. There are literally no words in this book. Only collages that speak volumes. (See https://www.jeanniebaker.com/book/window/).

Going back to the movie Ladies in Black, it also reminded me of stories my mum would tell me about Mark Foys, the department store that was just a stroll up from Oxford Street in the City of Sydney. Mum was living in Bourke St., Surry Hills with her brother’s family, before meeting and marrying my dad. For the wedding dress, Mark Foys was the place to go. My mum and her sister-in-law, my aunt Eugenia, took that stroll to the now heritage site of Mark Foys for the dress.

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/beautiful-vintage-european-fashion-mark-foys

It was a time of quality products and experienced customer attendance. Like the Slovenian lady in the evening dress department in the movie (played beautifully by Julia Ormond), when my mum went to find her wedding dress at Mark Foys, the lady took one look and brought out the dress that was perfect for mum. This was late 1969, a decade later to when the movie was set. The dress was for a 4 January 1970 wedding. 

I share a photo. The lace, the gloves, the pearl drops on the empire waistline. It was perfect for mum. 

My mum escorted by my uncle, Theodore Babilis, on her wedding day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My mum was a 17 year old girl when she boarded the ship, Patris, destined for Australia. My pappou couldn’t let go of her at Piraeus, until a crew member finally said, “Mr. Babilis, we have to leave. You need to decide.” There were already three children in Australia. This was the fourth, the youngest daughter.

My grandfather asked a nice middle-aged couple to look after his young daughter on the journey. That couple, as discovered years later after my mum had married my dad, were my dad’s aunt and uncle. Providence or what? My mum would not meet my dad for a couple more years upon her arrival in Australia. She and my dad would not learn about this coincidence until after my brother was born, when dad's uncle George visited his nephew (my dad) in our family home in Hurstville. That's a whole other amusing story. I do wonder if there’s an element of fate in our lives. It's stories like this that make me wonder. 

Today, the heritage preserved building of Mark Foys is the courthouse of the Downing Centre, as I realised, when I was fulfilling my civic duty on a jury panel a couple of years ago. 

If only that civic duty was truly reciprocated by the NSW government in office under the questionable leadership of Chris Minns, who is the state MP of my electorate of Kogarah.

Within Museum Station, on my way to the Downing Centre, there was a display of photos from the national archives, that included customers at Mark Foys. Then as you exit the station, you encounter the preserved exterior of the Mark Foys building. 

 

I was transported to the 60s and the era my parents migrated to Australia. I thought about what they went through in Greece that brought them to the other side of the world. 

Then I would snap back to the reality of the present, and what a “leader” and local MP of the party my family loyally voted for a lifetime, did to us, and I felt sick. 

Ironically, while doing my civic duty at the Downing Centre, a distressing and grossly negligent phone call incident occurred with SafeWork NSW and its “advisors”. What public servants employed by the NSW Department of Customer Service need to realise is that this call on a Monday morning, that triggered another incident of distress, ended up costing taxpayers approximately $400,000. Minister Dib and Minister Cotsis need to be aware of this, as does the Secretary of the NSW Department of Customer Service, Mr. Graeme Head.

We’ll get to that part of the story later. Much later. I’m still only up to June 2020 (although SafeWork NSW first enters my story around September 2020). 

 

A woman trying on hats at Mark Foys c.1960s - archive photos displayed at Museum Station

See also https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1724385 and https://mhnsw.au/stories/sydneys-home-furnishing-stores/mark-foys/

From the National Film and Sound Archive Australia - Mark Foy's Fashions - Mash up.

A quote from a comment a viewer made about the movie Ladies in Black:

“‘Ladies in Black’ was a wonderful and nostalgic movie, especially when one has lived through those days… my mother was a Lady in Black, she worked at Mark Foys in the lace department for many years. The movie brought back all the memories of those days, Hyde Park, Sydney Harbour, the Blue Mountains, the trams and the new double decker buses. The days when retail shops actually served people…I loved the fashions…”

Ladies in Black - Movie Trailer

Professional negligence - June 2020

Between 12-14 June 2020, I sent an email to JFMLAW requesting that they remind my employer I expected an outline of the action steps to ensure a safe workplace. 

The lawyer from JFMLAW responded that “The request for a ‘safe workplace’ will be requested once you are ready to return to work”. What the hell did that mean? No one explained to me what this meant! I was dealing with a psychopath in the national manager of employment relations and SAFETY. There was no safety unless she stayed away from me and my claim.

A safe workplace should have occurred under workers compensation and by law regardless. The reason the claim was finally submitted was because of the abuse coming from the national manager responsible for a university community’s safety! She engaged in conduct that was the extreme opposite of safety. I required the HR executives engaging in aggressive adverse action to stay away from me. 

I was ready to recover at work asap, with my support network – NTD, health and safety professionals, case manager and RTW coordinator. Instead, I was relentlessly harassed and stalked by Rena Christmann. 

She extended this to my family, also attempting to intimidate them into silence after having violated their privacy too. They responded to the privacy violation by sending a formal complaint. It ended up in the hands of the offenders to “handle”. 

Is this how complaints are handled in Australian universities, government agencies, especially regulators like SIRA NSW and SafeWork NSW, hospitals and NSW Police? There will be numerous posts about complaints handling (or “mishandling”), pretty much everywhere, especially government regulatory authorities. 

I was more unsafe because of safety violations under workers compensation than before, with intent to cause sustained injuries and harm. 

I was also defrauded of my legal entitlements while stalked and harassed continuously, to cause further trauma. 

The Return to Work coordinator would soon neglect her legal responsibilities and duty of care, also violating my privacy by giving access to my private email accounts to Ms Christmann. Ms Christmann would now harass me illegally via my allied health professional’s office without my permission or signed consent, as well as intercepting my private emails to my union representatives. 

Access to my work emails and the intranet were still blocked. The RTW coordinator’s phone number was not connected or also blocked. Luckily the case manager was ethical, efficient and provided the injury management plan that we had agreed on before I released the employment lawyer, because I had joined the union. 

Why did the the National Tertiary Education Union agree to collude in fraud and negligence? They were meant to serve me, the worker, not senior executive staff committing white collar crime.

The other serious issue is that there appears to be no cohesion between employment / industrial relations lawyers and workers compensation lawyers. There’s no cohesion in the system and laws. It provides a gap between two cliffs to push people off in systemic abuse. 

And yet again, the innocent pay the price. Yet again, we have more “loopholes” to close, tight regulations needed (and for regulators, yet again, to be held accountable and responsible for doing their jobs and regulating by enforcing compliance on ALL STAKEHOLDERS). 

System change and design is an urgent priority. 

This post is based on documents 74-75 

I share a TED Talk on something that is missing in public service and law enforcement:

Practical Wisdom

Q Workplace Solutions used as a reason to continue the harassment and badgering

On 10 June 2020, JFMLAW received an email from R. Christmann outlining that my complaint was being independently investigated by Q Workplace Solutions. 

Remember, I had already done a legitimate independent investigation report for Catholic Church Insurance dated the day before, the 9 June 2020. How quick were they, in sending R. Christmann a copy. 

Incident #24 states what Rena Christmann did and said, and that I wanted her to stay away from me and my family. 

And yet again, are employment lawyers devoid of basic knowledge of the workers compensation processes? I’m the target of harassment. Was I meant to just know things without being informed? Am I meant to continue to have “unrealistic expectations” placed on me, years later after finding myself a target of serious systemic abuse, collusion and corruption? 

If employment lawyers knew that insurers get a signed statement of a factual investigation report, they could have shut this shit down with Q Workplace Solutions. 

There was no investigation by Q Workplace Solutions. It was not done according SafeWork Australia’s (2016) guidelines. See https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/guide-preventing-and-responding-workplace-bullying

The only thing Q Workplace Solutions did was check my LinkedIn profile (before the trauma from systemic abuse was obvious, which was their evil collective goal). The LinkedIn community are my witnesses now to something that is a serious crisis in our workplaces, with systemic “failures” and serious abuse happening globally. 

There was no contact with me in my complaint at all. In this letter, Ms. Christmann rejects my edited version of my initial complaint submitted on 23 October 2019. 

Readers, I was so cognitively exhausted and impaired from the relentless harassment and malicious intent, I only had clarity to reflect on things later. If HR had seriously wanted to take my initial grievance of bullying, discrimination and harassment seriously, which was a legal obligation, they would have done so from when I was fobbed off to them by the associate director in my unit. 

Again, with what right did Christmann “reject” my complaint, regardless? Employment lawyers, do I need to tell you it’s called procedural fairness and my right? Not that procedural fairness was the motive of this perpetrator, but I found myself paying legal fees for a middle man, passing on information, not protecting me, not defending my rights or truly representing me. 

Rena Christmann continued to label me as “unfit” and employment lawyer #3 seemed to just accepts this too. How dare my human right to a voice be illegally and repeatedly denied, and lawyers I paid to represent me, just allowed it to happen. 

For that matter, how arrogant and negligent of these large law firms to make assumptions and hand my case to their young inexperienced solicitors. 

And why was it suddenly acceptable to R. Christmann to use my written complaint submitted on 23 October 2019 (allegedly)? Why didn’t they investigate as per policies and regulations at that time, but decide to spread malicious and vexatious lies and threaten me in adverse action? 

Also, the complaint submitted to multiple parties (including my GP / NTD) on 23 October 2019, had only one name mentioned - the person I initially raised a grievance regarding bullying, discrimination and harassment. I did not mention the names of other staff. 

The report after the “alleged” investigation by Q Workplace solutions included the names of staff. Therefore, Rena Christmann has also lied about using my bullying complaint submitted on 23 October 2019. Coming up in a later email from R. Christmann, is a mention of the “detailed statement” she had evidently been given access to and used from Catholic Church Insurance. 

This one included staff names, but it was a violation of my privacy by Catholic Church Insurance and their pledge and agreement to abide by Australian Privacy Principles. It was also a violation of the privacy of other individuals mentioned. 

These are the discrepancies and “slip ups” from such pathological liars, that nobody picked up. 

The cause of injuries were predominantly from Ms. Christmann herself. She would continue to taunt and relentlessly harass me under workers compensation regulations. No one I reported it to protected me, including St. George police, the registrar of the local court decided not to list my APVO application because it “sounded like a work issue with a colleague” and referred me to the Fair Work Ombudsman (who were the office I called and they advised me to report the matter to police, who then advised me that my only option was an APVO application). 

This was to become the start of systemic abuse. This was the start of being sent in frustrating and distressing cruel circles, and greater harm to my safety from those I trusted to keep us safe. The NTEU, SafeWork NSW, SIRA NSW were all negligent too (and still are), breaching their own policies and core responsibilities and campaigns they are so vocal about. 

This post is based on documents 72-73. 

Catholic Church Insurance - June 2020

“I‘ve implored the insurer to help in this matter. I said that I am not just another case number to process but a human being praying for someone to treat me with dignity. Unfortunately for reasons unknown to me, those representing my employer have not done so.”

The above quote was from an email I sent on 3 June 2020, in a brief message for my GP.

Earlier that same day, at 2:20am in the morning, I sent an email to the senior claims manager of CCI, the “supervisor” of my lovely case manager. I copied my case manager in this email. It includes a summary I gave of the badgering, harassment and privacy violations by HR executives that caused trauma and ultimately this workers compensation claim. 

Just like I had bad feeling about the NTEU, I had a bad feeling about CCI. I was targeted by power abusers that had already proven they were capable of anything. I was very afraid. 

On 9 June 2020, I met with an ethical and professional investigator (unlike Q Workplace Solutions to come, who weren’t needed anyway), to provide a detailed statement of the incidents of harassment, discrimination, bullying from the manager, her one up at associate director level, and psychological abuse by named HR staff as adverse action, for requesting a generally protected workplace right: A SAFE WORK ENVIRONMENT. 

This was a professional and legitimate independent factual investigation report for the Insurer, CCI, before they agreed to collude in fraud. 

I need to emphasise a clarification regarding the language used in such reports: when a person is physically abused, they sustain physical injuries. When a person is emotionally abused, they sustain emotional / psychological injuries. Had they not been abused, they would be fine. Therefore, it is not a psychological illness or disorder. It is psychological injury. Anyone who chooses to assault another person, whether physical or psychological, has made a choice to cause blows of injury and harm to a target. They have caused an INJURY. 

It’s contradictory to employ such language and allow such intrusion, in an era when our society and government have supposedly taken action to stop bullying, discrimination and harassment, promote mentally healthy workplaces, and, only in theory at present, publish a code of practice for managing psychosocial hazards, as aligned to WHS laws. 

If only there were trauma-informed and trained SafeWork NSW inspectors who listen, act with empathy and don’t harm the poor victim further by bullying them too. That’s greater psychological injury due to systemic abuse from workplace safety regulators. We’ll get to that later in the story.

On p.3 of the report, under legal/ union representation at #16 I state: “I have just joined the National Tertiary Education Union. I emailed the Union recently and will be speaking to them in the near future to ascertain what assistance they can provide. I have left a message with them”. 

Given what eventuated with the union as well, I suspect HR executives engaged in illegal coercion. The union leaders and representatives contravened their policies and neglected their duty towards me, as a member, by mobbing me too. Withholding information to disadvantage a person is bullying. The union did not inform me of my workers compensation benefits meant to be provided as per regulatory compliance. Withholding benefits is an example of employer workers compensation fraud as per SIRA’s website.

The “detailed” statement that I provided, was mentioned in an email from R. Christmann, the biggest perpetrator of relentless abuse, to my employment lawyer. She wrote that it would be used with Q Workplace Solutions. Why did the biggest perpetrator have my “detailed statement” that was confidential, strictly for the “self-insurer”?

Firstly, it is a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles by Catholic Church Insurance, even more unethical as R. Christmann is listed as one of the perpetrators of harassment, bullying, discrimination and privacy violations as adverse action in incident #24. Did they do this to allow her to continue stalking and harassing me, under workers compensation regulations? 

Who are the CCI perpetrators who authorised this? 

Secondly, is that why the sabotage and obstruction of justice from within the Personal Injury Commission “process” too? 

What would happen if this legitimate investigation report, my “detailed” statement, goes through a proper formal and ethical “process” in the Personal Injury Commission or equivalent? 

Incident #24 is a “detailed” statement of the adverse action by vicious HR staff for my requesting a safe work environment. 

For example:

197. I then emailed my lawyer informing her that I finally had no choice but to apply for workers compensation due to severe victimisation, harassment, bullying and violation of privacy and gaslighting. 

206. … I will find a legal way to keep her [R. Christmann] away from me if she does not cooperate by doing this from now on. Each time I start to feel a little more peaceful, positive and hopeful, Rena [Christmann] finds a way to distress me and make me feel unsafe. The harassment from her ends immediately. My blood pressure has gone up and I feel frightened again.

207. I now have support and we are all doing okay as a family. I therefore demand Rena [Christmann] and [the HR associate director] leave me alone. Indeed, all the bullies that have targeted me. I do not want communication from either of them again so I can feel safe and to heal. My relationship with my family was almost damaged and she is causing the same to occur with colleagues I trusted and cared about. The harassment does not seem to end but it now has to.

208. If my health and wellbeing is to improve it must be made very clear to those people in Human Resources that they are to leave me alone. I also have a right to return to my work and feel safe to do so.

209. I am shaken again because it feels like someone stalking me. I do not know who has betrayed me this time to make Rena [Christmann] have such audacity as to provide yet another vague piece of information to the lawyer.

Are readers seeing how serious all this is? 

The consent form I signed regarding the “detailed” statement clearly states the investigator represents Catholic Church Insurance (not “the insured” by this “self-insurer” or its staff who are named perpetrators of workplace abuse). 

Catholic Church Insurance did not comply with Australian Privacy Principles. Readers will find out why I suspect this soon, already briefly mentioned in this post. 

This post is based on documents 69-71. 

Let’s view one State Insurance Regulatory Authority publication, to identify what was and was not done by the self-insurer CCI and the “insured”. 

Here is a link to A quick guide to workers compensation information for workers - how kind it would have been for the NTEU, CCI and of course, the “insured”, to have provided this information rather than agree to be abusers targeting an innocent person in WHS violations such as mobbing, abuse, gross negligence, recklessness, harassment, stalking, fraud as wage theft and generally corrupt conduct. 

✅ When your injury has been reported, the insurer will give you a claim number. 

❌ They omitted to inform me that subsequent certificates of capacity could be provided by the nominated treating allied health professional. Only the initial one needed to be provided by the nominated treating doctor. These perpetrators took full advantage of COVID conditions, as you’ll learn more in later posts.

❌ Case manager - initially, until CCI removed her and never replaced her, despite my repeated enquiries. Silence from her unethical manager, who agreed to engage in the corrupt conduct. 

❌ Self-insurer with a now non-existent case manager, and the employer (the “insured”), with a reckless RTW coordinator, refused / “neglected” to contact my NTD to devise a RTW plan, aligned to the agreed and legally binding injury management plan. 

❌ Recovering at work - I’m the only one who made huge efforts, including asking the employer / insurer to cooperate! They know I have ALL the evidence to prove it, as per Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998 (NSW). Now everyone will know. I have a human right to a voice in my own recovery, especially after so much systemic abuse and a bunch of failed regulators who let it happen! 

Your entitlements

❌ Weekly payments - never provided, along with cooperation to recover in my work I’ve been in since 2001, while refusing to cooperate to implement the injury management plan agreement (more on this later), which is FRAUD.

❌ Medical and rehabilitation expenses - apart from the initial eight consultations paid, before the “agreed corrupt conduct” began, this too was withheld (my NTD was NEVER CONTACTED, and the recommendations regarding RTW in my nominated psychologist’s report to CCI, completely ignored). 

✅ Your responsibilities - “Your role is to focus on recovery including making reasonable efforts to return to work”. DUUUUHHHH. 

I’M THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS BEEN MAKING BIG EFFORTS (BEYOND REASONABLE) TO RETURN TO MY WORK. 

I AM BEING PUNISHED AND NEGLECTED BY THE STATE INSURANCE REGULATORY AUTHORITY FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING IN COMPLIANCE. I ALSO DID NOT NEED THE TOXIC ATTITUDE OF A SAFEWORK NSW INSPECTOR IN OCTOBER 2020. I TRIED THEM ALL.

Let the public know the truth because it is SYSTEMIC! 

National Tertiary Education Union - June 2020

 “Betrayal is the only truth that sticks.”

Arthur Miller

On 1 June 2020 - I received a welcome email from the National Tertiary Education Union, a “democratic organisation that is run by and for members”. 

The email also said, “Your membership is important to us” and “Membership also means getting to have a say”.

I’ll include the first point regarding what my “membership” was supposed to support: 

• Negotiate collective agreements that protect and improve members pay and conditions.

I want readers to keep this in mind as my story continues. My gut instinct about unions being gutless and somewhat “powerless” proved true. But I didn’t expect the kind of betrayal I experienced from the “leaders” of the NTEU, a union so vocal about “wage theft”. 

Remember, I became a union member at the same time as making a workers compensation claim. It was a coexisting issue with my membership. Both happened at the same time. I was never informed by anyone, including the NTEU, about a claim form I should have also received at this time.

The email also said: 

“Within the next month you will receive a Welcome Kit from your local Branch office. If you have not received your welcome kit, please contact the branch at the email above.”

I never received a Welcome Kit, and readers will find out my many attempts in trying to contact my branch organiser, to get information I had a right to know. 

I should have been informed of what my legal benefits were under workers compensation regulations. All I had as a continuous response from the branch organiser of the NTEU, was silence. 

On 3 June 2020, I emailed the NTEU branch organiser to organise an introduction meeting. I wrote:

“As a new member of the union, is it possible to make a time to talk with you next week. I’ll read the information in the introductory package when it comes through and the FAQs. I’m likely to have questions that would be great to discuss over the phone.

If there’s a time you have available next week to chat on the phone, I’d be grateful.”

It started professional and well enough. On 5 June 2020, I received a reply from the branch manager: 

“I am available for a phone discussion anytime on Monday from 11.30 - 3pm. I have the same availability on Tuesday. When would be best for you?”

I replied later that day:

“Thanks for getting back to me. I thought Monday is a public holiday. How about Tuesday at 2pm. Is that still available. Would you like me to call you at that time?”

There was no response and an introduction meeting never happened. 

Let’s find out why, in later posts. 

The union breached policies toward me as a member, by also engaging in the psychological torture of workplace mobbing and ostracism. They chose to ignore me and omit information I had a right to know about workers compensation laws and regulations and my legal entitlements. Those legal entitlements were never passed on to me, by the self-insurer, Catholic Church Insurance. 

It is the betrayal on the issue of “wage theft” that the NTEU national president has been so vocal about and active in, that makes it worse in the harm they agreed to cause me. 

I want answers to my questions, in due time, from the NTEU National President, Alison Barnes. To date, those questions continue to be ignored and go unanswered. 

This post is based on documents 67-68. Just like my relationship with the NTEU starts professional and well enough, so too does my relationship with Catholic Church Insurance. I have only the case manager to thank for that. 

“I advise you make a workers compensation claim because it’s not worth your health” - May 2020

On 22 May 2020, I did what the employment lawyer advised me to do. I submitted a certificate of capacity. 

The truth is, I was just following literal instructions without knowing how any of this “process” worked. No one explained what my entitlements were, or what the compliance “process” should have been. Some assumed I knew, others deliberately withheld information. 

A week later, Catholic Church Insurance provided a claim number. The administrative officer at CCI had a pretty logo at the end of the email address, with a fancy slogan, that’s proven to be complete bullshit.

The slogan : Catholic Church Insurance - Investing in a bright future. 

Whose bright future? 

Would the corporate board of directors of Catholic Church Insurance care to answer this question:

What do they mean with the slogan about Catholic Church Insurance “investing in a bright future”? 

They know what they’ve done and readers of my blog will find out too. Such false statements. More like Destroying and Defrauding one’s Future. Make a Claim if you Dare. 

On 29 May 2020, I started communicating with the one ethical person in this entire systemic nightmare - the Claims Specialist / Case Manager as per Injury Management Plan. 

To quote in my email reply to this good person in our uncivil Australian society: 

“There’s no need to copy [my lawyer] from JFMLaw. This issue became so serious I called my GP to apply for WorkCover as also advised by the lawyer. She has locked the case for now, and, to be honest, I don’t want to go down legal paths again to assert my human rights, dignity and to feel some form of validation.

All I requested was a safe environment to continue my work. What I was put through was the opposite of what I believe could have been a simple resolution fair for all.”

Some of what I wrote, I had know idea what it meant, eg. The employment lawyer having “locked the case for now”. I was parroting what the employment lawyer said to me, while I was kicked around like a soccer ball between employment lawyers and a corrupt worker compensation “scheme” (as I’d learn on my own). I had no idea what the fuck was going on. 

If CCI were smart enough to comply with workers compensation regulations AND WHS regulations as a self-insurer, and NOT agree to collude in the crime of fraud as adverse action, that would be a true application of “risk assessment”. 

This is all they needed to do: Firstly, keep Rena Christmann away from me and my family, along with any friends in HR and Clayton Utz, who were part of a white collar mob committing offences to abuse innocent people.  

Secondly, cooperate with me and my NTD to implement the agreed legally binding injury management plan. But the CEO and corporate board of directors of Catholic Church Insurance, including their own legal counsel on the board, chose collusion in this crime instead. 

The illegal adverse action for requesting workplace rights generally protected under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), were the most immoral and diabolical repeated incidents of harm one could imagine. 

Now it is a human rights issue. What should have happened in compliance in 2020, will happen in 2025. However, there will be a huge difference in the financial cost in restitution for the financial abuse inflicted as adverse action. 

CCI should have complied and ensured my workplace right to recover in my work, with a safe work environment provided by ACU, in 2020. It will happen in 2025. I will “assert my human rights” as I wrote in my initial email to the wonderful case manager I was assigned, before she was removed and never replaced.

That’s respect and dignity in the workplace: by complying with regulations, and not allowing the cause of my claim to continue abusing me and my family, under WHS and workers compensation regulations. 

At the same time as the claim, I joined the National Tertiary Education Union. The workers compensation claim was a co-existing issue with my union membership. Readers, keep this in mind as I continue my story. 

This blog post is based on documents 55-57. I’m bypassing documents 53-54. All I’ll say is, not long after I submitted the first certificate of capacity, I relived the trauma of the night I’ve already written about (see http://mystory-myvoice.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-night-i-lost-my-dad-to-suicide.html). Luckily, it was a perceived threat that wasn’t real. A compassionate and trauma-informed employer (I’m referring to the vice-chancellors both former and current), would know this, and not use it to cause greater harm in a psychopathic way, especially when the university IDENTITY and MISSION is the extreme opposite of such reckless conduct with intent to cause harm. 

This was caused by bullying from leaders at the “Catholic university”, as is written on the police event report. That’s all I’ll say, because like every human being, we have a human right to our privacy. And we have a right for our university “leaders” to not harass us relentlessly, anywhere and everywhere, to intentionally violate our safety and cause harm. This is even more important when the perpetrator engaging in harassment and workplace abuse is the national manager of employment relations and SAFETY, the now named R. Christmann, as per previous post (http://mystory-myvoice.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-unfair-work-commission-denying.html).

Just when I needed my colleagues as my support network to recover in my job, as per compliance under workers compensation regulations, I was denied yet another human right. Rena Christmann even dared to order me, via my employment lawyer, not to make contact with my colleagues. The “tactic” of social isolation, victimisation and ostracism became worse initiated by this cause of my claim, under workers compensation. I demanded her to stop. She didn’t, but the senior executive group allowed her to be reckless. 

It makes me angry and sick, however, that my legal representative, who just advised me to make a claim because “it’s not worth your health”, was negligent in picking up on this gross misconduct, and proceeded to inform me of this unlawful request. I was now under workers compensation regulations. I had a right to contact with my colleagues and to safely recover in my job. Who were JFMLAW/ Andreyev ultimately representing, because it wasn’t me, their actual client. Or was it all professional negligence. 

The whole reason we got to this point was because of Rena Christmann. It is this individual who I demanded to stay away from me and my family, so I recovered safely in my job, with the support of my colleagues. I say it here, because no one protected me from the continuation of stalking and relentless harassment from a psychopath like that, and no one in any organisation should be subjected to that kind of reckless and wilful misconduct with intent to cause harm. 

What should have happened then, will happen now, in 2025. 

And while we’re reviewing slogans in email signatures, let’s compare the one below to the abuse, discrimination and harassment being inflicted on me. My employer has a WHS legal obligation to ensure a safe work environment with zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment and psychological violence. 

The Unfair Work Commission - denying employees their generally protected rights - Part 1

“We have a legal system, not a justice system.” 

Troy Stolz

Let’s look at a case in the Fair Work Commission that involved a professional peer from the university sector, that importantly, involved the same offenders, same tactics and same “connections” that tried this shit on me, and likely many others. 

This is in the public interest and the public must know the truth. 

Before reading this post, I recommend reading my post Employment lawyer #3 - Part 5 - Unacceptable and unfair legal advice - 2020. It will make sense why this university staff member, being subjected to illegal adverse action, was represented by his wife. She was not a lawyer and this abuse likely affected her too, as it does any family unit. 

Our hard work, our contribution to society, our need to feel valued and respected, our livelihood, is also personal and emotional. Staff who are victims of workplace abuse, should NOT be treated as though they are the criminals in the likes of the Fair Work Commission. They are not criminals. But given the courage of this duo to take the matter to the FWC, we have a public record of how the “process” works for employees just trying to do their jobs, and a record of the repeat offenders, who ARE criminals because they are committing offences and have been getting away with it.

Until now. 

This post will review the first two submissions from the complainant, in 2019. Part 2 will be a continuation of injustice in 2020 and Part 3, a final blow of injustice in 2021. The last submission leads into the undisclosed conflicts of interest and unethical conduct, coming up later in my story, from Clayton Utz legal. 

In a later post, another "connection" will come into the story too. And on it goes on. Right now, I could use a number of other words starting with 'C' to describe Clayton Utz lawyers.

In 2019, this victim of institutional abuse at UNSW filed an application for a Stop Bullying Order with the Fair Work Commission. I kept being fobbed off to do the same. That dismissive "fob off" will come up several times in my story, including:

- the Independent Review Office; 

- Office of the former Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation who was responsible for SafeWork NSW, Kevin Anderson; and 

- the Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman. 

I was right in what I predicted: the Stop Bullying Order is utter bullshit. Instead of an immediate order for the bullying to stop (being inflicted on staff by senior executives in Australian universities as adverse action), the target is caused further distress, gross negligence and abuse, if they take it to the Fair Work Commission. 

So much for Respect and Safety at Work.

The university staff member initially applied for:

Fair Work Act 2009 s 789FC - Application for an order to stop bullying.

The FWC dismissed the application. 

The reference is a link to the public record of the case:

Krcho v University of New South Wales [2019] FWC 5278 (31 July 2019)

I'm going to highlight a few things that reveal the same offenders, the same repeated "tactics" as diabolical adverse action, the truth from the complainant that will now corroborate many stories coming out, from other university staff who have been subjected to this institutional abuse, and the failure and injustice of the FWC. It is a miscarriage of justice and abuse of power. 

Image 1 - p.4

Delusional describes Deepinder Miller. She is dangerous. She is corrupt. She makes fraudulent statements in collusion with Rena Christmann, who is named as legal counsel for UNSW in this initial case on public record. Remember my post mentioning Miller’s 7-page report on a consultation that never happened. This was given to me in October 2020 by HR and R. Christmann. 

That is medical fraud! Read my posts A “doctor” who commits fraud - 2019 and Medical malpractice, unprofessional conduct and lack of duty of care. This corruption must stop. Offending parties should finally be suspended, investigated and, where warranted, prosecuted!

Image 2 - p.6

Readers, you can read this for yourselves. All I will say is that Deepinder Miller, and those like her, must be stopped in a currently corrupt system.

Image 3 - pp.6-7

 

If you have been reading my story on this blog (based on my volume of evidence), a reasonable person would conclude that what this victim of workplace abuse has stated on public record, is all TRUE. And my story, on this blog, is still in the early stages. I prove that such offenders practicing law, medicine, in HR, WHS staff and VCs / CEOs who authorise these fellow "leaders" to engage in corrupt conduct, will go to any low level, to try and "finish the job” by finishing the staff / talent / ethical professionals, and their families. 

It is my Mission, in Truth and Love, as my commitment to the Dignity of the Human Person and Common Good, to write my story, using my God given Gifts in academia, research and knowledge, to stop this systemic abuse, and save lives in our workplaces. 

Image 4 - p.7

The Fair Work Commission failed this university employee, and by doing so, failed all of us who requested a safe work environment and were severely and systemically abused for doing so. It is a workplace right to feel safe, is it a legal obligation as per WHS laws and regulations for employers to comply with safety standards and codes of practice. 

We also know it is a generally protected workplace right under s.340 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth). The system itself is outdated, but disturbingly, it’s more than that. 

Staff are not the perpetrators of abuse. They are the victims. Yet we have a system that treats workers as criminals for daring to take further legal action to protect their employee rights, and ensure they are safe from workplace abuse. This proves employees are not protected or kept safe if they take the matter to the Fair Work Commission without spending at least $40, 000 (as quoted to me by JFM Andreyev Legal), to do so. This is money employees work hard for and need to hold onto, in a cost of living crisis.

Image 5 - p. 8

As I said, SafeWork NSW do NOTHING to investigate and order the psychosocial hazards / psychological violence as retaliation / adverse action by senior executive "leaders", to STOP. The Ministers for WHS (both former and current) should have listened. 

 

Image 6 - p.10

Deepinder Miller is extremely malicious. She is a very narcissistic and disturbed human being. Refer to previous two blog posts in the links I shared above. There’s more to come, regarding Miller and her fellow medical "friends". 

 

Image 7 - p.13

Given the employee at UNSW had his wife represent him, it now makes sense why Rena Christmann was foolish enough to think that I would have family or friends (the latter still to come in my story), represent me (See my post Employment lawyer #3 - Part 3 - 2020). No. But I was also not going to be coerced to be eaten out of house and home, with a starting cost of $40,000 for a non-existent matter. This is our income we earn at work to pay our bills and put food on the table. Again, do readers see the shitty irony in this systemic “design”? Is it a systemic flaw or is it intentional? That’s something to reflect on as I continue sharing my story. 

 

This now named national manager of employment relations and SAFETY underestimated me, and so did the VC that poached her from UNSW, just after this Stop Bullying Order application was submitted, by one of many targets of institutional abuse. He represents many victims of workplace abuse. This "tactic" has become common. The more workplace abuse victims connect and talk to each other, the more this is brought out of the darkness and into the light. 

It will now backfire. I will use this to save lives and livelihoods. 

It’s time to challenge the status quo. 

Employees of publicly funded universities in Australia don’t need an employment lawyer; they don’t need a personal injury / workers compensation lawyer. This is human rights abuse of workers in Australia. It’s a different specialisation that’s required. 

If the university "leaders" consider the above tactic the “right” path to manage risk, these “leaders”, making decisions to violate laws, destroying lives of staff, families, and our Australian university communities, must resign and be individually investigated for reckless conduct with intent to cause harm. 

 

The best risk management, as it turns out, after so much damage to so many people, is compliance with regulations and laws. 

Just do the right thing. 

We are coming full circle. We need systemic change and / or to set a precedent to truly deter any employer from attempting tactics of greater “psychosocial hazards” as “managing risk” rather than their legal obligation to actually manage the psychosocial hazards in the workplace as per WHS laws. 

Perhaps now, after the gross negligence, abuse and hell SafeWork NSW put me through, they will finally wake up. That goes for WHS regulators across Australia, and, for that matter, globally. It is a global human rights crisis in our organisations where we work. 

 

On 10 December 2019, the complainant appealed the decision. 

Dr Daniel Krcho v University of New South Wales (UNSW); Lucian Hiss; Phil Allen; Karen Scott [2019] FWCFB 8269

Do readers think the appeal was successful? 

Do readers think the Fair Work Commission “rules” are “fair” to workers? They are most certainly “fair” to organisations abusing their power, including the ridiculous 21 day deadline rule. 

But it’s OK, according to regulators, for self-insurers like Catholic Church Insurance to “forget” to provide a claim form and make a decision within the 21 day deadline “rule”. That’s OK, according to the NSW Government and regulators like SIRA NSW. 

Are readers getting a clearer picture, as I place more pieces of this puzzle together, through my experience, records, research, and speaking with other survivors of a double layer of institutional abuse, first in the workplace and then in the “system”? 

How many victims have been targeted by such corruption and institutional abuse? 

Workers should feel safe to report such workplace abuse to SafeWork NSW, and expect immediate action to stop the offenders in HR / WHS / CEOs / VCs etc. SafeWork NSW should be protecting staff and their families and removing and / or punishing the perpetrators! 

Soon readers will learn how SafeWork NSW actually responds to workers pleading for protection and safety. 

The public are fed false advertising everywhere regarding protection from illegal adverse action for requesting generally protected workplace rights and a safe work environment. This is legal obligation just expected from employers, without regulators actually investigating serious reports of WHS violations, and enforcing compliance, when employers become the greater abusers. 

So on behalf of every employee who has been systemically abused in a bullshit system that’s one big sham, I’m going to continue to write my lived experience, with snapshots of my evidence, to shame them all. 

They deserve to be shamed. Innocent victims, abused just for doing their jobs, did not deserve to be shamed.

To be continued…