The duty of making oneself a neighbor to others and actively serving them becomes even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged, in whatever area this may be. "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”
Catholic Church. (1997). Catechism of the Catholic Church. (2nd ed.). Libreria Editrice Vaticana. (para.1932). Online: https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P6O.HTM
August 2020 was the only contact I had with colleagues after the union meeting. Then HR influenced or coerced silence from my industrial association too, isolating and ostracising me again, causing great fear. The response from one of my colleagues, also on the union committee at the time, wrote, “You are valued at [the university]!...I know you quite well from GCHE days and you are one of the most collegial, well organised and diligent (as well as pleasant) people I have come across at [the University] - many others would agree with me.”
Then why are they still coerced to mob me? And why did the National Tertiary Education Union agree to do this to a member? What’s going on? I finally need answers. I have a right to answers. But only through a legitimate, impartial, external investigation, with no association to the organisation and any potential conflicts of interest disclosed. It is called procedural fairness.
I know I’m not alone in my distrust regarding “internal” investigations. They might as well call these “cover up” investigations, or sham investigations.
On 7 September 2020, Rena Christmann, the national manager of employment relations and SAFETY, continued to ignore my demand for her to stop harassing me. She now used the HR notifications email account, rather than her direct university email. This was her “workaround” tactic to my email, where I wrote that I did not want to see her name in my inbox again. Wow, right readers?
I replied, “I have already said, I don’t want Rena Christmann contacting me. Do not try to cover up all the unethical behaviour of HR executives. I have undergone a factual investigation report for the insurer for my WorkCover claim. I know what it involves and this professional procedure was not followed by HR at all...If Rena Christmann communicates with me again (very cunning to go through the general HR email) I will proceed with an application for an order to stop bullying via the FWC”.
As I’ve noted in previous posts, thank goodness I didn’t, because the Fair Work Commission is a sham that does not protect employees from bullying. They protect the organisations engaging in adverse action. Hidden agendas that lead to relationships between politicians and VCs, the revolving door that has become the career after politics, the implanting of “friends” in commissions, political donations in return for protection of institutional and corporate interests, it’s any number of factors that have resulted in obvious systemic abuse inflicted on those it is meant to protect: the workers.
Ultimately, it reaches a level that’s too obvious to ignore. The systemic abuse becomes so huge in denying people’s rights in procedural fairness and natural justice, the people retaliate and speak up, with evidence deliberately ignored for too long. People demand accountability, transparency, answers, systemic change, redress and their human rights and dignity to be protected. It must happen, it ultimately does happen. But as always, the carnage left behind by the “closed” group of power abusers cannot be ignored.
As for applying for a Stop Bullying Order, good luck. See http://mystory-myvoice.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-unfair-work-commission-denying.html
Going back to that email sent by (or via) “HR notifications”, there is reason to suspect serious privacy violation of illegal / prohibited surveillance of my communication with my industrial association reps. I called my colleague who was on the union committee, in tears and distress, begging for help to make the harassment from this perpetrator stop.
While on the phone, while locating my email, my colleague noticed something “weird” - it seemed HR had intercepted my emails. I then emailed via her direct NTEU account. To quote what I wrote, in fear and distress:
“They intercepted my communication? I live paralysed in fear. In my proper factual investigation report for CCI I have stated I feel like I’m being stalked. I’ve been given more evidence of this. I had planned some nice things today as part of my wellbeing and recovery. These bullies always succeed in finding ways to prevent my moving forward and recovering. I have records stating that very person is to leave me alone…
We start the process again and done properly this time.
I need to just sit here, take deep breaths and calm down. I have been alone in this entire “process”.
I’m so sorry I was so distressed. You can’t imagine what they have put me through for an entire year, and the audacity such people have to continue.”
My colleague replied:
“Keep safe and strong! Please don't apologise for being distressed. This is being HUMAN!”
Yes. I am human, like each and every one of us. Do I need to explicitly remind fellow humans, to start treating other humans with the same dignity, respect, support, trust, kindness and honesty, that they expect for themselves? Haven’t we all got the same human right in our society and in our workplaces, especially one that is “committed to the dignity of the human person and common good” in its very Identity and Mission, and Catholic Social Justice principles?
The attached document was Rena Christmann’s response to my initial complaint, allegedly done with Q Workplace Solutions. I have not viewed and read the document, for my emotional safety, except a quick scan that proved my “detailed statement” in the factual investigation report for Catholic Church Insurance, was indeed, accessed without my knowledge or consent, by R. Christmann. CCI have therefore violated the Australian Privacy Principles.
It is more of R. Christmann’s spin. It’s her name at the end of the “report”, with a typed section on the last page that apparently it was copied to the then Provost, now VC. I had told Ms. Christmann to leave me alone. She did not obey or respect my request.
It would be respectful for SafeWork NSW to finally truly investigate and present this report and statements to my colleagues, giving them an opportunity to provide a true version of events, especially if false statements were written that they supposedly made.
On 8 September 2020, I sent an email to the NTEU branch organiser at about 3am. The trauma and distress had returned after I had attempted to prioritise my health and wellbeing because I wasn’t left alone from the real cause of the trauma - the HR / WHS bullies.
I quote from part of my email: “It’s 3am and my trauma is such that I cannot sleep again. How is it that she would have access to a legal and confidential 42 page factual report that was for CCI and not for her to read?”.
The union branch organiser never replied or advised. From here on, I’m ignored and mobbed by the NTEU, too. How many other union members have been burned like this too? The union remained silent throughout the entire ordeal where I pleaded for help to make the harassment stop.
I did attend a second union meeting via Zoom around this time. I wrote a comment in the chat box during that meeting (verbatim): “If governance, the upcoming new VC and executive leaders take care of quality staff, they’re taking care of the student experience”.
Unfortunately my message was ignored by all, executive leaders and union alike. I am only one example of how executive “leaders” treat ethical staff who are a positive influence, supporting the career goals of students, staff and researchers. Many in the university community know me and experienced my work ethic. Yet for this, I’m being tortured and defrauded to death. These are disgraceful examples of discrimination and harassment, among many workplace leaders who refuse to reasonably manage psychosocial hazards. How much longer will the assault on my professional life, and on many other good people, continue, before the laws and regulations are enforced?
Before my colleague union rep had a chance to advise and get me back to work (I had managed to tell her what happened and why I finally made a workers compensation claim), I later received an email from this colleague that she cannot communicate with me anymore and I’m not to talk about it with others. I was completely creeped out and frightened.
It’s hypocritical, disrespectful and disgraceful that I’m still being mobbed by a university boasting a mission committed to the dignity of the human person. But I was not going to be intimidated into silence regarding such serious adverse action, that now included employer fraud under workers compensation, and the very offender that was the cause of my claim, who harassed, discriminated and bullied me to a traumatic level, also continuing to violate WHS laws under workers compensation regulations.
It is here the NTEU also begin to mob me too. Withholding information to disadvantage a person is bullying. All of a sudden, everyone went quiet. I have been seriously frightened. Is any of this behaviour from an organisational entity and individual humans, especially duty holders, an example of meeting their WHS legal obligation and duty of care? How is this a commitment to ensuring my safety and wellbeing? They have breached the employment contract with me because I never signed up for this. There were no clauses of this nature.
Relevant legislation:
I won’t repeat the anti-discrimination, WHS, Privacy and Fair Work laws already cited in previous posts. They apply and have been breached multiple times. I now include the Workplace Surveillance Act 2005 (NSW). For me, this includes my private text messages to a colleague, in the hands of HR, who then attempted to take one out of context to slander me, with the most defamatory dangerous false narrative, as vexatious retaliation for requesting a safe work environment:
Workplace Surveillance Act 2005 (NSW)
S.16 Prohibition on surveillance using work surveillance device while employee not at work
S.17 Restrictions on blocking emails or Internet access
https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2005-047#sec.17
Other useful references:
New statutory tort for invasions of privacy :
https://www.alrc.gov.au/publication/serious-invasions-of-privacy-in-the-digital-era-alrc-report-123/
https://hwlebsworth.com.au/civil-liability-for-serious-invasion-of-privacy/
https://hrlegal.com.au/statutory-tort-serious-invasions-privacy-employers-australia-2025/
