Enter Independent Review Office - September 2020

 “A boss has the title. A leader has the people.” 

Simon Sinek

On 25 September 2020, I finally learn I can complain about the insurer’s delays, through WIRO (now IRO). 

I still hadn’t received a decision from Catholic Church Insurance. It was through IRO I’m informed of a claim form I was meant to receive, that apparently would have ensured a decision in 21 days. IRO provided me with the form on 1 October 2020. 

I sent my completed sections of the form to CCI on 2 October 2020, and sent it express post to the university’s WHS and Wellbeing manager. I didn’t trust the Return To Work coordinator anymore. I also enclosed a letter of complaint, and requested he keep me safe, as the WHS manager. He failed and was coerced into reckless conduct as well. 

This claim form was never completed by the employer and the insurer neglected to process the claim and provide payments. They made sure I was ripped off, exploited, as though I signed a contract that I was slave labour for twenty years, with no human rights. 

I quote what I wrote to IRO, “In my efforts to reason with HR and avoid a claim, I have used all my personal, annual leave and long service leave. This ends on Friday 2 October 2020. I am now suffering from distress for two reasons: 

Firstly, the HR manager that I demanded to stop harassing me, has ignored my demand. I had informed the independent medical examiner on 23 July 2020 that as soon as the harassment stopped, I immediately started to heal and recover. Unfortunately the harassment hasn’t stopped and will only happen if the insurer finally makes a decision in my favour. This HR manager has caused safety and wellbeing risks not only toward me but my family in serious attempts of adverse action taken against me for asserting an employee right to a SafeWork environment free from bullying and harassment. A legitimate return to work plan will assist in ending this harassment that this individual, who is well aware, triggers fear and distress in me. 

Secondly, I’m now fearing financial stress because the insurer has taken longer than I anticipated to make a decision…I have legitimately exhausted every avenue I could think of to reason with HR. I managed to survive the initial workplace bullying since a poorly implemented restructure left me exposed to this from January 2017; I finally had to report it on 2 July 2019 or collapse from serious burnout, among other health issues caused by ongoing work related stress; and then I survived frightening adverse action taken against me by HR managers until I finally spoke with my health professionals that there’s no other option but to make a claim. 

I think it’s fair to say I’ve shown resilience and strength to survive what I was being put through. But I am human and the trauma is real. I now need support, both financially … and assist with a return to work plan and for the harassment to finally end”.

On 30 September 2020, I followed up for an update via IRO, “Has there been any update…it has been over 2 days since contact was made with [CCI]. As I've mentioned,… I am anxious to move forward with a positive return to work plan involving my health professionals... 

From my end, I have done everything possible to reason and resolve the issue of unsafe work practices causing risk to health, both with executive managers in my work unit and with HR since 2 July 2019. 

It was the first time in almost 20 years I had to explicitly ask for support. Instead, I have sustained worse injuries because HR took severe adverse action that has been traumatic. They had a legal obligation and a duty of care to take my complaint seriously and follow established policies and procedures for a transparent, fair and safe outcome for all. 

My only hope now is that the insurer will support my need for safety from harassment, to assist my recovery, as well as compensate me financially because I have used all my leave entitlements … in attempts to reason and communicate for a fair and respectful outcome… 

Even now, that I am waiting for the insurer to take the next step, I have continued to experience serious harassment by a HR executive. My factual report for the insurer clearly states that it is due to this HR manager's unethical actions that caused me to apply for workers compensation. She has posed safety risks not only to me, but through her adverse actions, to my entire family…

I depend on the insurer's support now, to collaborate with my trusted health professionals…so a return to work plan is put in place with clear expectations from all parties to communicate, cooperate and collaborate to assist me…

Through these reports they should also be aware that I have been deliberately marginalised and isolated by HR and have been denied a support network, either an advocate or pastoral ministry support. I have been denied my human rights entirely. I need support for safe and positive steps forward… I depend on the insurer to be fair toward me now, so I can recover and return to my work quickly...”

The response from IRO includes,

“In our phone conversation I explained to you that you should complete the attached claim form and return it to your insurer who then has 21 days in which to make a liability decision about your claim for weekly payments.”

NOTE: Why are the rules “flexible” regarding compliance from insurers and employers?! Why was that claim form not enforced on the employer / self-insurer from the start of the claim? The fact that they withheld that claim form, and the fact that no one was decent enough (I’m talking about the NTEU), to inform me of this form, and that it is THIS FORM that apparently triggers the 21 day decision deadline? 

The claim started the day I submitted the first certificate of capacity! That was 22 May 2020! Why is it OK with regulators, for employers and insurers to not comply with 21 day deadlines? Imagine if it it were the employee! 

That claim is still incomplete by the employer, never processed by Catholic Church Insurance, and I was NEVER PAID WEEKLY PAYMENTS AT 95% OF MY SALARY SCALE AS PER NSW STATE INSURANCE REGULATORY AUTHORITY REGULATIONS! Check the date this post is published to the date the claim form was provided and submitted! 

The workers compensation fraud has caused SEVERE FINANCIAL DAMAGE. 

The IRO employee also wrote: 

“I also suggested that you consider lodging a stop bullying order via the Fair Work Commission and I have included the link below.

https://www.fwc.gov.au/disputes-at-work/anti-bullying”.

See my blog posts about Stop Bullying Orders and the systemic abuse to deter workers from attempting this application in the Fair Work Commission. And given Deepinder Miller had already committed medical fraud by having prepared a 7-page report based on a consultation that NEVER TOOK PLACE, they were prepared, “just in case” I took this action. They had an evil corrupt game plan to cover all bases in sabotage and perversion of justice.

Here are the links if I took IRO’s advice with that fob off. WHAT DOES SAFEWORK NSW DO? 

http://mystory-myvoice.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-unfair-work-commission-denying.html

http://mystory-myvoice.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-unfair-work-commission-denying.html

http://mystory-myvoice.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-unfair-work-commission-denying_31.html

This post is based on document 99. I was failed and left unprotected and unsafe, while experiencing fraud as wage theft by EVERYONE. There was complete negligence, while I made beyond reasonable efforts, requesting cooperation by insurer / employer to recover at work. Some of my posts so far have examples. All of this comes from documented evidence, like emails. 

Where is there a legislative clause that insurers and employers are exempt from the same laws? And what do regulators get paid to do? 

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Here is SIRA NSW’s information about weekly payments - https://www.sira.nsw.gov.au/workers-compensation/what-you-can-claim/weekly-payments. 

But SIRA NSW are so incompetent and unprofessional that they STILL HAVE NOT enforced compliance on the corrupt self-insurer to provide me with weekly payments. I’m begging for my legal entitlements. FOR YEARS. Even something so simple as paying me my legal entitlement of weekly payments for some financial relief at the present time, after years of gross negligence from SafeWork NSW, SIRA NSW and the workers compensation scam generally, has caused me tears and trauma! 

SIRA NSW are the most useless, disgraceful and dodgy regulator in Australia. They are responsible for causing me to suffer years of gaslighting and systemic abuse. Years of psychological, professional and financial abuse. Years of defamatory reports. Complete slander, like the initial malicious gossip and vexatious smear campaign wasn’t enough psychological abuse in the workplace. 

So it’s very important for me to write my story of what I was put through, unnecessarily. Extreme abuse and trauma caused by dodgy idiots in top jobs in the likes of the NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority and the NSW Government.

The IRO employee wrote that I “look after myself”. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE, WITH WHAT I AM BEING PUT THROUGH BY THIS ENTIRE ABUSIVE SCAM CALLED NSW WORKERS COMPENSATION!