“Teachers are exposed to repeated and prolonged work-related violence,” the notice stated. “Current symptoms resulting from this exposure are crying, fear, trauma, flashbacks, hypervigilance, anxiety, mood disturbance and sleep impairment.”
But the department rejected the WorkSafe findings, citing extensive efforts by the school to manage student behaviour and protect staff’s physical and mental health, and arguing that psychological support was already available through employee assistance services and early intervention programs.
Denying WorkSafe’s assertion that it had failed to provide a safe workplace to the teachers at Warrnambool, the department said that more help and support were to be put in place for the 2024 academic year.
After an internal review, WorkSafe varied the notice, agreeing that the on-site mental health worker could be a temporary hire for six months, but the Education Department remains unhappy and has taken the case to VCAT in a bid to have the notice lifted.
The department argued in its application for review that Warrnambool was far from the only school in the state dealing with workplace violence and that the provision of a full-time mental health worker at one campus would “have implications for every Victorian government school where incidents of work-related violence occur”.
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“This would have a significant impact on resourcing and cost implications for the state,” it said.
On Thursday, the department declined to answer questions and a request to interview the school leadership. It declined to provide data on the behavioural performance of the school since WorkSafe issued its notice 12 months ago.
“It is inappropriate for us to comment on this case as it is currently before VCAT,” a spokesperson said. WorkSafe was approached for comment.
Education says this year’s state budget contained $63.8 million in new spending to help teachers and other school workers with their mental health and wellbeing through early response approaches, return-to-work programs and risk assessment.
Warrnambool principal Dave Clift struck an upbeat note in his latest message to the school community, writing last month that evidence was growing that the “school is consistently on the right track”.
“We know we’re on an improvement journey as a whole school and it’s very exciting to be part of,” Clift said. The principal also announced that the WAVE program was to open its doors to a limited number of junior students.
The case is due before VCAT later this month.
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