The New South Wales Government has launched a $127.7 million Psychosocial Advisory Service designed to help workers and employers address psychological health risks at work — a resource backed by the Black Dog Institute and arriving at a moment when psychosocial referrals to SafeWork NSW have doubled in five years.
The service, announced on 22 September 2026, is a direct response to what the data has been showing for some time. Five years ago, psychosocial hazard referrals made up around ten per cent of all requests received by SafeWork NSW. They now account for 20.5 per cent — a figure that reflects both a genuine increase in workplace psychological risk and a growing willingness by workers and employers to identify and report it.
Twenty new inspectors have been recruited specifically to support the service, bringing additional specialist capacity to what has historically been an under-resourced area of WHS enforcement. The partnership with the Black Dog Institute — Australia’s leading independent mental health research organisation — signals that the service is intended to operate from an evidence base, not just regulatory process.
The timing matters. Australia’s WHS regulations now impose explicit requirements on PCBUs to identify and manage psychosocial hazards — risks arising from work design, workplace relationships, the work environment and the way work is managed or carried out. These are no longer soft obligations. SafeWork NSW has been clear that psychosocial compliance is subject to the same enforcement framework as physical hazards.
The most commonly reported psychosocial hazards in Australian workplaces include work-related violence and aggression, high job demands, low control over work, poor workplace relationships (including bullying and harassment), traumatic content or events, and a lack of role clarity. Each of these carries a documented pathway to psychological injury, and psychological injuries — when compensated — typically result in significantly longer absences and higher claim costs than physical injuries.
For WHS professionals in New South Wales, the new advisory service represents a concrete resource to draw on when developing or auditing psychosocial risk management programs. The launch is also a signal: regulatory scrutiny in this space is increasing, and the doubling of psychosocial referrals means inspectors are paying attention.
Information on the service is available through SafeWork NSW.
