Into the Minds of Australia's Workforce

Join this important Boardroom Lunch roundtable to understand the drivers, patterns, and potential solutions that Workers' Compensation Schemes can explore to support the mental health of their workplaces and employees.

In 2025, mental illness is the leading cause of long-term sickness and absence in Australian workplaces, estimated to cost the economy up to $12 billion a year. In New South Wales, the average cost of a mental health claim was $51,808, with an average claim duration of 320 days. 

Workplace mental health conditions significantly impact workers' compensation, leading to increased compensation costs, longer time off work, and potentially poorer return-to-work outcomes, with claims for mental health conditions often costing more to resolve than those for physical injuries. For employers, what are the characteristics and trends of psychosocial hazards in the workplace, and what is the impact of mental health conditions on Worker Compensation schemes nationally? How do cases vary by industry, and what can be done to improve the outcome for injured workers?

EML (Employers Mutual Limited) is an Australian leader in managing workers' compensation insurance and claims, supporting return-to-work outcomes, and improving workplace health and safety. Their new Workplace Mental Health and Worker Compensation Thought Leadership Paper captures unique data-sets across schemes and industries on the type and causes of mental health-related injuries, the trends and indicators of the overall mental health of Australian workers, and initiatives underway to improve outcomes for workers and employers.

OUR GUEST SPEAKERS

Daniel Walton, Group Executive - Strategy & Growth, EML Group

With over a decade of experience in executive leadership, Dan has demonstrated expertise in guiding teams, formulating strategic initiatives, and instigating transformative change.

Dan is the former National Secretary of the Australian Workers Union, with extensive experience across workplace relations, manufacturing and the minerals and energy sectors. His comprehensive knowledge extends to the superannuation industry, encompassing its history, culture, structure, and forthcoming challenges.

He is currently the Chair of The McKell Institute and a Director of the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation. Dan previously held director positions at AustralianSuper and Chifley Financial Services, in addition to various government board positions, including Chair of the NSW Renewable Energy Sector Board and advising Federal and State governments on trade, resources, climate, energy, and industry sectors.

Professor Alex Collie, Director of the Healthy Working Lives Research Group and the Division of Health Systems, Services and Policy in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University.

Prof. Collie is the President of the Scientific Committee on Work Disability Prevention for the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH), the peak global scientific body for work and health research; Chair of the Living Labs program for the Australian National Centre for Healthy Ageing; and a member of the Australian Research Council College of Experts. 

An applied public health and social policy scholar, Professor Collie’s research and teaching focus on work injury rehabilitation, occupational health, and social protection schemes for personal injury. He leads a multidisciplinary, mixed-methods research program set in Australian and international personal injury schemes such as workers’ compensation, motor vehicle crash compensation, and disability insurance.