Psychosocial compliance requirements in every Australian jurisdiction

What's in force

Psychosocial duties have applied in NSW since October 2022 and now sit in the WHS Regulation 2025 (commenced 22 August 2025), which explicitly requires psychosocial risks to be managed using the hierarchy of controls. The Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice (2021) is the approved code.

From 1 July 2026, section 26A of the WHS Act gives that code enforceable status: a business must follow it or demonstrate an equivalent or higher standard — with evidence. The regulator does not need to prove harm occurred; falling short of the code can itself ground a breach.

What inspectors focus on

• Controls mapped section-by-section to the code, or a documented case that your approach is equal or better
• Higher-order controls considered before training and policies
• Consultation, review and record-keeping that can be produced on request

What's in force

Victoria sits outside the model WHS laws and built its own framework. The Psychological Health Regulations commenced on 1 December 2025 with no transitional period, supported by the Compliance Code: Psychological Health (Edition 1, September 2025).

Victoria's definition of a psychosocial hazard is broader than the model law — it extends to personal interactions and a wide range of psychological responses — and it explicitly lists gendered violence as a hazard in its own right.

What inspectors focus on

• The modified hierarchy: eliminate first, then alter the work, systems, design or environment
• Training and information used only as supporting measures — they cannot be the predominant control
• Consultation with health and safety representatives, including when reviewing controls

What's in force

Queensland moved early: the Managing the Risk of Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice 2022 commenced on 1 April 2023, and Queensland has required code compliance (or an equivalent or better standard) since 2018 — the model NSW has now followed.

From 1 September 2024, PCBUs must proactively identify risks of sexual harassment and sex or gender-based harassment. From 1 March 2025, wherever such a risk is identified, a written prevention plan is mandatory — covering the risks, the controls, how control decisions were made, and the reporting procedure.

What inspectors focus on

• The written sexual harassment prevention plan: current, accessible, implemented, and known to workers
• The highest reasonably practicable control applied — not a default to training
• Review triggers honoured: after reports, on request, and on schedule

What's in force

WA adopted the national model laws in 2022 and issued one of the earliest psychosocial codes: the Code of Practice — Psychosocial Hazards in the Workplace took effect on 11 February 2022.

Uniquely, WA runs a three-code structure: the general psychosocial code sits alongside companion codes on Workplace Behaviour and on Violence and Aggression at Work, giving more granular expectations for those hazard categories.

What inspectors focus on

• Psychosocial controls integrated into your existing safety management system, not a standalone program
• Coverage across all three codes where the hazards apply
• Early identification of risks from traumatic events, aggressive clients, and remote or isolated work

What's in force

SA adopted the model psychosocial regulations with effect from 25 December 2023, supported by an approved code of practice on managing psychosocial hazards. The framework closely tracks the national model: identify hazards, assess risk, control with regard to the required matters, and review.

What inspectors focus on

• Risk assessments that address duration, frequency and severity of exposure
• How multiple hazards interact — an emphasis in the SA regulations
• Controls informed by work design and systems of work, not just conduct policies

What's in force

Tasmania amended its regulations to include psychosocial provisions from 30 November 2022, with the approved Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work code taking effect on 4 January 2023 — closely following the national model.

What inspectors focus on

• Proactive identification of high job demands and fatigue
• Risks from remote work and isolation
• A documented risk management process matching the code's structure

What's in force

The ACT adopted its psychosocial regulations through the 2023 amendment, with the approved Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work code commencing 27 November 2023.

What inspectors focus on

• Documentation that stands up in a proactive inspection, not just after an incident
• The model code's risk management cycle, evidenced end to end

What's in force

The NT's psychosocial provisions took effect on 1 July 2023, aligning closely with the model WHS regulations: psychosocial hazards and risks are defined in the regulations and must be managed through the same risk management process as physical hazards.

What inspectors focus on

• The standard risk management cycle, documented
• Hazards specific to remote and isolated work, including FIFO arrangements

What's in force

The Commonwealth jurisdiction covers APS agencies, Commonwealth authorities and certain national employers. Amended regulations took effect on 1 April 2023, and the Commonwealth code of practice was approved in 2024.

The Commonwealth code lists 17 psychosocial hazards — the model set plus fatigue, intrusive surveillance and job insecurity — the most comprehensive enumerated list in the country.

What inspectors focus on

• Coverage of all 17 listed hazards, not just the model 14
• The hierarchy of controls and the required matters when selecting controls
• Review triggers: control failure, new hazards, workplace change, consultation outcomes