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An employer has failed to prove it wasn't liable for an employee's psychological injury, which a commission found didn't just result from a redeployment process but from the strain of supporting affected colleagues through it.

After a long period where providing this support took an "emotional and mental toll" on the employee, the employer's announcement of further transfers, including her own, was simply the "final straw" that led to her incapacitation, NSW Personal Injury Commission Senior Member Rachel Homan ruled.

The Department of Education had employed the science and marine studies teacher for approximately 20 years before she stopped working in October 2024.

It didn't dispute that she had suffered a psychological injury – namely, an adjustment disorder with depressed and anxious mood. However, it denied liability for her workers' compensation claim, on the basis that it was the result of reasonable action with respect to transfer...