Cheney and Telstra Corporation Limited (Compensation)

This case concerned a compensation claim brought by Ms Cheney against Telstra Corporation Limited. Ms Cheney alleged that she suffered a psychiatric ailment as a result of work stress, including perceptions of bullying and harassment, which she contended constituted an "injury" for the purposes of workers' compensation legislation.

The primary legal issue before the Member was whether Ms Cheney's psychiatric condition, characterised by perseveration, cognitive effects, persecutory delusions, and adverse perceptions, qualified as a "disease" or "injury" under the relevant workers' compensation legislation. This required the court to determine if the employment contribution to her ailment reached the statutory threshold of a "significant degree."

The Member considered extensive evidence, including Ms Cheney's personal statements detailing past personal stresses and her employment history with Telstra, which spanned various roles from 2004 to 2013. Medical evidence and the testimony of Ms Cheney's manager were also presented. Ultimately, the Member found that while Ms Cheney experienced work stress and perceived bullying and harassment, the evidence did not establish that her employment contributed to her psychiatric ailment to a "significant degree."

Consequently, the decision under review, which found that Ms Cheney had not suffered an "injury" as defined by the legislation, was affirmed.