8:00am
8:35am – 8:45am
President TAVRP Inc.
8:55am – 9:00am
9:00am – 9:45am
PSYCHOSOCIAL MATCHED CARE: TRANSFORMING RTW OUTCOMES
Dr Mary Wyatt, Return to Work Matters
9:50am – 10:05am
IT PAYS TO CARE, THE DPFEM APPROACH
Matthew Richman, Department of Police, Fire & Emergency Management
10:10am – 10:25am
WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH FRAMEWORK
Nikki Taranis, WorkSafe Tas
10:30am – 11:00am
10:55am – 11:00am
11:00am – 12:30pm
SUSTAINING THE SELF: STRATEGIES TO PREVENT BURNOUT, COMPASSION FATIGUE, AND VICARIOUS/
SECONDARY TRAUMA
Dr Emma Richardson and Jessica Forward, Well Minds Work
12:30pm – 1:15pm
1:15pm – 1:20pm
1:20pm – 2:05pm
PAIN, WHAT PAIN?
Dr James Wilson, Precision Brain, Spine & Pain
2:10pm – 2:25pm
THE ABOUT ME PROJECT: BUILDING INSIGHT, CAPACITY AND CONFIDENCE OF MAIB CLIENTS
Bill Fulton and Aimee Richardson, BIAT
2:30pm – 2:45pm
WORK ASSIST PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH MS AND ACQUIRED NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS
Lisa Slade and Lisa Erin Davis-Schnierer, MS Plus Employment Support Service
2:50pm – 3:20pm
5 x 4 SESSION – SHOWCASE & PITCH A PROGRAM
Keiser, APM WorkCare, St John Ambulance Tasmania, Guardian Exercise Rehabilitation
3:30pm – 3:40pm
3:40pm – 4:40pm
Get Your Trades Passport Stamped in the Breaks to be in the Running for a Major Prize
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Information is correct as of 03 March 2025, however presentations & the program may be subject to change
Dr Peter Sharman
Dr Peter Sharman is an occupational & environmental medicine [OEM] physician passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of Tasmania’s workforce.
In addition to OEM qualifications [FAFOEM within RACP], he is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Peter has nearly 40 years of experience in a variety of roles, initially as a remote-area GP on Tasmania’s West Coast, and after gaining OEM qualifications, has held senior medical and management roles with the Hydro-Electric Commission, visiting Occupational Physician at the RHH, and roles with rehabilitation service providers. Most recently he has worked as a Consultant Occupational & Environmental Physician in private practice, in Hobart.
He is Tasmania’s representative on the AFOEM Federal Council, a member of the Tasmanian Health Senate & WorkCover Tasmania’s Medical Advisory Panel. He is President of the Tasmanian Foundation of Occupational Medicine and a member of TAVRP.
RTW outcomes have stagnated or worsened over the past decade despite our growing understanding of what drives work disability. The evidence shows psychosocial factors are the primary drivers of persisting disability, yet our systems remain focused on biomedical approaches. Recent Australian research demonstrates that early systematic screening followed by matched psychosocial care can reduce work absence by 50% and claims costs by 30% in high-risk cases. Biomedical approaches with the attraction of quick fixes continue to be a significant focus in ‘complex cases’.
This presentation outlines the evidence for this approach and provides a practical framework for implementation. Key elements include early screening, comprehensive assessment of barriers, and matched interventions delivered by trained professionals. Success requires careful planning, stakeholder engagement, and robust data systems to support continuous improvement. Implementation requires an understanding of the evidence and a coordinated approach to drive change.
Dr Mary Wyatt is an Occupational Physician with over 25 years’ experience in work injury management. She is the founding editor of RTWMatters.org, an online resource for RTW professionals. Mary has authored peer-reviewed publications on work injury management and cares about improving outcomes through evidence-based practice. She was the lead Fellow for the RACP’s influential policy paper “It Pays to Care: Bringing Evidence-Informed Practice to Work Injury Schemes” and continues to work with insurers, employers, and regulators to implement early intervention programs. She holds appointments at Monash University and regularly provides advice to workers’ compensation schemes across Australia.
Since 2019, the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management (DPFEM) has adopted a person centric approach to the delivery of wellbeing support to the 9,100 staff and volunteers it provides services too.
This presentation will explore the breadth of services both proactive and preventive, and the life-cycle considerations behind the ethos of Wellbeing Support.
The engagement statistics speak for themselves and while there is still much to do, we are focused on ensuring we adopt the It Pays to Care principles.
Matthew was appointed as the inaugural Director of Wellbeing Support in July 2019, providing services to the 9,100+ staff and volunteers of all the emergency services in Tasmania. He has built a team and an expanded program that emphasises both preventive and responsive practices. Matthew led the Tasmanian Emergency Services Critical Incident Stress Management response to the Port Arthur Incident and, in his current role, the response to the Hillcrest Primary School tragedy.
Matthew is a former Director of Strategic Services at the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency.
He has an extensive career with Tasmania Police. Over the duration of a 40-year period, he has held several key operational and frontline roles.
Matthew led a body of work widely recognised as a leading example of contemporary police internal investigations and was pivotal in the introduction of the University of Tasmania’s Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies (TILES)
His leadership, innovation, and commitment to the wellbeing of his colleagues and the community exemplify the highest standards of public service. His work has had a profound and lasting impact, setting a benchmark for future initiatives within Tasmania Police.
Workplace mental health is a growing challenge, with rising injury rates and increasing pressure on employers to provide effective support. Despite this, Tasmania currently lacks a state-wide framework to guide businesses in promoting mental well-being and preventing harm.
This presentation will introduce the Workplace Mental Health Framework (WMHF)—a first-of-its-kind initiative commissioned by the WorkCover Board Tasmania. The framework integrates aims to drive meaningful change and help create safer, healthier workplaces across Tasmania.
Key topics will include:
Nikki Taranis is a project manager and social work professional with a background in mental health, trauma-informed practice, and workplace well-being. She currently coordinates the development of Tasmania’s Workplace Mental Health Framework at WorkSafe Tasmania and is passionate about creating real change by building supportive workplaces and systems that promote mental health and well-being.
Working in vocational rehabilitation requires high levels of compassion, empathy, and support for others who are often vulnerable and experiencing distress. This can take an emotional toll and may lead to the development of burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, or secondary trauma. In this dynamic and interactive workshop participants will gain a deeper understanding of burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and secondary trauma, as well as how to recognise early warning signs. Participants will also learn several evidence-based strategies for preventing and managing symptoms of these conditions. By the end of this workshop, participants will leave equipped with actionable tools and insights to maintain professional wellbeing and to sustain a fulfilling and compassionate approach to their work and personal lives.
Learning Outcomes:
Dr Emma Richardson:
Dr Emma Richardson co-founded Well Minds Work in 2020 and creates and delivers mental health tailored workshops for organisations across Australia as part of this business. Emma graduated with a PhD in psychology from the University of Tasmania in 2017 and her main research interests involve exploring the links between physical illnesses and mental health. Emma currently co-manages Well Minds Work, works as a clinical psychologist in private practice at Eternal Women’s Health, and works as the program psychologist for the AFLPA in the Tackle Your Feelings Program.
Jessica Forward:
Jessica co-founded Well Minds Work in 2020 and creates and delivers tailored mental health workshops for organisations across Australia as part of this business. Jessica also currently works as a clinical psychologist with individuals in private practice at Salamanca Psychology and as a lecturer at the University of Tasmania. Jessica graduated with her Masters in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tasmania in 2019, with special interest and experience in the treatment of mental health issues including anxiety, substance dependence, complex trauma, and return to work following mental health related leave.
Chronic pain affects one in five people and has a huge impact on patient’s lives and their ability to work but it is chronically under-resourced and often ignored especially in regional areas.
We will be discussing the prevalence of painful conditions and the consequence of both the pain and ‘painkiller’ drugs on people’s working abilities and function.
Specifically, we will discuss the evidence for Pain Management programmes, which aim to teach patient how to live a good life despite their pain. All programmes are not alike and have a difficult job in trying to rehabilitate patients both physically and psychologically who are deconditioned, likely depressed and may have been off work for some time. We will be presenting evidence from the Ascend programme in Victoria and discussing potential models for programmes for Tasmania such as Telehealth and Hybrid that were created out of necessity during Covid.
Dr Wilson lives in Tasmania and works with Precision Brain, Spine and Pain as a Specialist in Pain Medicine.
He trained at Guys & St Thomas’ Medical School in the UK, became an Anaesthetist then completed advanced training in Pain Medicine working in several large pain centres and hospices and learnt a comprehensive range of interventional techniques. He worked in the UK as a consultant for nine years helping patients with acute, chronic, and cancer pain problems before moving to Australia.
His routine work includes seeing complex pain patients and performing a wide range of evidence based interventional techniques to relieve pain under X-ray, CT and Ultrasound guidance.
He is passionate about medical education and teaching and has been involved in training in Pain Medicine, Anaesthesia and Palliative Care in the UK and Australia.
Have you ever worked with a client who hasn’t been able to tell you what they want (or hasn’t been asked what they want)?
This session will discuss strategies the About Me Project uses to build MAIB clients’ understanding of their needs and how they can communicate these.
About Me is a project of the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania, funded by MAIB. About Me utilises a proven 10-step capacity building program supporting clients to exercise greater choice and become active participants in their own lives across four life domains:
The project operates through a network of MAIB panel providers, Allied Health Professionals, disability support providers and other service providers.
The About Me project contributes to systemic change, building a culture where people with disability are consulted, and can exercise greater choice and control in their lives.
About Me Project Manager Bill Fulton has also managed the Employ Me Project for the past 18 months. Bill brings extensive experience, skills and expertise in advocacy, lived experience engagement and co-design. Prior to joining the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania, Bill has worked with children and young people across diverse roles in education and out of home care, with a focus on supporting youth at risk in roles from classroom teaching and learning support, flexible learning, project management and individual and systemic advocacy.
The About Me Project’s current project officer, Aimee joined the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania team in October 2024. Aimee is an Occupational Therapist by trade, having previously worked in as a rehabilitation provider, claims manager, clinician, and more recently in a regulatory capacity with WorkSafe Tasmania. This combination of hands-on and regulatory experience has provided Aimee with unique insights into each of the About Me domains and the ability to recognise the important perspectives of all stakeholders.
We are a Disability Employment Service (DES) Provider empowering people living with MS and Acquired Neurological conditions in the workplace across TAS/VIC/NSW/ACT. We as Allied Health Professionals (OT/Physio/EP) provide free ongoing support for clients equipping them with strategies to manage their symptoms and maintain their employment. We will discuss our program and examples of how we support our clients with employment including:
Erin Davis-Schnierer is an Exercise Physiologist with 8 years experience working and helping people manage chronic illness and disability in community health and vocational rehabilitation settings including the last 2 years with ESS in Tas.
Lisa Slade is an Occupational Therapist with 20+ years experience across acute, community, disability and vocational rehabilitation settings with 11 years working with the ESS team across Vic and Tas.
Together Erin and Lisa have been part of the MS Plus team starting up and implementing the ESS Work Assist Program statewide in Tasmania since it commenced here in 2018.
The Trades Passport is a small booklet that has a page dedicated to each Trade and Sponsor physically displaying at the event, with details of their name and either questions to answer re the display or have it signed off by the exhibitor.
The Passport needs to be fully completed during the day and towards the end of the day all completed Passports will be included in a draw for a significant prize or prizes.
The winner needs to be present at the time of the draw.
