How was your day?
Get it off your chest.
Frontline, call centre, casework, policy, regulatory and corporate staff in federal and state government. Put down what you're carrying before you log off.
Which best describes you?
This changes a few questions and which support lines come first. You can change it any time.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to your employer, your manager or anyone else. Unladen Public is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any government agency or employer. · Give feedback
Take a moment.
Step away from the counter, phone or screen if you can. Tell your team leader you need a few minutes. That's allowed.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaky, sick, or a racing heart
- Numb, or oddly calm
- Tearful, angry, or both
- Going over what you could have done differently
These are normal reactions. They usually settle over hours or days.
If someone threatened or abused you
It isn't part of the job and it isn't your fault. Tell your team leader or manager and report it through your incident system, even if it happened over the phone or online. If you're worried for your safety, contact police.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
Call someone now
Add your team leader, EAP or a colleague in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
If you don't feel safe telling your team leader or manager, there are other people you can go to. Or write down what happened, just for you, while it's fresh.
What helps after
Handover to yourself
A few minutes at the end of the day. Notice what you're carrying, then leave what you can at your desk.
Please talk to someone now
You said you've had thoughts of harming yourself or not wanting to be here. Please call one of these now. If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
Light load
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
About the threat or abuse
Report it through your incident system, even if it happened by phone or online. Agencies can flag people, change how they're served or involve police. You don't have to deal with it on your own.
Your safety
You said you didn't feel fully safe. That matters. Tell your manager or supervisor, and report it through your incident system. Threats made by phone or online count too. Your employer has to manage risks to your mental health, not just physical ones.
Getting home safely
You said you've got very little energy left. If you can, do something tonight that isn't a screen, and get a proper night's sleep.
What might help
People you can call
This isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Last 14 days
Handovers
This phone isn't letting the page save, so handovers won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
Serving the public takes something out of you
What to watch for, and what helps. Tap a heading to open it.
Threats and abuse from the public
Being yelled at, threatened or abused, in person, on the phone or online, is not part of the job, even when people are desperate.
Today
- End the call or step away if your policy allows. Get your team leader.
- Report it through your incident system, even if it seems minor.
- If you were threatened, you can contact police.
Over the next days
- Talk it through. Threats can replay for days.
- Ask what your agency will do, such as flagging the person or changing how they are served.
When someone talks about harming themselves
People dealing with government at their lowest point sometimes say they can't go on. Hearing it stays with you.
- If they're in immediate danger, follow your agency's procedure and call 000.
- Stay calm, keep them talking if you can, and hand over to the right team.
- Debrief with your team leader or a colleague before your next contact.
- If it keeps replaying, talk to your EAP. You did what you could.
Hard stories and distressing material
Case files, claims, investigations and complaints can mean reading or hearing about abuse, violence and loss every day.
- Notice if you're seeing the material when you close your eyes, or avoiding parts of your work.
- Take breaks between hard files. Ask for rotation if it is constant.
- Ask for regular supervision or debriefing. It is a normal part of this work, not a sign you are struggling.
- Blue Knot (1300 657 380) supports people affected by trauma, and those supporting them.
Political, media and ministerial pressure
Briefs due in hours, changing priorities, Senate estimates and media stories can put heavy pressure on public servants.
- Decisions made above you are not your personal responsibility.
- Write down instructions you are given, especially if they change.
- Talk to your manager about what can realistically be done by the deadline.
- If you're named or criticised publicly, ask your agency what support it gives staff.
When something doesn't sit right
Being asked to bend a rule, hide a problem or do something you think is wrong causes real stress.
- Write down what you were asked to do, when, and by whom.
- Commonwealth public officials can make a public interest disclosure. The Commonwealth Ombudsman can explain how on 1300 362 072.
- NSW public officials can make a public interest disclosure to their agency's disclosure officer or the NSW Ombudsman.
- Corruption involving NSW public officials can be reported to the ICAC on 1800 463 909.
- Your union can give confidential advice first.
Restructures and job insecurity
Restructures, machinery-of-government changes and contract endings are unsettling, even when your own job is safe.
- Get the facts from official notices rather than rumours.
- Your union can explain your rights and options.
- It's normal to grieve a team or role that is changing.
Workload and burnout
- Notice if "just this busy period" has become every week.
- Too much work is a recognised work health and safety hazard. You can raise it.
- Protect sleep and leave. They are the first things to go and the first things that help.
Bullying, harassment or conflict
You don't have to put up with it, and you don't have to sort it out alone.
- Write down what happened, with dates, while it's fresh.
- If your manager is involved, talk to someone outside your reporting line.
- The Fair Work Commission can make orders to stop bullying at work.
- For sexual harassment, 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) is there 24/7.
Signs you're carrying too much
- Dreading logging on
- Feeling numb, or short with the people you serve
- Replaying calls or cases at night
- Checking emails at all hours
- Pulling back from people
Hearing about people's hardship day after day wears you down. That's a normal response, not a weakness.
Working from home
When work is at the kitchen table, it's harder to leave it. Close the laptop, change rooms or go for a walk to mark the end of the day.
When to get more help
If your load has been heavy for two weeks or more, you dread going in, or it's affecting sleep or home life, talk to your GP or EAP. A GP can set up a Mental Health Treatment Plan for Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist.
People to call
Save the ones that apply to you. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
Support lines
You don't have to go through your manager
Sometimes the person you'd normally tell is part of the problem, or it just doesn't feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your organisation
Your agency can add its own EAP, peer support, harassment contact and disclosure officer here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Free, confidential counselling. Your manager isn't told that you called. Almost every government agency has one.
- A harassment contact or peer supporter. Many agencies have trained staff outside your reporting line.
- Your union. The CPSU (1300 137 636) covers Commonwealth and community public sector workers. The PSA CPSU NSW (1800 772 679) covers NSW public sector workers.
- Your agency's disclosure officer. For wrongdoing you want to report under public interest disclosure laws.
- Your work health and safety representative. For workload, aggression and bullying.
- Your GP. Outside work altogether, and can refer you on.
Text or chat instead of calling
For when talking out loud isn't possible, or feels like too much.
For particular situations
Public interest disclosure laws protect public officials who report wrongdoing. You can ask about confidentiality before you share details.
Spiritual and religious support
Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith or cultural community after a hard day. Others find it in nature, music, exercise or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
If your workplace has a chaplain or wellbeing officer, they support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
Words to start with
The first sentence is often the hardest. You could say:
"I'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay between us? Is there anything you'd have to pass on?"
"I took a call today I can't stop thinking about."
"I'm being asked to do something that doesn't feel right."
What happens if I tell someone?
- Counsellors, peer supporters and helplines keep what you say private. The main exception is if someone is at serious risk of harm. If you're unsure, ask at the start.
- A union can give you confidential advice before you decide anything.
- A public interest disclosure is protected by law. You can ask how your identity will be protected before you make one.
- Your private record in this app stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Not ready to tell anyone?
That's OK. You can write down what happened, just for yourself, and decide later.
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. Check with your organisation for its own services.
Write down what happened
It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. If you later decide to raise something, notes written at the time are easier to rely on than memory.
My entries
Entries can't be edited, so each one shows when it was written. To add something, write a new entry.
No entries yet.
If you decide to share it, you can download it or send it to yourself.
Your phone, your data
PIN lock
Ask for a PIN when the app opens, and after it has been in the background for a minute.
PIN is on.
The PIN stops someone else opening the app on your phone. It doesn't encrypt what's stored, so keep your phone locked too. If you forget it, you can delete everything and start again.
Hide the screen
Tap the eye button at the top of any screen to cover the app straight away, for example at your desk or on the train home. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (handovers, private record and contacts) as a text file. You could keep a copy, or show it to your GP or counsellor.
Delete everything
Deletes your handovers, private record, role, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Public
Unladen™ Public is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. Unladen™ is a trade mark of Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any government agency or employer. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your role, handovers, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
Feedback: the feedback form is the only part of Unladen Public that sends anything, and only when you press Send. It doesn't include anything else from the app.
Keep in mind: if you clear your browser data or remove the app, what you've entered goes too. Download a copy first if you want to keep it.
Version 0.1 prototype · September 2026