Brodie Panlock was 19 when she killed herself after months of torment from workmates at her job at a cafe in Melbourne.
Her Mum and Dad didn’t know what was happening. Others knew but didn’t say or do anything to stop it.
Brodie was taunted, teased about her looks, held while fish sauce was poured over her, teased about a failed suicide attempt, and had poison put in her bag.
As the youngest employee at the cafe, Brodie was vulnerable and her manager at the cafe did nothing to stop the bullying.
The four employees responsible for bullying Brodie were convicted by WorkSafe Victoria and fined a total of $115,000, while the business was fined $220,000.
As a result of the case, the Victorian government has introduced new legislation to make workplace bullying a criminal offence, with potential punishment of up to 10 years jail.
Your say
Who could Brodie have called on for help? Research some organisations and list people that Brodie could have turned to.
List some reasons why it might have been hard for Brodie to ask for help.
In groups, discuss alternative endings to Brodie’s story
- if she had told her parents
- if she had quit her job
- if she had sought help from a Workplace advice or counselling helpline.
Resources
ABC Lateline transcript “Victoria to criminalise workplace bullying”
The Age article “Family of work bullying victim welcomes new laws”
