How was your day?
Get it off your chest.
Ministerial and parliamentary staff, electorate officers, members of parliament and senators, councillors and campaign teams. Long days, public anger and very little privacy.
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. Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to your employer, your member, your party or anyone else. Unladen Chamber is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any parliament, party, council or government agency. · Give feedback
Take a moment.
Step away from the phones and the inbox if you can, even for ten 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 said, or what's about to be in the media
These are normal reactions. They usually settle over hours or days.
If someone threatened you
It isn't part of the job. Save the evidence, tell your office manager or member, and contact police if you're worried for your safety. Federal parliament staff can also call the PWSS support line any time.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
Call someone now
Add your office manager, a colleague or your EAP in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
In politics, the person you'd normally tell might be your boss, or part of the problem. 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 the office.
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 harassment or bullying
You don't have to put up with it. Write down what happened, with dates. Federal parliament staff can get confidential advice from the PWSS. You can talk it through before you decide anything.
Your safety
You said you didn't feel fully safe. That matters. Tell your office manager or member, review your office's safety plan, and contact police if there's a threat.
Getting home safely
You said you've got very little energy left. If you're driving late after a sitting day, a short nap first can help, or get a lift. Text someone when you're home.
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.
Public service, in public
What to watch for, and what helps. Tap a heading to open it.
Threats and abuse, online and in person
- Screenshot online abuse and tell your office manager.
- The eSafety Commissioner takes reports of serious online abuse.
- Threats to your safety: contact police.
- Ask about security for your office and your home.
Bullying and sexual harassment
The Set the Standard report found high rates of bullying and sexual harassment in Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces.
- It's never your fault, and you don't have to sort it out alone.
- Write down what happened, with dates, while it's fresh.
- Federal parliament staff can contact the PWSS for confidential advice and support.
- For sexual harassment, 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) is there 24/7.
Constituents in crisis
- Electorate officers often take calls from people in desperate situations, including people talking about suicide.
- You're not a counsellor. Connecting them to Lifeline (13 11 14) or 000 is the right thing.
- Talk to someone after the hard calls.
Sitting weeks and long hours
- Sitting weeks can mean 14-hour days, away from home.
- Protect sleep where you can, and eat properly.
- Plan some recovery time after a sitting fortnight.
Job insecurity and elections
- Your job can end with an election, a reshuffle or a falling out.
- It's normal to feel anxious in the lead-up.
- Keep a record of your work and contacts outside the office.
Pressure to act against your values
- Write down what you were asked to do, when, and by whom.
- Talk it through with someone outside the office before you decide.
- You can get confidential advice about your options.
Signs you're carrying too much
- Dreading checking your phone
- Can't switch off from the news cycle
- Not sleeping
- Drinking more to cope
- Pulling away from people outside politics
Political work affects everyone who does it. It's a normal response, not a weakness.
If you're a member or councillor
Elected members carry public abuse, threats and pressure that staff don't always see. Your parliament or council may offer its own confidential support. You're allowed to use it.
When to get more help
If your load has been heavy for two weeks or more, 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 boss
Sometimes the person you would normally tell is part of the problem, or it just does not feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your organisation
Your parliament, office or council can add its own EAP, support line and complaints contacts here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- Parliamentary Workplace Support Service (PWSS). For federal parliamentary staff: 24/7 wellbeing support and confidential advice, 1800 747 977.
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Free, confidential counselling. Your boss isn't told.
- A union. Confidential advice about your rights.
- Someone who's worked in politics. They'll understand without explanation.
- 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
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. State parliaments and councils may have their own support.
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'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay confidential from my office?"
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.
- Your office manager or chief of staff can change your duties if you ask. You don't have to explain every detail.
- 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 in a shared office 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 Chamber
Unladen™ Chamber 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 parliament, party, council or government agency. 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 Chamber 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 · October 2026