Could Alissa sue Channel 9 for workplace bullying? We talked to a legal expert...

Well, well, well. If it isn’t that age-old question back again for another season.

Every year, like clockwork, something happens on MAFS that sends everyone spiralling into the same debate: have Channel 9 and Endemol Shine actually crossed the line?

And right on cue, the Fair Work Act has re-entered the chat.

Last year, it was Adrian Arouzou’s legal history, alongside Paul’s rather aggressive run-in with a wall, that had viewers questioning just how much is too much.

Last year, SafeWork launched an investigation into Channel 9 and Endemol Shine
after Season 12 | Image: Channel 9

This year, we’re back here again. This time, with Alissa.

From what we’ve seen, she’s been on the receiving end of some of the nastiest behaviour the show has served up in a while (and that’s saying something). Aside from *that* dinner party, the pile-on has felt less like reality TV drama and more like a very public high school mean girl campaign.

Last night’s episode only added fuel to the fire, revealing more of the group text exchange allegedly led by Bec. We won’t repeat it verbatim (largely for our own wellbeing), but let’s just say it opens with “rat bitch” and somehow escalates from there.

Alissa during a dinner party earlier this season | Image: Channel 9

While most viewers are still processing just how grim that is, there’s a bigger question underneath it:

Is this just “good TV”, or is Alissa actually being subjected to workplace bullying? And if so, could Channel 9 and Endemol Shine be liable for letting it play out?

We spoke to a legal expert about whether Ms Fay might have a case…

“Workplace bullying can include both intentional and unintentional behaviour that creates a psychological hazard with the potential to harm a person,” the expert explains.

“Verbal abuse absolutely falls within that definition, including language that is abusive, insulting, belittling, humiliating or offensive, particularly when it’s repeated and unreasonable.”

Alissa and David during last Sunday’s Commitment Ceremony | Image: Channel 9

Other than perhaps Bec, few would argue that what Alissa has been subjected to doesn’t at least resemble bullying. The real question, however, is whether Channel 9 and Endemol Shine have breached their obligation to protect against it.

“Ultimately, it’s for a court to determine whether reasonable steps were taken to prevent this kind of repeated behaviour,” the expert says. “And while it’s easy to assume those steps weren’t taken (given this is the very kind of drama the show thrives on) we don’t actually know what occurs behind the scenes.”

Regardless of where it lands, one point remains: the MAFS cast are, in effect, employees. With that, comes a duty of care. The fact that production is repeatedly questioned, season after season, suggests that the line between entertainment and responsibility might not be as clear cut as SafeWork would like it to be.