Health Minister Greg Hunt recently announced that the federal government has announced OzHelp as its preferred partner to deliver workplace programs under the National Suicide Prevention Leadership and Support Program.
“We are delighted to continue to partner with the Australian Government in building individual levels of resilience and capacity for self-help in relation to the physical and mental health of workplaces that have a high proportion of men,” Mr. Holland commented “This new initiative allows the delivery of lifesaving programs to any workplace across the nation.”
Minister Hunt said over 3000 Australians take their lives each year. “This is a statistic we must reverse and as a community we must do all we can to turn the tide,” Minister Hunt commented “The Turnbull Government will provide a $47 million boost to front-line services for suicide prevention and directly address a growing community need.”
Board Chair for OzHelp, Hugh Chalmers said the announcement will allow OzHelp to continue to significantly extend its reach and improve program accessibility for workplaces and communities that are traditionally hard to reach. “The ACT branch of the CFMEU as a foundation member of OzHelp has long supported its lifesaving work in the building and construction industry and is pleased that OzHelp has been provided with ongoing funding,” Mr. Chalmers said.

Mr. Kirk Coningham Executive Director of Master Builders ACT congratulated the Australian Government in its investment and partnership with OzHelp for this innovative program. “This funding will significantly increase the opportunity for building and construction companies across the nation to have high quality and relevant data on the state of health and wellbeing of their workers as well as the culture of their own organisations,” Mr. Coningham commented“This will directly and positively impact the wellbeing of people working in the industry. It will also be a great thing for employers in the industry to be able to support their workforce. The Master Builders ACT are committed to the lifesaving work that OzHelp provides to our industry,” Coningham added.
“OzHelp’s continued leadership and innovation in reaching the target demographic, in particular the expansion of the OzHelp digital platform to allow for more flexible modes of delivery for workplaces nationally, has been fundamental in OzHelp being selected to deliver this lifesaving program,” OzHelp Chief Executive, Tony Holland commented.
Dr. Coralie Wilson from the University of Wollongong Medical school is leading the research and evaluation of the project and Dr. Wilson said that “the University is very proud to collaborate for this exciting initiative”.