Tasmanian LiFE Awards – 2026 Nominee

RACT’s 2024 wellbeing survey was the catalyst for change for the organisation. With a strong participation rate, their people sent a clear message – 60% prioritised mental wellbeing. This feedback inspired RACT to fundamentally rethink their approach. They realised they’d been operating reactively, waiting until people were struggling before offering support.

That year, they grew their in-house wellbeing capability by training the Safety & Wellbeing team and operational leaders as Accredited Wellbeing Practitioners. Employees now have multiple pathways to support, from professional psychology services to peer connection and proactive risk management. Mental health conversations have shifted from reactive crisis responses to everyday wellness discussions.

What made their approach special was making it evidence-based, and people-centered. Rather than implementing disconnected initiatives, they adopted the Mentally Healthy Workplace framework (Deady et al 2024) to prevent psychological harm, promote the positive, and respond effectively when support was needed.

Engagement data confirms impact. RACT’s 2025 annual engagement survey showed 95% of participants responded favourably to “My manager genuinely cares about my wellbeing” (up from 90% in 2024), evidence that their mentally healthy workplace initiative is driving real, measurable change.

RACT’s Mental Health First Aid community of 150 trained team members has become a collaborative network of peer support. They connect and support each other through the biannual check-ins, creating a collective capability greater than individual efforts.

This collaborative approach, combining frontline engagement, peer support networks, and external partnerships, has created a comprehensive support ecosystem that no single team could achieve alone. It demonstrates that mentally healthy workplaces require collective effort and shared responsibility.