10 Years of MATES in Construction: A Lifeline for Workers in Need

Brian Seidler MBA NSW Executive Director

Irecently had the privilege of delivering a speech at the MATES in Construction 10 Year Anniversary Charity Lunch, held on March 31 at Doltone House. It was an honour to speak about a program that focuses on suicide prevention and mental health initiatives for individuals in the building and construction industry.

Mates in Construction (MIC) is a program that focuses on suicide prevention and mental health initiatives for individuals in the building and construction industry. Recently, the program released its Health Economics survey, which quantifies the economic cost of suicide in the construction industry and assesses the success of MIC’s workplace suicide prevention strategies. The survey revealed that for every AUD $1 invested by MIC, there is a return of $4.60.

MIC has been particularly successful in NSW, where it has been embraced beyond expectations. Since the program’s delivery in March 2013, over 72,000 construction workers in NSW have completed the General

Awareness Training (GAT). More than 6,300 have been trained as “connectors,” suicide alert helpers in the industry, and 800 have gone on to complete Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). Additionally, MIC has provided case management to 1,700 construction workers and their family members, with over 240 cases in the last 12 months. The program has delivered training to approximately 79,100 people across 3,100 sites in NSW. Although suicide has a high human cost, it is important to note that the estimated cost of suicide and related behaviour in the NSW construction industry is around $527 million per year. The construction industry is the second/ third largest sector of the national economy and employs 1.2 million people nationally, including 400,000 in NSW. It is also worth mentioning that many small businesses in the industry are run by women, who are concerned about the mental health of their partners.

MIC has been particularly successful in regional NSW, where it has been embraced by networks of women who are demanding that the program be introduced to their communities.

The program’s reach has extended beyond commercial projects, with MIC now involved in regional centers such as Cooma, Goulburn, Forster, Gosford, Ballina, and the Illawarra. The program’s success can be attributed to its gender-sensitive suicide prevention strategies and its focus on raising awareness, building resilience, connecting workers to help and support, and informing the industry about best practices.

Recently, the Master Builders Association of NSW partnered with MIC to train 2,300 construction workers, including 1,000 apprentices, with a focus on safeTalk connector training. MIC’s success has been recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a major public publication titled “An Implementation Guide for Suicide Prevention in Countries.” The publication highlights MIC’s community development model of continual improvement and identifies it as a program that is leading the way in workplace suicide prevention.

Overall, MIC’s significant positive impact on the construction industry in NSW is evident. The program has been successful in regional areas, including small businesses run by women, and has received recognition from WHO. MIC’s success can be attributed to its community development model, gender-sensitive suicide prevention strategies, and focus on raising awareness, building resilience, connecting workers to help and support, and informing the industry about best practices.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all those in the industry who have actively supported and embraced the Mates in Construction program. Your dedication and commitment to this cause are making a positive impact on the lives of individuals in need. Thank you for your invaluable contribution.

Griffith-MIA Division Annual Golf Day

On March 10 we saw the MIA Division hold their Annual Golf Day which made it’s return after being postponed in previous years due to the pandemic and again with wet weather last year. The day had a fun-filled atmosphere, beautiful weather and all in attendance enjoyed the camaraderie on the green.

We would like to thank Wayne from the Griffith Golf Club for his help on and leading up to the day, the Griffith Rotary Club for cooking the BBQ and our sponsors on the day for their ongoing support — Dahlsens, Ellistricity, GNC Concreting, Yoogali Engineering and ELM Aquatics.

A huge thank you also to our MBA NSW members who attended — we are already looking forward to the next one.

Albury-Murray Division Race Day Marquee

On March 24, the Albury Racing Club hosted the Albury Gold Cup. Our Master Builders Association NSW, Murray Division trackside Marquee was enjoyed thoroughly by our members, sponsors and committee who attended the day. We were joined by Master Builders Victoria staff—Tristan Moseley, Gavriel Berkowitz and Allison Bowman as well as our own Master Builders Association NSW staff — Luke Reeves, Strebre Delovski and Laura English. Thank you to our Murray Division Sponsors for their ongoing support of this event and our Division, we are incredibly grateful for you all.

Murray Division Annual Dinner

Our Murray Division Annual Dinner was held on Tuesday, May 2 at the Commercial Club in Albury.

Our presenters for the night included the Albury City Council Development Team, Andrew Tierney from MyBig, Stacey Read from Lifeline Albury Wodonga and Leon Moriceau from Before You Dig Australia. The presentations were informative and interactive and our local members, sponsors and committee enjoyed a night of networking with over 75 people in attendance.