Australia Post to get its first Chief Mental Health Officer

Australia Post is set to appoint its first Chief Mental Health Officer, which is the first time a government business enterprise will be doing so.

Group CEO and Managing Director, Paul Graham, said the move highlights the increasing recognition of the importance of mental health, as well as the opportunity for Australia Post to drive more improvements in this area.

“We have the opportunity to apply learnings across a large and diverse workforce and understand what will be effective in supporting our people and driving a culture of change when it comes to mental health,” Graham said.

“We will then be able to share those learnings to help the broader community,” he said.

The new role will focus on developing evidence-based, practical and engaging organisational development solutions to drive continued improvement in workplace psychological health for AusPost’s over 60,000 extended workforce.

The work builds on the organisation’s partnership with Beyond Blue, which connects Australian communities with important mental health initiatives.

Beyond Blue’s mental health information has reached more than 6 million letterboxes across Australia including 4 million prepaid postcards encouraging people to take action to support their mental health by writing to each other to connect.

Additionally, small business owners were connected with mental health coaching services through the Post Office network and more than $75,000 was raised for mental health last year.

Australia Post is also a member of the Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds Foundation (HHTSF), a not-for-profit organisation that exists to promote prevention and understanding of mental health issues that exist across the road transport and logistics industries in Australia.

The HHTSF Board is comprised of directors with a mix of industry and skills-based backgrounds, including major national road transport and warehouse operators and other key subject matter experts. Group CEO Paul Graham currently serves as its chair.

Related: Ports Australia joins HHTSF as members

Source: Australia Post newsroom