Why FIFO Workers Deserve the Same Mental Health Support as Veterans
FIFO mental health support in Australia remains inconsistent, underfunded, and largely dependent on which employer you happen to work for. Meanwhile, the consequences — broken families, substance dependency, suicide — accumulate quietly at the margins of an industry that prides itself on toughness. It is time to name this for what it is: a systemic failure of care.
The Scale of the Problem
Australia has approximately 70,000 FIFO workers in the resources sector alone, with many more in construction and civil infrastructure. Research from Curtin University and the Black Dog Institute has consistently found elevated rates of psychological distress, risky alcohol use, and relationship instability in this population — outcomes that are directly attributable to the work arrangement, not to individual character flaws.
Mental Health Comparison: Veterans vs. FIFO Workers
What Greg McDonald’s Experience Reveals
Greg McDonald has spent decades in the resources and construction sectors and served in the Army Reserves for five years. When asked whether it would be overcompensating to provide FIFO workers with veteran-equivalent mental health support, he was unequivocal: “I totally agree. It’s best to have some preventative and supportive measures than none at all.”
He also noted the patchwork reality: “We do have pockets in the industry that does provide that, but it’s not nationally spread across for all sectors.” That word — pockets — is doing a lot of work. It means that whether you receive adequate mental health support as a FIFO worker depends almost entirely on the size and ethics of your employer, the state you work in, and the specific project you happen to be on.
That is not a system. That is luck.
The Psychosocial Hazard Framework Already Requires Action
Australia’s model Work Health and Safety laws, updated in recent years to explicitly address psychosocial hazards, already require employers to identify and manage risks arising from isolation, high job demands, and poor support. FIFO rosters — particularly long swings with poor communication infrastructure — tick every box on that risk list.
The legal obligation is there. What is missing is the leadership to act on it. This is precisely why EPIC Elevate places psychosocial safety at the centre of its leadership curriculum — because a compliance checklist does not protect a worker at 2am on a remote site who has no one to talk to.
What a National Framework Should Include
A National FIFO Mental Health Framework — Key Elements
| Element | What This Looks Like in Practice | Veteran Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| On-site peer support | Trained peer support officers on every site ≥50 workers | ADF buddy system |
| Roster impact assessment | Mandatory review of swing length vs. family risk | Deployment cycle review |
| Reintegration support | Structured transition back to home life after long swings | Transition to Civilian Life program |
| Family support services | Counselling and financial advice for FIFO families | DVA family support |
| Employer accountability | Mandatory reporting on psychosocial incident rates | ADF reporting obligations |
The Business Case Is Also There
Organisations that resist investing in FIFO mental health support on cost grounds are engaging in false economy. The cost of a workers’ compensation claim, an unplanned resignation, a workplace incident caused by fatigue or impaired judgement, or a suicide investigation dwarfs the cost of proactive support. This is not idealism — it is arithmetic.
High-performing FIFO operations — the ones with low turnover, strong safety records, and crews who actually want to come back — are almost always the ones where someone in a leadership role has made the decision to genuinely invest in the people, not just the process.
Find out how EPIC Services works with construction organisations to build the leadership culture that makes genuine worker support possible. Or reach out directly — we would be glad to talk through what this looks like for your site or project.
Angela Hucker is a construction culture reform consultant and advocate for psychosocial safety in the Australian industry. Learn more.
