About the MARS Program

Program overview

The MARS Program has three focus areas:

1. Creating mentally healthy workplaces – by managing psychosocial hazards and promoting positive practices at work that support mental health and wellbeing.
2. Building a culture of safety and respect – with safe, gender-equitable, respectful and inclusive workplaces.
3. Preparing for workplace safety in future mining – training the future mining workforce on work health and safety, including psychosocial hazards and controls, and by addressing emerging risks and fostering innovation and research in mining health and safety.

The MARS Program is a whole of government interagency model that is working with a range of partners to achieve a whole-of-system change that supports workplace mental health, wellbeing, respect and safety in the mining sector. 

Sector engagement

The MARS Program engages and works with the mining industry to help develop positive cultural change across the three identified focus areas by encouraging initiatives that will: 

• support affected people
• support the whole workforce
• strengthen organisational capability
• provide workforce training
• increase awareness of issues and research.

In addition, the MARS Program complements other work the State Government is undertaking to eliminate sexual violence by implementing the Respect@Work report recommendations and developing the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Strategy.

Strategic alignment

The initiative supported by the MARS Program are reflective of the State Government’s response to:

• the federal government’s Respect@Work Report and the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 inclusive of Positive Duty 2022
• the Western Australian Parliamentary Inquiry into Sexual Harassment Against Women in the FIFO Mining Industry
• the Enough is Enough Report
• the introduction of the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 and Work Health and Safety Regulations 2022 for mines and general industries
• the release of the Productivity Commission’s Mental Health Inquiry Report. 

Grant recipients

• Australian Institute of Health and Safety (AIHS) and FIFO Focus
  • Psychosocial risk management program
• Chamber of Minerals and Energy and Lifeline WA
  • Resourceful Mind 
• Mates in Mining
  • Suicide prevention, support, training, and awareness programs