Special Interest Matter - Rural Alive & Well Tasmania RAWTas

Tuesday 1 Sept 2026

[11.37 a.m.]

Ms ARMITAGE (Launceston) - Today I wish to shine a light on the incredible work being done by Rural Alive & Well Tasmania, otherwise known as RAW Tasmania, in our regional and rural communities, and the real impact they're having for the health and wellbeing of Tasmanians.

RAW work statewide with 20 staff located around the state and embedded in the communities they work in. They truly understand the challenges and struggles people living in our regions are facing.

The RAW team travels to visit people one-on-one, raise awareness of mental health and suicide, and provide information about what support is available. Mr President, RAW really makes a difference to people.

At the Impact Report launch a couple of weeks ago, RAW CEO Lee Whiteley said:

"While non-clinical, the work is a critical link in the system, often being pivotal in building trust and connecting people to clinical pathways that they may otherwise avoid. The real value of this piece in the system puzzle is difficult to quantify because we'll never really know what's prevented."

Mr President, that really struck me, because he's absolutely right. We can never be truly sure what is prevented through efforts being made by organisations like RAW, but that makes them all the more essential.

While I intend to consider and note the RAW Impact Report in this place in the near future, I will briefly outline just some of the things they've recently done to help in our communities.

In 2025‑26, the RAW Outreach Team worked with 438 participants, one-on-one, face to face - a reduction on the year before and yet the instances of one-on-one support, outbound referrals and average months of support all increased by approximately 30 per cent. RAW's data is also revealing; 65 per cent of participants were males; 17 per cent in the 35 to 44 age group - an especially high-risk bracket for men.

Almost 50 per cent of participants were over 45 years of age, with 32 per cent being over 65 years of age - a time for many when disconnection, isolation and physical health feature prominently; and approximately 80 per cent were self-referrals.

Well, I believe that data speaks for itself. For the benefit of those who might not have been able to attend the Impact Report launch, I will finish with a brief anecdote relayed by Mr Whiteley on the day that really emphasises the hands-on work being done by RAW Tasmania.

Back in May, during Budget week, Mr Whiteley had the privilege of attending a gathering at a small country hall where around 40 retired men, all of whom had spent their lives working in agriculture, came together for a shared meal prepared and served by members of their own community. They call it the Bandicoot Lunch. Many of these men are now in their 70s, 80s and beyond.

Together with their families, they've spent decades contributing to our agricultural sector and helping to build the communities we're proud of today. They talked about the importance of connection, one of the central pillars of our RAW Fast 5, alongside mind, mood, body and meaning. In an age where we're supposedly more connected than ever, these men demonstrated something many of us risk forgetting.

There is no substitute for face to face conversation, for fellowship and for a genuine sense of belonging. While Mr Whiteley was the guest speaker at this lunch, he said that the truth was they could teach him more about the value of community than he could ever teach them. It was a timely reminder that community is not an abstract concept. It's built in local halls, at sporting and service clubs, around shared tables, and through the willingness of ordinary people to continue showing up for one another. A bit like how the member for McIntyre was talking about chats at the local football match.

As we consider the challenges facing Tasmania, particularly in our rural and regional communities, we should never underestimate the value of these connections. Strong communities remain one of our greatest assets and genuine human connections remain one of the most powerful drivers of well-being, resilience and belonging.