Workplace wellbeing: rights and local resources

Bendigo Health campus on Lucan Street recorded 420 workplace-related mental health referrals in the first half of 2026, up from 310 the previous year.

The increase tracks with ongoing hybrid-work demands and the Fair Work Act changes that took effect in January 2025, which expanded the right to request flexible arrangements without penalty. Employers must now respond to such requests within 21 days or risk Fair Work Commission orders.

Rights at work and how to use them

Staff at businesses along Hargreaves Street and in the CBD can request paid mental health days under the new personal leave provisions, provided they supply a medical certificate after two consecutive days. The same rules apply to workers on the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail corridor who commute from surrounding towns. Refusals can be challenged at the Commission within 14 days, and local union offices on Williamson Street have scheduled free clinics every second Tuesday.

Human-resources teams at the Bendigo Health campus have begun offering one-hour briefings on these entitlements, with the next session set for 22 July at the hospital’s education centre.

Local programs that fit around shifts

Employees can join the free Saturday morning Rosalind Park parkrun, which starts at 8 am near the rotunda and draws more than 180 runners each week, many of them shift workers from the hospital and nearby offices. The 5 km course loops through the park and connects directly to the Bendigo Creek recreational trail, giving participants an immediate outdoor reset before or after rostered hours.

Those preferring indoor options can book the campus gym at a subsidised $8 per session through the staff wellness portal. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s 2025 workplace survey showed that employees who used at least one structured activity per week reported 27 per cent lower stress scores after three months.

Anyone unsure where to start should contact the Bendigo Health campus occupational-health nurse on extension 2456 or drop into the weekly drop-in at the Rosalind Park community room on Thursdays between 12 pm and 1 pm. Staff are advised to confirm personal eligibility with their own GP or the Fair Work Ombudsman before lodging formal requests.