The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) has committed $2.7 million in funding toward Farmstrong over the next two years, representing the first phase of a five-year financial arrangement totalling $6.8 million. The extension reflects the insurer’s continued emphasis on addressing workplace safety through psychological and emotional health interventions within agricultural operations.
Associate minister for ACC and agriculture Nicola Grigg (pictured right) announced the funding decision, highlighting the sector’s occupational risk profile. She noted that farming and horticulture represent sectors where injury rates and severity remain among the highest in the country. The investment supports Farmstrong, which began operations in 2016 as a collaborative initiative involving ACC, rural insurer FMG, and the Mental Health Foundation.
The financial commitment responds to documented injury patterns in the agricultural sector. Throughout 2024, ACC processed more than 17,000 new claims stemming from work-related farm injuries, with associated costs for recovery and rehabilitation totalling approximately $120 million.
The rationale for ACC’s continued funding derives from empirical research examining connections between farmer psychological wellbeing and occupational injury occurrence. A study commissioned by ACC and released during 2019 produced data on injured farmers’ self-reported contributing factors. The research found that 58% of injured farmers identified at least one wellbeing-related element as a precursor to their injury, while 24% characterised diminished wellbeing as a major contributory cause. These wellbeing-associated injuries represented approximately 30% of total farmer injury claim expenditures.
Paula Wood, ACC’s workplace injury prevention manager, described the connection between psychological and physical safety. “There's a strong link between a farmer’s wellbeing and the rate of accidents and injury,” she said.
Farmstrong has developed resources and guidance materials designed to assist farming families in managing sector-specific operational and personal pressures. The programme has engaged substantial numbers of agricultural operators throughout its operational history. According to Gerard Vaughan, CEO of Farmstrong, 20,000 farmers reported changes in wellbeing associated with the programme during 2025.
“Farmstrong’s mission to support farmers is just as relevant today as when it was launched,” Vaughan said. He added that “the pressures aren’t going to disappear,” pointing to persistent structural challenges facing the farming sector that require ongoing resource allocation and support mechanisms.
ACC’s Farmstrong allocation complements a separate safety initiative announced earlier this year. The corporation established a partnership with Safer Farms, committing over $11 million across five years to implement the “Farm Without Harm” strategic framework. This partnership targets four priority harm categories: mental health and wellbeing factors, vehicle and machinery-related injuries, livestock handling injuries causing musculoskeletal damage, and chemical exposure hazards.
The dual investment allows ACC to simultaneously deliver psychological wellbeing programming and implement hazard-specific risk reduction strategies across the agricultural sector.
