The RFDS in QLD

In May 2020, the RFDS and Rio Tinto announced a new partnership to improve emergency and remotely delivered health care services across regional Queensland.

Under the partnership, Rio Tinto has pledged $1.25 million to the Flying Doctor in Queensland over five years, underlining the company’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of Queenslanders and to providing resources to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This partnership adds to Rio Tinto’s longstanding support of the Flying Doctor in Western Australia. Click here to find out more.

The RFDS (Queensland Section) and Rio Tinto now work together to improve the mental health knowledge of the Rio Tinto workforce in Cape York. In 2020, this was achieved by ensuring every Rio Tinto Weipa based employee attended RFDS facilitated Mental Health and Wellbeing Awareness Training. The presentations inspired Rio Tinto Weipa employees to become advocates for positive mental health and wellbeing for themselves, their colleagues, family, friends as well as their wider community.  To read more, click here.

The $1.25 million partnership is the first major investment announced in Queensland as part of a US$25 million commitment Rio Tinto has made to support communities around the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery. The commitment takes Rio Tinto’s total estimated voluntary global community contributions to around US$60 million for 2020.

In 2020, Rio Tinto also launched their ‘RioGivers’ Program. The company will match every dollar their employees donate through their payroll to charities (including the RFDS) as part of this new workplace giving program. This enables their team members to donate to charity from their pre-tax income and the company to assist in doubling their impact to improve rural and remote Queensland health services.