October 2025
Pressing pause with purpose
Each year, Consult Australia calls on government agencies to press pause on procurement during the holiday period. “Wellbeing shouldn’t be the price we pay for productivity,” says Consult Australia’s Kristy Eulenstein.
The Pause for Wellbeing tender campaign asks all government clients to wrap up live procurement processes by Monday 15 December 2025, and hold off launching new ones until Monday 5 January 2026.
“With tight pipelines and governments under pressure to push forward projects, there’s a temptation to power through. But we can’t let urgency undermine the mental health and wellbeing of people,” says Kristy, Consult Australia’s Head of Policy and Government Relations.
“An uninterrupted rest helps prevent burnout, boosts morale and protects the mental health of hard-working teams.”
Consult Australia began the campaign in 2018, with Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads the first to lock in a formal pause policy.
Since then, Pause for Wellbeing has gathered momentum, with the Australian Constructors Association, Engineers Australia, Roads Australia, Australasian Railway Association and the Association of Consulting Architects all on board.
“This year, we’ve contacted 114 agencies across transport, defence, local government and utilities. Some now beat us to it and proactively ask for the pause dates.”
The response in 2025? “Incredibly positive,” Kristy says. “Some agencies have given us dedicated contact in case something slips through. It shows a real partnership approach and that government clients are taking industry wellbeing seriously.”
Consult Australia members are also stepping up their efforts to support mental health. (Check out our story from August 2025 Consulting Matters about how SMEC is using a bottomless bucket of Maltesers as a mental health conversation starter.)
Consult Australia encourages members to flag any tenders released during the pause period. “We will advocate for extensions where needed. We’ve had success in previous years. A well-timed break will keep everyone moving forward in 2026.”
Find out more about the Pause for Wellbeing campaign or visit the Mental Health Knowledge Hub for practical resources.