Beyond awareness – measurable changes to stigma and discrimination
15 July 2026“Despite improvements in attitudes to mental health, my experiences of discrimination have increased over the past decade… The bottom line is, when I talk about depression and anxiety symptoms, I get support and understanding. When psychotic symptoms are brought up, things change.”
This is the experience of Jeanti, a 29-year-old from Sydney, highlighted in the National Mental Health Commission and SANE Australia’s recently released 2026 National Stigma and Discrimination Report Card.
Jeanti is not alone. The Report Card tells us that 70% of people with mental health challenges have experienced discrimination in at least one area of life, most commonly in employment, romantic relationships and housing.
Mental Health Australia was pleased to attend the launch of the Report Card by the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Canberra. We were struck by the power of lived experience advocates both at this event and throughout the report, which highlight the real-life impacts of stigma and discrimination that make up these high-level statistics.
The Report Card establishes a unique platform to track changes in stigma and discrimination over time. It shows while there has been a significant reduction in stigmatising attitudes between 2011 and 2024, this has not translated into behaviour change - with experiences of discrimination increasing across most domains in this timeframe.
68% of people experiencing mental health challenges reported that living with stigma and discrimination was worse than living with the symptoms of the mental health challenge itself. This stark finding highlights why addressing stigma and discrimination in Australia must remain a high priority.
As the adage goes, what gets measured gets done. This is why the National Stigma and Discrimination Report Card is so important. It provides the data and ongoing monitoring and accountability needed to target policies to effectively address the problem.
It also highlights the need to address the gap between awareness and action. As the report states: “Reducing stigma and discrimination requires more than public awareness campaigns. It calls for coordinated, sustained action across all the domains of a person’s life: systems, services, workplaces and communities, supported by strong leadership and accountability.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Governments must carefully consider this Report Card – the reflections it makes on the state of stigma and discrimination related to mental health challenges in Australia, and the way forward. The report provides clear steps around moving from awareness to behaviour and systems change, and provides critical guidance on the areas of greatest impact and priority.
But it’s not just up to governments. We all have a role to play in reducing and eliminating stigma and discrimination. We encourage you to engage with the Report Card (including through the upcoming free webinar) and consider changes you can make, in your community, your workplace, and your home, to shift the dial in stigma and discrimination. It’s only with collective action that we will see genuine and lasting change.