CEO Update: Balancing immediate action and long-term reform
17 July 2025
CEO Message
Balancing immediate action and long-term reform
Recently, I welcomed the Interim Report of the Productivity Commission’s (PC) review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement. It provides proposed immediate actions and validates our concerns on the system issues we have been working on for some time.
In considering the PC’s recommendations, governments will be faced with a choice: to extend the existing National Agreement by a further 12 months as proposed by the PC; or to negotiate the next Agreement in earnest, to fix a system that in the Commission’s own words, is "alienating, inadequate, ill-informed, and under-resourced".
The PC’s proposed extension to the Agreement is to ensure that there is time to develop a renewed National Mental Health Strategy, to provide a unified vision for long-term, strategic reform. This will, inevitably, take time to develop. However, extending the current ineffective National Agreement to June 2027 risks unnecessary delays on action to improve supports for people in the community now.
This is particularly true for the almost half a million Australians missing out on psychosocial supports outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme, given Ministers’ recent indication they will consider these supports as part of the negotiations for the next Agreement.
Our initial submission to the PC review offered an approach that balances the need for immediate action with longer-term improvements. We proposed developing new high-level objectives to guide the next Agreement – in consultation with people with lived experience, carers, family and kin and the sector – and then taking the appropriate time to develop the long-term National Mental Health Strategy while delivering on the next Agreement.
This approach recognises that there is more than one way to achieve effective change, and it doesn’t need to be “linear”. Governments have 12 months to engage and work with the sector, lived experience leaders, and their counterparts across jurisdictions, to develop priorities for new arrangements, before the current agreement expires.
The voices of those most impacted are critical at this point of the review. I encourage Mental Health Australia members and stakeholders to contribute your perspectives by making your own submission to the PC’s formal consultation on the Interim Report and draft recommendations (with the consultation concluding 31 July 2025). Learn more about this here.
Mental Health Australia is preparing a submission to provide a national sector and system perspective. Importantly, it reflects the feedback from our members at our recent Policy Forum, and will re-iterate the importance of us both delivering immediate improvements in our mental health system, while also investing in the longer-term reform that is needed.
Carolyn Nikoloski
CEO, Mental Health Australia
Information requests – Productivity Commission review
The Productivity Commission is seeking case studies and further information from the sector as part of their review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement. The Productivity Commission’s Interim report includes four requests for information on:
- case studies highlighting best practice in integrating peer workers in clinical mental health and suicide prevention settings, particularly by improving clinician awareness of the peer workforce;
- examples of barriers to the genuine participation and influence of people with lived and living experience in governance forums under the National Agreement;
- views on the value and feasibility of having a public dashboard to track and report on progress under the next Agreement’s objectives and outcomes; and
- views on if there should there be an additional schedule in the next agreement to address the co-occurrence of problematic alcohol and other drug use and mental ill health and suicide.
Responses to these requests for information can be provided to the Productivity Commission until 31st July, via online submission or phone. See the Interim report for further information, or contact mentalhealthreview@pc.gov.au (1800 020 083).
Mental Health News
Media release: Latest eSafety research reveals social media use is widespread among kids – and so are the harms
Social media use among Australian children aged 10 to 15 is almost universal and accompanied by high rates of exposure to online harms on a wide range of platforms and services, according to eSafety’s latest research report. The report shows 96 per cent of children in this age group had used at least one social media platform, with 7 in 10 saying they had encountered content associated with harm online. This included exposure to misogynistic or hateful material, dangerous online challenges, violent fight videos, and content promoting disordered eating and suicide.
Media release: One in two Australians facing workplace burnout – young adults and caregivers leading the trend
New Beyond Blue data has found Australia's young people and parents who are most at risk of burnout. A community poll commissioned by Beyond Blue found that half of people surveyed had experienced burnout in the last year, with those aged 18-29 years experiencing the highest rates.
(See media release attached.)
Media release: Depression linked to "internal jet lag", study finds
A Sydney-based study of 69 young people seeking mental health care found almost a quarter showed disrupted body clocks that showed signs that looked like jet lag, despite not having travelled across time zones. The University of Sydney researchers suggest the finding could lead to new ways to treat and study mental health conditions such as depression and bipolar disorder. The study, led by Dr Joanne Carpenter and Professor Ian Hickie from the University of Sydney, is the first to look simultaneously at three key measures of body clock regulation in people with mental ill-health.
Media release: "Hoping people give up" – Dirk's mental health insurance battle shows urgent need for super overhaul
For Dirk Purcell, the last three years have been hell. The 42 year old Queensland man worked as an Aboriginal liaison officer at a hospital in north Queensland for 12 years, but it was in the last few years of his work that his job started to take its toll. Without specialist training, he was forced into frontline situations that left him with severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, and depression. When doctors told him he could never work again, his super fund denied his total and permanent disability claim, saying he needed ongoing psychotherapy, despite there being no affordable psychologist in his region.
Media release: Liptember Foundation launches Women’s Mental Health 2025 Research
Spanning four years of data, the Liptember Foundation's Beyond the Surface: Investigating the Mental Health Realities for Australian Women in 2025 report reveals low self-esteem (50%), financial pressures (45%), low self-worth (42%) and sleep deprivation (40%) are the leading triggers for these mental health problems in women aged 18 to 70. This year's research, a collaboration with the Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine at The George Institute, shows no reduction in the large numbers of women struggling with poor mental health.
Media release: Allied health embraces nature-based therapy
New research from the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia shows that while nature-based therapy is strongly supported by allied health professionals, more needs to be done to embed it into routine care. In the first study of its kind, published in the journal Health and Place, researchers found that 97 per cent of allied health professionals believe that outdoor environments can help prevent and manage a wide range of physical, mental and social health conditions.
Media release: Genetic tool predicts lithium responsiveness in bipolar disorder patients
Researchers from the University of Adelaide are hopeful a recent biological discovery could lead to the precision treatment of bipolar disorder (BD). About 2.2 per cent of the Australian population has a form of BD, a group of conditions characterised by cycles of extreme low and high mood.
Media release: Disability representative organisations call for
accountability after National Disability Insurance Agency conduct targeting person with disability
People with disability, families, kin and organisations are appalled and outraged by the actions taken by the National Disability Insurance Agency to remove a person with disability from the National Disability Insurance Scheme in apparent retaliation for expressing their views on social media about the Scheme.
Media release: Lotterywest grant to boost support for vulnerable young people (WA)
Minister for Youth, Hannah Beazley, says vulnerable young Western Australians will be supported through a range of programs delivered across the State thanks to nearly $550,000 in funding from Lotterywest. The Youth Affairs Council of WA will distribute the funding to eligible not-for-profit organisations through its Youth Sector Small Grant Program. Grants will be awarded for projects focused on early intervention and prevention to improve young people's mental health and wellbeing.
Media release: Delivering more support for Tasmanian families (TAS)
Even more women’s health services will be delivered under a re-elected Tasmanian Liberal Government, with access to be expanded for vital perinatal mental health services across the State. As part of our comprehensive Women’s Health Strategy, we will deliver a four-year program for graduate positions in Perinatal Mental Health at Gidget House services in Tasmania.
Media release: More free mental health care coming to your community (VIC)
The Allan Labor Government is expanding its network of Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals so more Victorians can get free mental health support close to home without needing a GP referral or Medicare card. Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt today visited the Brimbank Mental Health and Wellbeing Local to announce that seven new Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals will soon open across Victoria.
Media release: $1 million in new mental health support for drought-affected farmers (SA)
Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Clare Scriven and Minister for Health and Wellbeing say, Chris Picton say farmers and regional communities impacted by drought will benefit from $1 million in targeted mental health and wellbeing support, as part of the Malinauskas Government’s continued response to drought conditions across South Australia.
Mental Health Opportunities and Resources
Liptember: Raising funds and awareness for women's mental health all September
Make a positive difference for the 1 in 2 Australian women experiencing mental health issues by wearing lipstick in September. Every dollar raised will assist the Liptember Foundation in improving the mental health of Australian women through research, advocacy and education.
Webinar invitation: ReachOut's launch of their new evaluative report
ReachOut Australia is hosting a webinar to launch a new evaluative report exploring the impact of ReachOut PeerChat, a one-to-one digital peer support service. The report unpacks the experiences of the young people who use the service and the peer workers who deliver it. Emily Smith, ReachOut’s Peer Work Manager, will be joined by Rafi Armanto, Head of Lived Experience at Orygen and Tamara Northey, Senior Policy Advisor at the Mental Health Commission of NSW and host, journalist and author, Juanita Phillips. You’ll also hear from ReachOut’s research team and the peer workers behind PeerChat.
Date: Wednesday 30th July 2025
Time: 12:00pm AEST
Location: Online via Zoom
Learn more and register at the button below.
New resources: When life happens, ask R U OK?
R U OK? has launched a series of new, free resources. Learn more at the button below.
2025 NSW Community Champion Award nominations now open
Presented annually by the Mental Health Commission of NSW, the awards recognise individuals and grassroots organisations that have made exceptional contributions to mental health and wellbeing in their communities.
Nominations close this Sunday 20th July 2025.
Survey extended: Have your say – National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Peer Workforce Association Survey
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing invites feedback from mental health and suicide prevention peer workers, including peer workers from other sectors, on the scope of and eligibility criteria that will be selected to establish the new National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Peer Workforce Association.
Responses will inform the drafting of the grant opportunity to establish the new Association so that it is best placed to meet sector need.
The survey has been extended until Monday 28th July 2025.
Australian Government tender opportunity: Delivery of the National Early Intervention Service, a Digital Mental Health Service
The Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has released a Request for Tender for Request for Tender for the delivery of the National Early Intervention Service, a Digital Mental Health Service. The department is seeking responses by 2:00pm, 21st July 2025.
Ten years of honouring mental health leadership: 2025 Australian Mental Health Prize nominations now open
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the highly regarded Australian Mental Health Prize. Established by UNSW Sydney, the prize honours Australians who have made outstanding contributions to mental health across four categories: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, Lived Experience, Professional, and Community Hero.
Nominations close 23rd July 2025. Learn more at the button below.
Workshop: Single session contact in online therapeutic work
Relationships Australia Victoria's course for clinicians, social workers, community organisation workers, health professionals, youth workers, child and family workers and counsellors at all levels of experience offers an overview of effective strategies you can use when supporting clients in brief therapy.
Date: Wednesday 23rd July 2025
Time: 9:30am-12:30pm AEST
Location: Online
Registrations are essential, learn more at the button below.
Job Opportunities
Job opportunities: Relationships Australia Victoria
First Nations Social Emotional Wellbeing Worker
Relationships Australia Victoria invites applications for this role based at their headspace Bairnsdale centre. Work as part of the Relationships Australia Victoria First Nations team to provide strength-based and culturally safe services to young people with a focus on First Nations young people.
Counsellor – Couple, Family and Child
Relationships Australia Victoria is seeking a Counsellor – Couple, Family and Child. Reporting to the Centre Manager and working closely with a team of highly skilled clinicians, responsibilities will include the provision of high quality, culturally sensitive relationship counselling and therapy, including education programs to individuals, couples, and families, as required.
Featured Members
R U OK?
The R U OK? vision is a world where we’re all connected and are protected from suicide. Our mission is to inspire and empower people to meaningfully connect with those in their world and lend support when they are struggling with life.
FearLess Outreach
FearLess is a charity that works with people living with the consequences of post-traumatic stress (often referred to as PTSD). We also help family members in any way affected by it. Our members come from all walks of life including those living with PTSD and their families or people who want to do their bit to make the lives of people living with post-traumatic stress more enjoyable and fulfilling. Our work complements the activities of other community-based organisations and government agencies that provide services to people with post traumatic stress.
Share your news, job vacancies, or upcoming events to more than 5,000 people in the mental health sector each week.
Mental Health Australia members are invited to send us news, announcements, job vacancies, events or other notices for inclusion in the Weekly CEO Update newsletter. To do so, simply fill out this form by COB each Monday for your notice to appear in the newsletter.
If you are interested in being featured in our newsletter, please note that promotions in the Weekly CEO Update are one of many member benefits. Apply for a full or associate membership to take part in advocacy at the national level. For more information or to register your organisation, follow this link.