CEO Update: Mental health priorities for the first 100 days of the new Albanese Government
22 May 2025
CEO Message
Mental health priorities for the first 100 days of the new Albanese Government
With a new federal ministry now sworn in, Mental Health Australia has tabled our Incoming Government Brief to key ministers in the re-elected Albanese Government. It offers immediate, actionable mental health reform priorities for the government to progress in this second term of government.
The establishment of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, which brings together mental health, psychosocial supports and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) into a single portfolio, is a significant move, creating a unique opportunity for reform. Given this shift, we are also preparing an additional NDIS-specific briefing for both Ministers Butler and McAllister, highlighting the particular intersections between disability and mental health and the ongoing work within the NDIS.
Our mental health portfolio incoming government briefing provides recommended actions for the new government in its critical first 100 days. These include:
- Facilitating the first meeting of the Health and Mental Health Ministers meeting for 2025.
- Establishing a mental health taskforce to guide the delivery of election commitments and longer-term reform, with a focus on prioritisation, implementation design and reform sequencing.
- Releasing a public work plan for the National Mental Health Workforce Working Group.
- Responding to outcomes of the consultation to reform the National Mental Health Commission, and progressing arrangements to re-establish the Commission as an independent, standalone statutory agency with enabling legislation.
Within the first year of government, our brief sets out priorities to drive the development of a new National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement; implement Mental Health Australia’s Sector Sustainability Statement; facilitate the second national meeting of Health and Mental Health Ministers for 2025; and increase mental health investment through budgetary processes.
We have recommended the government works closely with the national mental health lived experience consumer and carer peak bodies (National Mental Health Consumer Alliance and Mental Health Carers Australia), to embed their role in advising on systemic reform. We have also set out the need to continue to deliver reform commenced in the last term of government, such as publishing and funding the implementation of the National Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Strategy, and establishing and launching the National Early Intervention Service.
We have also highlighted the importance of having an overarching national mental health strategy, to connect and prioritise existing reform efforts, and capitalise on the progress the government can achieve in its second term.
We have heard Prime Minister Albanese’s call for fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all, and are looking forward to working with our members and the government to deliver on this positive outlook for Australia over the next three years and beyond.
Read our full incoming government brief on mental health priorities here.
Carolyn Nikoloski
CEO, Mental Health Australia
Registrations open: Mental Health Australia's Members Policy Forum
Mental Health Australia members are invited to mark their calendars for the next Members Policy Forum on Wednesday 25th June 2025 in Canberra.
The forum is an opportunity to reflect on the outcomes and implications of the Federal Election, and shape future sector priorities together. Representatives from the Productivity Commission will present on the interim report of the Review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement. Additional speakers will be announced shortly.
Members can register to attend in person at the button below, or to watch presentations throughout the day via Zoom, here. In-person registrations close on 3rd June 2025.
See highlights from our last forum, held in November 2024, here.
Member (in-person) registration
Mental Health News
Media release: Mental health group warns against proposed workers’ compensation reform
Australians for Mental Health has expressed major concerns over proposed changes to workers’ compensation for psychological injury. In its submission into a NSW parliamentary inquiry, Australians for Mental Health has warned any changes that make it harder for workers to get help under liability and entitlements for psychological injury will push thousands of injured employees straight into a public mental health system that is already at breaking point, overwhelming services and leaving many people without care.
Media release: Psychiatrists check out again while government dithers
The Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA) is, once again, issuing a stark warning to the Federal Government in the wake of South Australian psychiatrists walking off just months after their NSW colleagues did likewise. The mental health workforce is collapsing and the Government’s failure to act is impacting people’s lives.
(See media release attached.)
Media release: New mental health clinicians now on the ground across New South Wales
The Minns Labor Government is getting on with the job of putting more mental health workers on the frontline – delivering real support for people with complex and long-term mental health needs. Thanks to a $30.4 million investment in the most recent State Budget, more than 30 new community mental health clinicians have already hit the ground in key regions including Western and South-Western Sydney, Hunter New England, and Northern and Southern NSW. Recruitment is now being finalised for additional roles in Murrumbidgee, the Mid North Coast, and across specialist public health and forensic services.
Media release: Mental health reform in retrograde
Thousands of vulnerable Victorians risk falling through the cracks as Victoria’s mental health reform stalls. Mental Health Victoria has warned that the 2025 State Budget fails to deliver the investment needed to keep the state’s mental health reform on track four years after the landmark Royal Commission.
Media release: World Family Doctor Day: GPs vital for mental health
World Family Doctor Day 2025 celebrated the unique role specialist GPs play in delivering personalised, comprehensive, and continuous care to patients and communities, particularly in supporting mental health. The Royal Australian College of GPs recognised GPs around Australia for their vital work nurturing mental wellness in their patients through preventive care, early and effective diagnosis, and holistic, person-centred support.
Media release: Expanding primary care through new mental health clinics
Bupa announced further investments in preventative primary healthcare, including a new network of Mental Health clinics supported by virtual health and Medical Centres to meet growing consumer demand. It will open its first Mindplace mental health clinic this month as part of a plan to open a further 9 clinics by the end of the year and have approximately 60 clinics by 2027. Mindplace clinics and services will be open to all Australians, not just Bupa customers.
Mental Health Opportunities and Resources
Upcoming webinars
The National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum (NMHCCF) is presenting two online webinars in June.
- Lived Experience Theory of Change, 2:00-3:00pm AEST, Wednesday 4th June: Join the NMHCCF for the launch of the Lived Experience Theory of Change, a bold and unifying vision for the future that places united consumer and carer voices at the forefront of reform.
- "Psychosocial Disability" and "Complex Mental Health": A Co-Design Perspective, 12:30-1:30pm AEST, Wednesday 11th June: Join the NMHCCF for an engaging and insightful webinar exploring the growing significance of the psychosocial disability sector in addressing the gaps left by the mental health system.
2025 Woodcock Lecture hosted by Wellways: Dignity by Design – Humanity in the Mental Health System, 29th May 2025
The 24th Annual Woodcock Lecture, hosted by Wellways, is a crucial exploration of how human rights-based approaches can transform our mental health support systems.
Call for feedback: Australia Suicide Prevention Planning Model (AuSPPM)
The Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research is calling for suicide prevention stakeholders, including persons with a lived experience, to provide feedback on the draft Australia Suicide Prevention Planning Model (AuSPPM) via an online survey. The AuSPPM is designed to bring together evidence on service needs to inform population planning for suicide prevention programs and services.
The survey closes Friday 30th May 2025.
Call for abstracts: 10th Rural and Remote Health Scientific Symposium
Research from the heart – shaping rural and remote health futures
Abstract submissions for the 10th Rural and Remote Health Scientific Symposium (Alice Springs, 8th-9th October 2025) are open. The Symposium provides an opportunity for delegates to present and translate their research, learn from others, build collaborations and understand emerging directions in rural, remote and Indigenous health research.
Abstract submissions close Friday 30th May 2025.
Nominate a bold leader: 2025 Australian Psychosis Conference Awards
The Australian Psychosis Conference Awards celebrate change-makers in psychosis advocacy. The Australian Psychosis Conference (Brisbane, 29th-30th July 2025) is proud to honour individuals making a real difference in the lives of people experiencing psychosis, recognising bold leaders who drive change across advocacy, research, governance, and lived experience leadership.
Nominations are invited across three award categories and may be people with lived experience or professionals whose work challenges stigma, drives reform, and promotes dignity, equality, and evidence-based change.
Nominations close 31st May 2025.
2025 Australian Counselling Association National Conference, Adelaide, 11th-13th June 2025
Join the Australian Counselling Association for their 2025 ACA National Conference, themed "Changing Landscapes", held over three days in Adelaide this June. This 21st annual conference offers a unique opportunity to explore the dynamic shifts shaping the counselling profession and the broader mental health sector.
Registrations close 1st June 2025.
Nominations invited for the Barbara Hocking Memorial Awards
The Barbara Hocking Memorial Awards honour those in the community who help create a world where we’re all connected and are protected from suicide. Named after Barbara Hocking OAM, a trailblazer in mental health advocacy and former Executive Director of SANE Australia, the biennial awards recognise those who embody the R U OK? mission of fostering meaningful connections any day of the year
Nominations close 3rd June 2025.
Australian Government advisory committee vacancies: Therapeutic Goods Administration call for applications
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is seeking applications from professionals with expertise in medicine and science, and consumers with expertise in consumer perspectives and issues, for vacancies on TGA advisory committees.
Successful applicants will contribute to the TGA’s regulatory functions by providing independent expert advice on matters across a broad spectrum of issues relating to medicines, medical devices, vaccines, and other products and substances. Committee members provide advice throughout the therapeutic product life cycle, from premarket evaluation to post market product safety.
Applications close 11.30pm, Tuesday 3rd June 2025.GA)
2025 Rural Mental Health Conference, Hobart, 5th-7th November 2025
This year’s Rural Mental Health Conference is taking place in Hobart 5th-7th November 2025, centred on the theme: Rural Mental Health for the Future: Innovations, Collaboration, and Inclusive Approaches.
Registrations are open. Mental Health Australia CEO Update readers are eligible for a 20% discount by using the code MHA20.
Relationships Australia Victoria training opportunities
Relationships Australia Victoria’s Centre for Learning and Innovation is offering the following workshops and webinars in May and June:
- Life Transitions and Mental Health Webinar, 22nd May
- Managing Challenging Behaviours Workshop, 2nd June
- Mental Health First Aid Workshop, 11th June
Job Opportunities
Job vacancy: Chief Executive Officer, Mental Health Lived Experience Peak Queensland
Mental Health Lived Experience Peak Queensland is recruiting its next Chief Executive Officer. This is a unique opportunity to lead Queensland’s only consumer-led mental health peak body and drive meaningful systems reform.
Applications close 30th May 2025.
Job vacancy: NDIS Support Worker (Perth), Helping Minds
Helping Minds is always looking to expand its NDIS Support Worker team to meet the needs of the community. If you are interested in joining their team and have experience and qualifications in providing support to individuals with a psychosocial disability in an outreach capacity, find out more at the button below.
Featured Members
Ostara Australia Limited
Ostara Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation that works closely with the Australian Government, member organisations, communities and employers to place people disadvantaged through age, health, disability or cultural background into sustainable employment. Their holistic approach is to address both the vocational and non-vocational barriers faced by disadvantaged job seekers. As such, they deliver personalised employment services, whilst also working in collaboration with countless community and welfare organisations to help job seekers with any mental, cultural or emotional challenges.
Centre for Muslim Wellbeing
The Centre for Muslim Wellbeing is a not for profit organisation with a vision of being a leading provider of services that builds flourishing individuals and vibrant communities in Australia. CMW has a focus on prevention and early intervention, advocacy, and raising awareness of the issues of mental health and social isolation within Muslim communities to ensure community members have the support they need before they get to crisis.
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