CEO Update: National Reconciliation Week 2025 – Bridging Now to Next
29 May 2025CEO Message
National Reconciliation Week 2025 – Bridging Now to Next
It’s National Reconciliation Week 2025, a time to focus on strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, for the benefit of all Australians.
This week, we also marked National Sorry Day on Monday 26th May. It is now 28 years since the Bringing them home report was tabled in Federal Parliament – a powerful truth-telling moment that called for justice. We acknowledge the Stolen Generations – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcibly removed from their families between the mid-1800s and 1980s.
This year’s Reconciliation Week theme is Bridging Now to Next, reflecting the ongoing connection between past, present and future. It calls on all Australians to step forward together, to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us.
This message of unity, respect and commitment is particularly significant at this moment in Australia’s reconciliation journey, following the 2023 referendum on a Voice to Parliament, and recent commentary on the use of acknowledgements and Welcome to Country ceremonies.
For First Nations allies, Reconciliation Week is an opportunity to reflect on how we support reconciliation in our own way. For Mental Health Australia, this includes partnering with First Nations organisations, leaders and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with lived or living experience of mental ill-health, who are embedding culturally appropriate approaches to mental health and social and emotional wellbeing in the mental health system.
It also includes standing with First Nations leaders in holding the Australian Government accountable in delivering on its commitment to supporting reconciliation that closes the gap between non-Indigenous and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Social and Emotional Wellbeing Policy Partnership is a core component of closing the gap in mental health outcomes. Administered jointly by Mental Health Australia member Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia and the Australian Government, it is part of the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Earlier this year, Gayaa Dhuwi launched the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration Framework and Implementation Plan, a 10-year roadmap to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, cultural strength, and best practices into Australia’s mental health system.
The Framework and Plan provides a strategic approach to achieving the highest standard of social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and suicide prevention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We continue to call on Australian governments to fund its implementation.
We proudly join the millions of Australians who are also committing to stepping forward together to "bridge now to next". Join us in showing your support this National Reconciliation Week by downloading and displaying the National Reconciliation Week 2025 resources, attend an event or participate in Reconciliation Australia’s choir.
Reconciliation Week is a chance for us to come together, reflect, and take meaningful steps toward a more inclusive future.
Carolyn Nikoloski
CEO, Mental Health Australia
Joint open letter urging investment to address unmet need for psychosocial support
This week, Mental Health Australia and all state and territory mental health peak bodies wrote to all Health and Mental Health Ministers encouraging decisive action on investment in psychosocial support outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to meet need. The letter calls for Health and Mental Health Ministers, at their upcoming meeting, to:
- recommend to National Cabinet that it agree a funding envelope for a 50:50 cost share arrangement to increase investment in psychosocial supports over a five-year period to meet need; and
- commit to a public consultation process to design future psychosocial support arrangements.
Governments have the information needed to make wise investments in psychosocial services to achieve good outcomes. Governments have an analysis that quantifies unmet need, evidence about what works, existing interjurisdictional governance mechanisms to build on, and existing service infrastructure and commissioning pathways. All we need now is for governments to commit funding to ensure all people in Australia who need it can access quality psychosocial supports.
You can read the letter on Mental Health Australia’s website at the button below, and The Australian's coverage in the article attached.
Embrace Multicultural Mental Health Project’s new website has launched!
The Mental Health Australia team is excited to announce that our redesigned Embrace website has launched! The updated site features improved navigation, clearer content, and new functionalities, making it easier for multicultural communities and service providers to find information, tools and resources.
Explore the new features and see what’s changed by visiting the site at the button below.
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.
Attendees will hear from the Productivity Commission, who will present on the interim report of the Review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement; the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing; the National Mental Health Commission; the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance and Mental Health Carers Australia.
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 statement: announcement of new Shadow Ministry
Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Sussan Ley, MP, announced the new Shadow Ministry. Senator the Hon. Anne Ruston MP is the Shadow Assistant for Health and Aged Care and Shadow Minister for the NDIS. Ms Zoe McKenzie MP is the Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health.
Press conference transcript: Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Disability and the NDIS
The Hon. Mark Butler MP said he has sought a briefing from his department about different states' approaches to GPs' prescribing and treatment for patients with ADHD diagnoses, and welcomed the collaborative way the New South Wales Government has gone about this work with the College of GPs and the College of Psychiatrists and Physicians representing paediatricians. Minister Butler said governments are working to a timeline of finalising negotiations on foundational supports, and the recent machinery of government changes provides a single portfolio of contact for the states.
Media release: Game changing reforms allow GPs to treat ADHD to reduce wait times and costs (NSW)
The Minns Labor Government will make it cheaper and easier for people to access life changing treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder by allowing GPs to treat and diagnose people with ADHD. GPs will be able to provide ongoing ADHD prescriptions for children and adults who are on stable doses of medication, without the need of a formal arrangement.
Media release: Protecting workers compensation for future generations (NSW)
The Minns Labor Government introduced a bill to Parliament to reform the way the NSW workers compensation system deals with psychological injury. The reforms will address the lack of focus on preventing psychological injury, the low rate of recovery and return to work for psychological injuries, and arrest the sharp rise in premiums.
Media release: Mental health group urges NSW Government to pause its workers' compensation reform
Australians for Mental Health has issued a plea to the NSW Government to slow down its controversial changes to workers' compensation laws. The legislation before parliament (today) has been improved from the exposure draft released a few weeks ago, but still falls short of the whole-system reform needed to address the workplace mental health crisis.
Mental Health Opportunities and Resources
Webinars coming soon
The National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum (NMHCCF) is presenting two 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.
Last chance 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 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.
Reminder – 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.
Closing soon: Nominate a bold leader for the 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 in June
Relationships Australia Victoria’s Centre for Learning and Innovation is offering the following workshops and webinars in June:
Job Opportunities
Closing tomorrow: 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 (Mental Health), Perth
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
Parent-Infant Research Institute
The Parent-Infant Research Institute (PIRI) is a vigorous and innovative Australian research institute whose vision is to improve the emotional well-being of parents and to optimise infant development. PIRI provides a unique contribution to early intervention by combining basic research and clinical expertise to address depression and other difficulties facing parents and infants. The Institute is a leading body recognized internationally for its cutting-edge research into perinatal depression and anxiety, online mental health treatments and translating research to practice.
CoHealth
cohealth is a not-for-profit community health organisation that strives to improve health and wellbeing for all and lead the way in reducing health inequity in partnership with people and the communities in which they live. We have developed a unique model that provides a financially sustainable and impactful way to address social and environmental challenges and make a real difference.
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.