CEO Update: What are you doing on World Mental Health Day?
What are you doing on World Mental Health Day?
At Mental Health Australia, we are gearing up for what is looking to be a rewarding, busy and exciting World Mental Health Day next Thursday 10 October.
It has been great to see so many events being registered on 1010.org.au, ranging from morning teas, film festivals, rock-climbing, trivia nights, talks, dancing, "cupcake breaks", "stretch and relax" classes, and so much more.
If you have not found an event to get behind on World Mental Health Day, head to https://1010.org.au/find-events/ - or better yet, create your own event! It could be as simple as grabbing some friends and sharing a meal together.
Myself and some of the other Mental Health Australia staff will be heading up to Townsville to try and break the Guinness World Record™ for the 'most people wearing high-visibility vests at a single venue.'
This event is being hosted by Bunnings Fairfield Waters, and is the product of a fantastic partnership with Bunnings Warehouse, the Queensland Alliance for Mental Health, the City of Townsville, Mentally Healthy City Townsville, 3M, Triple M and Townsville Bulletin.
At 1000 registrations so far, we're feeling pretty confident of breaking the current record of 2,136 people!
Another great and easy way to help raise awareness for the day is to make a Mental Health Promise to go on the Promise Wall, and to share amongst your friends, families and communities.
Most importantly though, wherever you are and whoever you are with, World Mental Health Day is a day to see beyond the stigma that, despite a slow reduction, is still too common around mental health issues.
It is a day to be brave enough to open up to your friends and family about your struggles, and be ready and willing to listen to those who have the courage to open up to you.
World Mental Health Day is a great chance to make mental health more visible in our society, foster connected communities, and to do our part to make Australia a more mentally healthy community which, ultimately, can save lives.
We can't wait to see what everyone gets up to on the day!
Warm regards,
Frank Quinlan
Chief Executive Officer
Productivity Commission update
The Commission will seek further information and feedback following the release of the draft report on 31 October 2019. The Productivity Commission is advising that they will hold public hearings on the following dates, at the following locations:
- 15 November - Canberra
- 18-19 November - Melbourne
- 20 November - Perth
- 21 November - Geraldton
- 25-26 November - Sydney
- 28 November - Broken Hill
- 2 December - Rockhampton
- 3 December - Brisbane
- 9 December - Launceston
Adelaide and Darwin public hearings will be held at dates to be advised in early 2020. Please note registrations to attend or participate in the hearings is not open yet.
Mental Health Australia submission to Religious Freedom Bills
This week, Mental Health Australia made a submission to the Attorney-General’s Department’s consultation on the exposure drafts of the Religious Freedom Bills. This brief submission outlines that the exposure drafts of the Religious Freedom Bills do not achieve an appropriate protection for all parties by privileging religious freedom rights over the human rights of others.
If enacted, the Bills could make it easier for health practitioners to refuse health services on the basis of the health practitioner’s purported religious belief. Mental Health Australia sees potential detrimental impacts for (but not limited to) LGBTIQ+ people seeking healthcare and people seeking access to contraception, reproductive and sexual healthcare. The Religious Freedom Bills also operate quite differently to state legislation, which provide for the right to conscientious objection around some specific procedures but balance this with provision for access to adequate healthcare.
Mental Health Australia recommends that the current Bills are re-examined to ensure Australians’ fundamental human right to access to healthcare is not compromised by legislation that preferences religious freedom over other human rights.
Read more about the consultation
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World Mental Health Day is getting close! The more organisations who commit to promoting awareness, the more we reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and play our part in creating a mentally healthy community. Looking to attend or host an event on Thursday 10 October? You can do this HERE. You can also make a #MentalHealthPromise. Choose from a pre-written promise or get creative and write your own! Then share the promise amongst your social networks.
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On Monday, the Mental Health Australia office will be closed for the Labour Day public holiday and will reopen on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Mental Health Australia is hosting two participants, Wendy and Hayden, as part of the Australian Mental Health Leaders Fellowship (AMHLF) to observe leadership in action and learn more about different aspects of the mental health sector.
Thursday 10 October is World Mental Health Day and it sees Lachlan Searle, Director of External Relations, Anna Siddall, Communications Officer, and myself up in Townsville to break a Guinness World Record! We have partnered with Bunnings, Queensland Alliance for Mental Health, and other local organisations to set a world record for the most amount of people wearing high-visibility vests at a single venue. If you are in the area please register and come and join the attempt.
Don’t forget to make a #MentalHealthPromise to yourself anytime next week. You can chose from one of our pre-written promises, or get creative and write one of your own for display on our Promise Wall and for sharing through your own social media channels.
Friday 11 October will be my last day at Mental Health Australia.
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