News from the CEO: 2020
Weekly CEO Update: Building on the national conversation about mental health
19 December 2020
A month ago today Prime Minister Scott Morrison released the Final Report of the much anticipated Productivity Commission Inquiry into Mental Health where he "affirmed the government's commitment to providing Australians with the mental health support they need, particularly in these challenging times.";
Read moreWeekly CEO Update: Let’s align our voices across the jurisdictional boundaries and work together
11 December 2020
Last year through the challenges of responding to the global pandemic, we were confronted in a new way by the intersecting challenges of working across levels of government. A new National Cabinet was formed and former governance structures were dissolved and are in process of being reformed.
Read moreWeekly CEO Update: “It starts with conversation”
11 December 2020
In her acceptance speech on Tuesday evening, new Australian of the Year Grace Tame said “This year and beyond my focus is on empowering survivors and education as a primary means of prevention. It starts with conversation. We’re all welcome at this table. Communication breeds understanding and understanding is the foundation of progress. Lived experience informs structural and social change. When we share we heal”.
Read moreCEO Update: How can we harness the momentum into 2021?
11 December 2020
The Flannel Flower was chosen as symbol for Mental Health Australia because like many native Australian plants, it needs to be adaptable and enduring in order to survive. Traits that certainly sum up how many of us have addressed the challenges of 2020. A unique year indeed, and a year where we’ve seen the momentum for mental health reform build like never before.
Read moreCEO Update: How nice it is to see and engage with people in person
27 November 2020
A few weeks ago I made a decision to return briefly from my home in Canberra to my other home in Melbourne to see my adult children. I was missing them.
Read moreCEO Update: From community led initiatives to whole of government - we need to prevent suicide
27 November 2020
Sadly it’s not hard to find stories, and lived experiences, of brave people who have been bereaved by suicide, or who have struggled with their own despair and suicidal thoughts. But it is always hard to hear them.
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