News from the CEO: 2023
CEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Supporting Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities in times of crisis
10 November 2023
Over the past month we have all watched news of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East escalate. As a result, the mental health implications have been detrimental for both Israeli and Palestinian people living in Australia who have family and loved ones affected overseas.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Navigating the mental health implications of the Israeli-Hamas conflict and Voice referendum
13 October 2023
This week the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released the 2020-2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Australia’s largest mental health study. This new data shows that while overall the proportion of the population experiencing mental ill-health has not changed markedly since 2007, particular population groups are experiencing significantly higher rates of mental ill-health.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: New data shows need for mental health reform
6 October 2023
This week the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released the 2020-2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Australia’s largest mental health study. This new data shows that while overall the proportion of the population experiencing mental ill-health has not changed markedly since 2007, particular population groups are experiencing significantly higher rates of mental ill-health.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Look after your mental health Australia
29 September 2023
October is one of the biggest months on the Mental Health Australia calendar, as it marks our World Mental Health Day campaign. Each year for World Mental Health Day on October 10 we put mental health in the spotlight to raise awareness, break down stigma, and say, ‘Look after your mental health, Australia’.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Nurturing the Future and Prioritising Youth Mental Health
22 September 2023
The transition from adolescence to adulthood is complex, with study stress, future stress, and body image rating high as areas of concern for young people. This week Beyond Blue released a survey which found only one in three teachers believed students at their school were mentally healthy, showing there is an escalating crisis of mental-ill health among young Australians.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Advocating to get mental health reform back on the political agenda
14 September 2023
On Wednesday I was proud to lead my first Parliamentary Advocacy Day, alongside Mental Health Australia Chair Matt Berriman, who officially launched our 2023 Report to the Nation, which is our annual independent benchmark survey conducted by Ipsos.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Creating hope through action this World Suicide Prevention Day
8 September 2023
World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September is an important time for reflection, action and hope. In Australia, we face the stark reality that 3,000 people die by suicide every year, leaving countless families and communities devasted by the consequences.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Let's vote Yes on 14 October
1 September 2023
On Wednesday in Adelaide Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the date of the Voice to Parliament referendum to be 14 October. This means six more weeks of public debate that will impact the social and emotional wellbeing and mental health of First Nations Australians. It is time that we stand together, and use our vote to say Yes to recognition, listening, and better results for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Intergenerational Report - a missed opportunity for a mental health focus
25 August 2023
The release of the 2023 Intergenerational Report this week was a missed opportunity to recognise the strong body of evidence that says investment in mental health reform is good for the economy, as well as being good for the mental health and wellbeing of our communities, both now and also for our future generations.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Lived experience leadership crucial to human rights and mental health
4 August 2023
The TheMHS Conference this week on ‘Bringing humanity and human rights into mental health’ provided an opportune time to reflect on where we’ve come from, and where we’re going in relation to human rights, mental health and lived experience.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: It’s time to look at prevention with a renewed focus.
4 August 2023
The emphasis on prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic was a global necessity. From masks, hand sanitiser and social distancing, to multi-billion-dollar public health campaigns, prevention was a clear strategy to take the pressure off public health systems, and most importantly to save lives.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: It takes a village to raise a child
4 August 2023
While the exact origins of the proverb are disputed most scholars believe it stems from a variety of African cultures. Communities where the general meaning is ‘that an entire community of people must provide for, and interact positively, with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment.’
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: It’s time to ensure people get the services they need
28 July 2023
Events in South Australia this week have highlighted the needs of people with psychosocial disability, with the release of a report estimating as many as 19,000 South Australians are not receiving necessary psychosocial support services. .
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Public policy: failures, fallout, and learnings
14 July 2023
As expected, this week we have seen extensive national media coverage on the release of the Robodebt Royal Commission findings. We know the scheme has had significant and, in some cases, tragic repercussions on the mental health of people across the country and unfortunately it is an example of a monumental policy failure.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: An invitation to the Australian people from First Nations Australians
7 July 2023
This NAIDOC week I’ve been reflecting on the Uluru Statement from the Heart. I encourage you all to read, or re-read this powerful statement, developed six years ago at the National Constitutional Convention.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Action on housing can provide hope and homes
16 June 2023
When it comes to mental health and wellbeing we often talk about hope. The benefits of having something to look forward to, something or someone to connect with, the importance of being part of a community, and somewhere to feel safe and supported.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Getting to YES! in a respectful and safe way.
16 June 2023
It’s official. The bill has passed through Parliament. Australia will hold a referendum – most likely on a Saturday in October or November.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: The importance of connection
16 June 2023
I’ve just returned from a month of leave feeling rejuvenated – I took time out and reconnected with family in Europe. On returning to Australia, I was shocked and saddened to hear the news of the Hunter Valley bus crash and the tragic loss of 10 lives. As news circulated and details emerged, we realised the ripple effect such an event can have on us, individually and collectively.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Be a Voice for Generations
2 June 2023
Reconciliation Week is a significant time in Australia's calendar, where people come together to reflect on the shared histories, cultures, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Schizophrenia Awareness and Support
26 May 2023
This week is Schizophrenia Awareness Week.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: The Change Makers
19 May 2023
It’s National Volunteer Week, a time to celebrate and acknowledge the invaluable contributions that volunteers make to our communities.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: A budget, a forum, and a unified voice
12 May 2023
On Tuesday night, Mental Health Australia welcomed the Albanese Government’s commitment to mental health and its focus on supporting the community to meet rising costs of living in its 2023/24 Federal Budget. While we will continue to call for longer-term investment in systemic reform, there were encouraging signs in the budget that this Government is listening.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Dollars and sense
5 May 2023
In its interim report released this week, the Chair of the Select Committee on Cost of Living noted that people struggle to cover life's basics, such as housing, health care and food.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Working together to achieve change
28 April 2023
In the lead-up to the federal budget, we’re hearing a lot about the need for system reform across many different policy areas, and the scarcity of resources to address them all.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Opportunities for reform and leadership
21 April 2023
This week we have seen promising opportunities for system reform.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: A new chapter
14 April 2023
This week I had the privilege of commencing as the CEO of Mental Health Australia.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Time for reflection and kindness
6 April 2023
We’ll soon be enjoying the Easter long weekend and the chance to get in some quiet reflection as the season changes, as well as some chocolate.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Good neighbours help communities flourish
31 March 2023
Last weekend, amid an anti-trans rally, the passing of South Australia’s First Nations Voice to Parliament Bill, and the New South Wales state election results, Neighbour Day had its 21st anniversary.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Everyone belongs
24 March 2023
As we come to the end of this year’s Harmony Week it is timely to reflect on what cultural harmony means for Australia’s mental health and wellbeing.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Having a say and planning ahead
17 March 2023
Having a say about the care and treatment we receive is fundamental to person-centred health care.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Embracing equity
6 March 2023
International Women's Day (IWD) that was held this Wednesday celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world. It is also a day to raise awareness of the ongoing gender inequality women face.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: The complexity of eating disorders
6 March 2023
I accepted the invitation from Mental Health Australia to write this week's Blog after watching the ABC Four Corners documentary on eating disorders ‘Fading Away’.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: The Voice and Respect
24 February 2023
The Yes campaign supporting The Voice to parliament kicked off yesterday. Leading up to this there has already been much media attention, especially when there was a shift by a Greens senator to the crossbench to pursue a different policy agenda from the Greens Party. We are lucky in this country that we can have a pluralist approach to debate, but we also have a media that is increasingly divided along conservative and progressive audiences that can flame division.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: In the face of adversity
17 February 2023
Trying to get our heads and hearts around the extent of tragedy in the wake of the Turkish and Syrian earthquake has been hard. In what can feel like endless adversity: natural disasters, wars and societal conflict all against the backdrop of the pandemic, it can be overwhelming and a struggle to hold onto hope.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: Online safety and mental health
3 February 2023
Tuesday was Safer Internet Day - a global campaign attempting to bring communities together to help create safer online spaces.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: We need a plan
3 February 2023
The announcement this week by the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, and Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Emma McBride – to fund two independent national mental health lived experience peak bodies, one representing consumers and the other representing carers, families and kin – is welcome news.
Read moreCEO Update from Mental Health Australia: The need to invest in reform
20 January 2023
A very happy new year to you all and welcome back to the first Mental Health Australia Weekly Update for the year.
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