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Tonight’s Budget includes a number of welcome new initiatives for mental health, but leaves ongoing uncertainty about how current reforms will be coordinated...

Ella Ingram – the 21-year-old student who refused to accept insurance giant QBE ’s decision to deny her travel insurance claim – has won a landmark victory against discrimination in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

One in five Australians will experience a mental illness in the next 12 months, almost 50% of us in our lifetimes. Saturday 10 October is World Mental Health Day. On this day Australians are asked to make a personal mental health promise to themselves at https://1010.org.au/ and share it on social media. “Mental illness impacts so many in our community. But if we can recognise the signs and do something about it early, we can significantly reduce the impact it can have on our lives. Unfortunately, our research shows less than one in five Australians regularly seeks help when they are stressed or down. This suggests people could be neglecting their mental health for too long,” Mental Health Australia CEO Frank Quinlan said today. Australia currently has a mental health system that is fragmented and difficult to navigate. The Australian Government has indicated it will launch a substantial mental health reform package before the end of 2015. Mental Health Australia has urged the Government to take a bold approach to reform.