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Speaking frankly...                                       

A lesson in grace, warmth and courtesy from our Indigenous elders

Earlier this week, I happened to be listening to Sydney radio during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. The event was only minutes old when listeners began calling the station to complain about the prominence of Indigenous culture in the event.

“Too much focus on Indigenous people!”

“Too much politically correct rubbish!”

“What percentage of the Australian population is Indigenous compared to how much they are part of this ceremony?” asked the station’s presenter.

Building on this sentiment, an Australian Senator (non Indigenous) announced the next day “I have got nothing against the Aboriginal people but I’m sick and tired of being made to feel as if I’m a second-class citizen in my own country.”

Even if we recognise that these views do not represent the majority, the mere fact that they play out so conspicuously in our public discourse is, in itself, enough to further vilify a group of people who have been systematically dispossessed since European arrival, yet who none the less cling to their cultural heritage and remain prepared to bring it to so many of our public celebrations with such enthusiasm.

Fast forward then to later in the week. Some of us at Mental Health Australia shared a particular delight in seeing Vernon, one of the Yolgnu men who welcomed us to East Arnhem Land for the Garma Festival last year, dance to greet Prince Charles upon his visit to the remote community.

According to the ABC “in a traditional ceremony at Mt Nhulun, a sacred site of great significance to the Yolngu people, Prince Charles was officially welcomed by the traditional owners and Aboriginal elders of north-east Arnhem Land.

On arrival, His Royal Highness was met by senior Aboriginal leaders and presented with a traditional headdress and a woven dilly bag.

The dilly bag plays an important part in a Yolngu story about where the name "Nhulunbuy" came from.

Dancers wearing traditional dress and ochre paint then surrounded Prince Charles on a bush track at Mt Nhulun and escorted him in a procession to a clearing where the rest of the ceremony took place.”

The Prince was given a message stick and asked to take it to the Australian Government.  It indicated that the Yolgnu Nations had never ceded sovereignty of their lands, and asked that they now be recognised.

It seemed striking to me, that in the red dust of East Arnhem Land, people dispossessed of their lands and waters greeted one of the symbols of that dispossession with grace, warmth and courtesy. While further south, our media was filled with bitterness and resentment as Indigenous culture was showcased, albeit briefly, on the world stage.

And why is this important to mental health? Firstly, we will not advance social and emotional wellbeing in Indigenous communities without addressing the legacy of historic injustices and acknowledging the disparaging attitudes that, today, remain so ingrained and widely accepted. Secondly, our whole community suffers from the bitterness and division that is sown by so few, but features so prominently.

All these years on, it seems we still have much to learn in the way of respect and humility from the ancient Indigenous cultures of Australia’s first peoples.

Warm regards.


Frank Quinlan

Chief Executive Officer

National Disability Insurance Scheme psychosocial pathway workshop in Townsville

CEO update readers will know that the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has engaged Mental Health Australia to hold consultation workshops on the design of a tailored National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) pathway for people with psychosocial disability. The pathway refers to the experience participants have from their first interaction to their ongoing engagement with the NDIS. Mental Health Australia has already held consultations on this issue in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth and we are pleased to be holding an additional workshop in Townsville on Friday, 20 April 2018.

The workshops have focussed on the experience of NDIS participants with psychosocial disability and their carers and families. Service providers and peak bodies are also encouraged to RSVP, however please note that every attempt is being made to privilege the voice of NDIS participants with psychosocial disability and their carers and families through this process.

Workshop details
Location: Rydges, Southbank Townsville
Date: Friday, 20 April 2018
Time: 10am-3pm

RSVP: Please RSVP via email to jeremy.colebrook@ndis.gov.au with the following:

  • your name
  • whether you are:
    • a NDIS participant
    • a carer or family member of someone who is a NDIS participant
    • a NDIS service provider
    • other
  • if you are a NDIS participant whether you would prefer the NDIA contact you directly or through another person (e.g. a carer, support worker etc…)
  • whether you will require your support worker to attend with you
  • any dietary or accessibility requirements.

The NDIA will contact the potential workshop participant to advise whether a place has been secured.

Next Week 

On Monday, I will be taking part in a discussion for the DSS Gateway Review. The purpose of the Gateway Review process is to strengthen existing governance and assurance practices and to increase program and project management capability across Government.

On Tuesday, I will be attending the NDIA Provider Industry Reference Group Meeting in Melbourne while that evening I will be attending the biannual MIFA (Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia) dinner in Canberra.

On Wednesday, I will be participating in a Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance teleconference and Josh and I will be meeting with the CBA Community Council, and then taking part in a briefing form the Department of Social Services, on the proposed NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Rules.

While on Friday Josh will meet with the Director of Mental Health Policy, for the UK Mental Health Network.

Mental Health Australia Member Profiles


The Brain and Mind Research Institute is a group of multidisciplinary research teams at the forefront of brain and mind sciences. They collaborate across industries and disciplines to find answers to some of the world's greatest health challenges, including: Childhood development and behaviour, such as autism and behavioural disorders. Youth mental health and addiction, including youth, addiction, gambling and mental health policy. Ageing and neurodegeneration, such as dementia, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
The Brain and Mind Centre represents a virtual network of academics across University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital, Nepean Hospital, Royal North Shore Hospital, Kolling Institute, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney Adventist Hospital,  Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the Sydney Local Health District.
Website - https://sydney.edu.au/brain-mind/ 


Brisbane North PHN supports clinicians and communities in Brisbane’s northern suburbs, Moreton Bay Regional Council and parts of Somerset Regional Council. It covers approximately 4,100 km2 of urban, regional and rural areas, with a population of over 900,000. The Federal Government announced the establishment of 31 Primary Health Networks to replace the national network of Medicare Locals in 2015. The Government selected successful PHNs through an open and competitive process, including the Brisbane North PHN. The key objectives of the Brisbane North PHN are:
• increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of medical services for patients, particularly those at risk of poor health outcomes; and
• improving coordination of care to ensure patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time.
Website - www.brisbanenorthphn.org.au Facebook - www.facebook.com/BrisbaneNorthPHN Twitter - www.twitter.com/BrisNorthPHN

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