MHCA CEO's Weekly Update - 20 June

This Week

National Mental Health Commission review of mental health

This week we made our third submission to the NMHC review of mental health. We will be sending the submission to members early next week and we are hopeful that it will provide a basis for joint advocacy in coming months. I will discuss this more in next week’s update.

Heads Up!

You may have seen the official launch of the Heads Up Campaign this week. As advised in previous updates, the campaign aims to support Australian businesses to create more mentally healthy workplaces and is a joint initiative of the Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance and beyondblue. I was pleased to attend the launch in Melbourne this week and to see the considerable publicity that was generated. The MHCA has been pleased to support this work over the last year or so, and it is great to see it gathering momentum. Please visit the website and sign up for more information.

Federation White Paper

Josh Fear, Director of Policy and Projects, and I met with officials from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet this week to discuss the development of the Federation White Paper. This process will see the Coalition Government examining federal state relations over the next 18 months and we were keen to make the case that mental health is an important example of where failed relations can lead to great gaps in services and tremendous inefficiencies. We are hoping that mental health might receive some specific attention as part of the development of the Federation White Paper - due for release next year. I will keep you posted on this important process.

Parliamentary Friends of Mental Health

This week, a few of us attended a parliamentary breakfast hosted by the Parliamentary Friends of Mental Health which is co-chaired by Ken Wyatt and Amanda Rishworth. The event heard from two young carers who began looking after their parents from a very early age, due to a psychosocial disability. The stories were very moving and it highlighted the need for us all to consider not just consumers in all we do, but also the voice of the carer. In addition, Jane Henty from ARAFMI Australia  launched their new website “My National Voice”. It was great to hear the voices of carers speaking directly to the parliamentarians gathered. To visit the website please click on the link below.

e-Mental Health in Practice (eMHPrac)

Along with Kylie Wake, Director Consumer and Carer Programs, I went to the launch of the e-Mental Health in Practice (eMHPrac) initiative at Parliament House on Tuesday. eMHPrac is an Australian Government funded initiative providing e-mental health training and support for general practitioners, allied health practitioners and service providers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia. MHCA members the National Institute for Mental Health Research and Black Dog Institute are involved in the collaboration. More information about their contributions is available here.

New Consumer Peak Organisation

On Tuesday afternoon, Melanie Cantwell, Deputy CEO, Kylie Wake and I met with Department of Health staff. Melanie and I meet regularly with senior Department of Health staff for information sharing purposes. A key topic at Tuesday’s meeting was progress of the national mental health consumer peak project and particularly the MHCA’s proposal seeking ongoing operational funding for the future organisation. Unfortunately we have still not received confirmation of this funding. As I noted in last week’s update, the Consumer Reference Group’s most recent update discusses the project’s current challenges related to funding uncertainty.

NDIS Capacity Building

Also on Tuesday, Liz Ruck from our Policy Team presented to the Hunter NDIS and Mental Health Community of Practice Forum, run by NSW Mental Health Coordinating Council and the NSW Mental Health Commission. This community of practice has proven to be a key element of support for consumers, carers and mental health service providers in the Hunter trial site.
 

Reminders

Survey on the design of the Civil Society National Centre for Excellence

The Australian Government has indicated that it will establish a Civil Society National Centre for Excellence (NCE), which would operate independently of Government. The Centre for Social Impact is conducting a research and stakeholder engagement project to develop potential models for the proposed NCE. Whatever your views about changes (including in the regulatory environment) affecting the civil society sector, this is your opportunity to provide constructive input that will help us shape the best possible National Centre for Excellence possible. More details about the project and a link to the survey can be found here.

Youth Mental Health Report

Mission Australia, in partnership with the Black Dog Institute, released a report this week highlighting the increasing vulnerability of Australian youth, and the need for greater supports to help them on their journey into adulthood. The Youth Mental Health Report was officially launched by NSW Mental Health Commissioner John Feneley. The report contains the findings of a survey of 15,000 young people (15-19) across the country and also includes a range of recommendations to address the issue. You can read more and download the report here.

Australian Rotary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship in Australia

Australian Rotary Health invites applications from individuals in clinical or public health fields for a postdoctoral fellowship in support of the prevention of mental illness. The Fellowship must be held in an Australian University Department or Research Institute undertaking relevant research into mental health. The Fellowship is awarded to a maximum of $75,000 per annum and is subject to income tax. It would be great to see mental health featured!  Applications close on 8 August. More details are available at the website.

The Long-Term Unemployment Conference

This conference will address the causes and programs needed to provide opportunities for at risk groups: Disability, Mature Age, Youth, Indigenous and Regional Unemployed.  It will focus on “Building Capability” to create employment in the future with over 50 presentations on research, policy, programs and case studies. The conference will be held from 18-19 August at QT Hotel Gold Coast. More details are available from the website.

LGBTI Mental Health Conference

This is your last chance to register to attend the National LGBTI Health Alliance’s MindOUT! Mental Health Conference, being held in Sydney next week. With the theme Courageous Voices: Seeds of Hope and Transformation, the conference will focus on the enablers as well as the barriers that individuals encounter in coming to the point of being able to acknowledge and affirm their sexuality and/or gender identity. Full details are available on the website.

Madness Made Me - A Memoir

This publication describes the incredible journey of one of New Zealand’s three Mental Health Commissioners (and long time friend of the Mental Health Council of Australia), Mary O’Hagan. Through her own experience, Mary believes the mental health system and society did more harm than good. Madness Made Me is a myth-busting account of madness and our customary responses to it through the lens of lived experience. The memoir is available as an eBook or paperback.

Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium

The number of Australians experiencing mental health problems in rural and remote areas is estimated to be comparable to major urban centres. However, the rural and remote community faces a greater challenge with limited access to mental health services and support. The Symposium theme, The Practitioner’s Voice, seeks to give voice to those practitioners who are faced with these challenges on a regular basis. Registrations are now open to attend this great event, being held in Albury from 12-14 November. Full details are available on the website.

Mind and Its Potential Conference

A reminder that the MHCA has secured a 20% discount rate for our members to attend this year’s Mind and Its Potential Conference from 27-28 October in Sydney. Members need to register before 27 June to take advantage of the discount.The conference features 30+ world renowned international and local speakers and attendees will discover how individuals, organisations and companies can do extraordinary things to improve wellbeing and productivity. If you work for a member organisation and haven’t received your discount code, please contact the MHCA office.

Working with adult survivors of complex trauma - workshops

Adults Surviving Child Abuse (ASCA) has announced a new series of upcoming workshops for health practitioners. The workshop addresses the nature and impacts of unresolved childhood trauma and is suitable for psychologists, clinical psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists, mental health nurses, social workers, GPs and psychiatrists working clinically with adult survivors of complex trauma. Full details can be found on the ASCA website.

Warm regards

Frank

Frank Quinlan
Chief Executive Officer

T: 02 6285 3100  |  M: 0409 655 460
E: frank.quinlan@mhca.org.au  |  W: mhca.org.au
PO Box 174 DEAKIN WEST ACT 2600