CEO Update - The targets we need to fix mental health

The targets we need to fix mental health

In less than a fortnight more than 80 representatives from the mental health sector will converge on Parliament House in Canberra for the Mental Health Australia Parliamentary Advocacy Day.

United and representing a diverse group of advocates, consumers, carers and health professionals, our aim is for a bi-partisan systematic approach to fixing mental health in this nation. 

What does that mean?

We want to restore, then increase funding levels. We want to urgently address the gaps opening up in services, especially psychosocial supports. We want to address funding uncertainty, especially to programs that are working. We want to support and learn from consumer and carer engagement. And we want to adopt clear targets that we can all work towards.

On the day, speaking with some 40 senators and members, we will continue to educate, and continue to communicate areas of concern with the decisions makers. We will continue to ask tough questions and highlight problems, but also provide solutions on where best to fill the gaps and focus long term funding. And all because we are united in the push to ultimately fix mental health in Australia.

For a long time now we’ve been talking about targets and indicators, and I firmly believe that if we don’t say what we are trying to achieve and then measure it, we will never know if our strategy is effective or not. If we set some clear targets and indicators that allow us to measure our progress, and guide our investment, that will allow us the sector to line up future investment in pursuit of the broader goal. It will allow the community to understand the objectives we are pursuing, and it will allow federal and state governments to focus spending on long term and successful initiatives.

Defining targets takes courage and requires strong leadership. Leadership which the National Mental Health Commission review said has to come from the Commonwealth. Targets that can then drive the work of the mental health sector and ultimately the community.

A community where a lot of hope and expectation has built up over recent years to fix mental health, thanks to a lot of good work from within the sector, especially around awareness and reducing stigma. A community where mental health issues are still very close to people’s hearts and minds, but a community where one in five Australians will experience mental illness this year…

One target we all know we need to reduce.

Warm regards 
Frank