We always celebrate mental health-related news; the more we talk about mental health and normalise it in our conversations – the better off we’ll all be!
Victoria’s Royal Commission into Mental Health
The Victorian Government’s Royal Commission into its Mental Health System has handed down its final report, which includes several key recommendations.
Driven by a recognition that Victoria’s system needed attention (described by Premier Dan Andrews as ‘broken’), the Commission’s review was far-reaching, with more than 8,200 contributions and 3,267 formal submissions from a broad range of Victorians who have interacted with the state’s mental health system.
The Commission found that the state’s mental health system was the lowest funded in Australia, and that getting access to appropriate help was difficult – especially for people with low incomes and no private health insurance. It also highlighted continued issues with stigma, and specific challenges faced by younger people and indigenous Australians.
The report’s recommendations included:
- a new approach to funding, enabling greater investment
- creating a Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing, bringing together both clinical and non-clinical care services, as well as an Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Centre
- increasing activities focussed on suicide prevention, and
- increasing the number of people entering the mental health profession and ensuring people with lived experience of mental ill-health or illness are part of Victoria’s mental health workforce.
Learn more about the Victorian Royal Commission here.
While we’re talking about Commissions, did you catch the Federal Government’s Productivity Commission into Mental Health final report – handed down late last year? Learn more here.
Did you know? Royal Commissions are ‘connected with…peace, order and good government’, according to the Royal Commissions Act 1902, and are generally used to investigate misconduct in particular sectors. Since 1902, there have been 135 royal commissions in Australia.
Reminder: free resources from the National Workplace Initiative
What happens when the National Mental Health Commission is charged with building a National Workplace Initiative to improve the mental health of Australia’s workers?
Really cool stuff like these free workplace guides happen – and more!
SuperFriend is proud to be involved with the National Workplace Initiative and we look forward to bringing you updates about this important work as it unfolds.
