Tanya Kretschmann (standing) and Dr Stefanie Roth, Queensland's National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum representatives, opening the Leading Reform Summit 2019.
Hello everyone
November was once again a busy month that included attending a National Suicide Prevention Taskforce forum, a joint meeting of Australian and New Zealand mental health commissioners, and the Commission’s Leading Reform Summit.
National suicide prevention
The Canberra suicide prevention forum was led by the Prime Minister’s National Suicide Prevention Adviser Christine Morgan and included an appearance by the Prime Minister and Health Minister.
The forum and the associated National Suicide Prevention Taskforce are addressing the complex issues contributing to Australia’s suicide rate.
In particular, it is focusing on:
building better connected and capable communities
building better connected journeys
building better connected data and evidence.
The forum included a wide range of stakeholders, including people with lived experience, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experts and service providers, researchers and clinicians, and Commonwealth, state, territory and local government representatives.
The aim is to have a collective national approach across all jurisdictions, and our recent Every life suicide prevention plan is being considered as part of the process.
ANZ mental health commissioners
We hosted a meeting of Australian and New Zealand mental health commissioners in Brisbane in November, with updates from all Commissioners, as well as information on the Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan, the 2019 National Report, Vision 2030 and the Child Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
New Zealand Treasury representative Jess Hewat’s presentation on New Zealand’s first wellbeing budget was a highlight of the meeting.
Leading Reform Summit 2019
Our second annual two-day Summit, on 21 and 22 November, brought together more than 40 speakers to help set the reform agenda for the next 12 months.
The feedback from the Summit has again been extremely positive, with highlights including presentations by our national consumer and carer representatives Tanya Kretschmann and Dr Stefanie Roth.
We intend to continue the conversation around key areas for reform throughout the year. Keep an eye on our social channels for updates. See more below.
Rockhampton council meeting
Rockhampton offered the Council and staff a very warm welcome in November, including a memorable Welcome to Country by George James, Darumbal elder. Our thanks to all the people and organisations that gave generously of their time to meet with us. See below for more detail.
Elder George James welcomes the Advisory Council to Darumbal country.
Executive director farewell
Dr Leanne Geppert, our Executive Director for the past year, has taken up a new position at the Queensland Family and Child Commission. Leanne has made an outstanding contribution to the Commission during her time here and we wish her every success in her new role.
Leanne is being replaced by Bretine Curtis, who is currently our Director of Systems Planning and Response and is across major initiatives and deliverables for the 2019-20 year. Please do not hesitate to contact the Commission to introduce yourself if you do not already know Bretine.
Finally, I wish everyone a very safe, restful and restorative Christmas and New Year.
Blueprint for building the lived experience workforce
The Commission has launched a new toolkit for embedding people with lived experience of mental health challenges into private, public and NGO workplaces.
The Commission is funding an innovative social enterprise program delivering long-term sustainable jobs, better lives and better futures for disadvantaged young people.
Researchers engaged by the Commission have found Queensland's new mental health act has brought the state into closer alignment with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Did you know Queensland is the first jurisdiction in Australia to have specific cultural rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples enshrined in legislation?
The holiday period can be a particularly difficult time for many Australians. The #YouCanTalk campaign by Everymind asks Australians to start a conversation with loved ones this holiday season.
The Commonwealth is providing $8 million to support research aimed at identifying effective approaches to suicide prevention. Apply now - applications close 5 February 2020.
We're working on co-designing the next phase of Stretch2Engage, the framework for engaging people with lived experience as equal partners in policy, planning and governance.
The Leading Reform Summit is our key event for engaging and aligning leaders, introducing new evidence and strategies, fuelling collaboration, harnessing the collective knowledge of sector leaders and driving the reform agenda forward.
We covered a broad agenda during the 2019 event and there were a number of highlights and initiatives that we will pursue in 2020 as we continue to roll out the Shifting minds strategic plan.
Overwhelmingly Summit delegates felt the event achieved its purpose, with 90 per cent agreeing the topics and speakers were relevant to current and emerging issues, evidence and trends. Feedback included that the focus on ongoing reform as part of the sector's business as usual was important and inspired leaders to keep going.
Themes from delegate feedback included: a request for greater focus on practical models for reform; greater showcasing of existing models that are working; more attention to both the mental health and AOD sectors (to learn from each other); and stronger emphasis on delegate discussion and input.
We are currently developing a Summit website to upload videos, research, data and other news during the year, and will continue the conversation online.
Of course, we would be delighted to hear your ideas for Summit 2020.
We're leading development of a renewed Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Plan for Queensland focused on preventing and reducing adverse impacts of problematic AOD use.
Australia's new National Alcohol Strategy aims to cut harmful alcohol consumption by 10 per cent by addressing community safety, price, promotion, treatment and prevention.
We hosted insightful briefings from the national Productivity Commission on their draft report for senior government officials, Advisory Council members and other stakeholders in December.
An independent evaluation of the second Canberra pill testing trial shows the trial worked and could provide a model for similar services across the country.
Life expectancy mapped for people with mental disorders
University of Queensland research finds people living with a mental disorder have a life expectancy up to a decade shorter than the general population. >More
Can we talk? Mission Australia's seven-year youth mental health report
The report found young people are facing a plethora of challenges and barriers, with mental health the top issue for the third year running. >More
Australia's mental health crisis - private funders are not answering the call
Australian philanthropists are avoiding mental health charities because of confusion, duplication and a lack of funder leadership, new research finds. >More
Mental Awareness Foundation grants
The foundation is accepting grant applications for 2020. The grant program aims to support grassroots mental health charities, with seven $25,000 grants and a pool of $25,000 for small grants. >More
National Suicide Prevention Conference videos
Presentations from the National Suicide Prevention Conference 2019 are now available online, sharing key learnings to help reduce the suicide rate. >More
Children in Australia - new data
Children in Australia are generally happy, healthy and safe, according to an AIHW report. But children's experiences and outcomes can vary depending on where they live and their families' circumstances. >More
Prosperity's children: youth unemployment in Australia
For young Australians, the long road of prosperity is pitted with potholes. And long-term youth unemployment is one of the key challenges. Nearly one in five unemployed 15 to 24-year-olds have been out of work for 52 weeks or more. >More
Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in Australia
This report consolidates the most recently available information on alcohol, tobacco and other drug use in Australia, and includes key trends in the availability, consumption, harms and treatment for vulnerable populations. >More
Sponsorships
We offer sponsorships up to $10,000 for sector events. Next round closes 30 November.
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