Spotlight on the Top End: Geoff Radford on Get Real
We love seeing our members out in the world championing community mental health, and Northern Territory Mental Health Coalition CEO Geoff Radford did exactly that in a recent episode of the Get Real: Talking Mental Health and Disability podcast. Hosted by Emily Webb and Karenza Louis-Smith from ermha365, Get Real has frank, fearless conversations about […]
Concerning NDIS senate inquiry pace
Today the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 was introduced to the House of Representatives. It has been referred to the Senate for a full committee inquiry, with a turnaround that gives the sector very little time to respond. Community Mental Health Australia has been closely tracking the […]
Finding opportunity in reform
The 2026-2027 Federal Budget papers put into focus something our sector has always known: that mental health and wellbeing are not built in clinics alone. The decisions in this budget about housing, employment, bulk billing, hospital funding, and community infrastructure are mental health decisions, whether they are framed that way or not. A government that […]
Congratulations to the Australian Association of Peer Workers
Earlier this week marked a genuinely significant moment for the mental health and suicide prevention sector, and for every peer worker who has ever wondered whether their role would be recognised, valued, and supported in a way that endures. The establishment of the Australian Association of Peer Workers is that recognition. And it has been […]
Reform isn’t always neat and tidy: NDIS changes announced
Today’s announcement by Hon Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Ageing and Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme marks a significant moment for Australia’s disability and mental health landscape, one the community mental health sector has long anticipated, and one that will raise as many questions as it answers. One question that […]
New economic analysis strengthens national voices at historic parliamentary breakfast
This week, The Lived Experience and Community-Managed Alliance Parliamentary Breakfast brought together community leaders from across the country with a shared commitment to shaping a mental health system that recognises the full context of people’s lives, including their social and emotional wellbeing. Co-hosted by the Indigenous Australian Lived Experience Centre, National Mental Health Consumer Alliance, […]
Close the Gap Report 2026
The release of the 2026 Close the Gap report is an important moment for Australia. It reinforces something many of us working in the community-managed sector see every day: the gap is not closing at the pace it should, not because we lack evidence or commitment, but because the systems themselves have not shifted. “We […]
Mental Health Australia Expo
At the recent Mental Health Australia Expo at Parliament House, we showcased the Assisting Communities Through Direct Connection (ACDC) Project and its work exploring place-based approaches to meeting unmet need for psychosocial support. Led by Community Mental Health Australia with State and Territory Community Mental Health Peaks and the National Lived Experience Peaks, the project […]
Looking Forward to the Mental Health Australia Event
We’re looking forward to joining colleagues from across the country at the upcoming 2026 Mental Health Sector Expo hosted by Mental Health Australia at Parliament House. This event is always a valuable opportunity for our sector to come together in the heart of our nation’s capital, to connect with decision makers and to showcase the […]
Australian Journal of Human Rights
A recent article published in Australian Journal of Human Rights (2026) presents a carefully reasoned case for a Human Rights Act in Western Australia, using the state’s mental health system as a practical example of why stronger legislative protections matter. Titled Advancing a rights-based mental health system: the case for a Human Rights Act for […]
