Mental Health Advisory Council positions
Emma Davidson MLA, the Minister for Mental Health and Justice Health and Dr Elizabeth Moore, Coordinator-General, Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing invite expressions of interest for the appointments to the positions of Chair and Members of the Mental Health Advisory Council. The Mental Health Advisory Council (MHAC) was established under the Mental Health Commission Act 2012 (the Act). The Council is a statutory advisory body to the Minister for Mental Health and the Coordinator-General for the Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing and, as such, does not have any decision-making authority.
Under legislation, the Mental Health Advisory Council has the following functions:
Advising the Minister and Coordinator-General on:
a. emerging or urgent mental health issues
b. mental health service reforms
c. mental health policy
d. mental health legislative change
e. anything else in relation to mental health and social and emotional wellbeing as requested by the Minister.
Job Description
Members are appointed by the Minister for Mental Health based on their individual expertise and to reflect the diversity of the ACT community. The Council brings together knowledge, skills and experience in promotion of mental health, mental health care services and addressing mental illness.
These positions will commence in March 2023 and appointments are for a three-year term.
Persons applying for appointment to the MHAC must be registered under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011.
How to apply
To ensure the collective membership of the MHAC holds all the skill sets required to provide strong impartial advice to the Minister, applicants should provide a current resume, a statement addressing the required personal attributes and skill sets, and the name and contact details of a professional referee.
Expressions of interest are to be submitted via email to mhacsecretariat@act.gov.au. Applications will be kept on a register for 12 months and the Minister may use this register to appoint new members should vacancies occur.
For enquiries contact the Secretariat at mhacsecretariat@act.gov.au. Closing date for applications is Friday 4 November 2022.
Northside Hospital Initial Feedback
The ACT Government is continuing to plan for a new hospital in the north of Canberra. This hospital will meet increasing demand for public hospital services in Canberra's north and future proof our health system.
Help shape the early planning and design of a new Northside Hospital by giving your feedback about what you need from a new Northside Hospital. Your feedback will be used in this early planning and design stage to consider options for the new hospital. Your views will also help inform potential funding decisions by government. Decisions about detailed design and construction approval will happen in later stages of this project over the next few years.
You can have your say by joining the activity on the YourSay page, or by coming along to one of the in-person engagement activities listed on the page. ACT Government is also holding a virtual drop-in session on Wednesday 16 November from 5.30 to 7.30pm. Register for the virtual workshop here.
Yale University’s LET(s) Lead Academy
The Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH) in partnership with the National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum (NMHCCF) and the Mental Health Lived Experience Engagement Network (MHLEEN) is recruiting up to 15 emerging leaders with lived experience of supporting someone with mental health distress to participate in the LET(s) Lead Academy, a transformational leadership development program.
They are looking for candidates with personal lived experience of caring for someone with mental health distress who want to make positive changes in their community and are interested in transformation social change.
Please visit the NMHCCF Website for more information including a flyer for more about this transformational program and submit your application before the 14th of November 2022 9:00 pm.
National Connections2022 Survey
If you were unable to attend an event during Connections2022, the National Mental Health Commission would like to invite you to complete the National Connections Survey.
This Survey is an opportunity for all Australians to have their say on the changes needed for mental health and suicide prevention system reform.
Accreditation scheme for the National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) is seeking feedback on the Accreditation scheme for the National Safety and Quality Mental Health (NSQMH) Standards for Community Managed Organisations (CMOs).
The NSQMH Standards for CMOs will be released in November 2022. The NSQMH Standards for CMOs describe a nationally consistent safety and quality framework that all community managed organisations providing mental health services can apply when delivering mental health care. Where implemented, consumers and carers should be able to be confident they are accessing a mental health service that is safe and of high-quality.
We invite you to attend the online information webinar and provide your feedback via a written submission.
The consultation period is open now until 11.59pm (AEDT) Friday 9 December 2022. If you have any questions about the consultation process, please contact the mental health team at: mentalhealth@safetyandquality.gov.au.