Advocacy update from SANE CEO Rachel Green

I was proud to represent the SANE community at a special roundtable held at Parliament House yesterday to share our thoughts on the challenges currently experienced by individuals and carers with complex mental health needs.

The roundtable was attended by the Minister for Mental Health Emma McBride and other MPs and included a range of representatives from our partners in the mental health sector. We also heard from Elizabeth Young, the mother of Jade Young who died in the recent incident in Bondi Junction. She spoke powerfully about how the gaps in the mental health system have impacted her life and family.

Following the Roundtable, we stood together and publicly called for Governments to urgently work together to address the huge gaps we know exist in mental health care and support. I even got a chance to reinforce our message with the media.

We’re also really pleased to see the announcement of the organisations leading the new lived experience peak bodies - The National Mental Health Consumer Peak Body will be established by the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance and the National Mental Health Carers, Family and Kin Peak Body by Mental Health Carers Australia. This landmark reform will ensure future consultations are led by experts with first hand experience of the system.

These recent events really make me hopeful that the needs of our community are being heard and that improvements are on the horizon. Until those changes happen, we’ll continue to amplify the voices of our community. Watch this space!

Rachel Green