November 2019
MHCC ACT 2020-21 ACT budget priorities
Canberra’s population is growing and so is the call on mental health and wellbeing services. In the 2019/20 ACT budget significant investment was made in the range of government acute clinical mental health services. In the 2020/21 ACT budget this needs to be matched by a substantial investment in the community managed mental health sector.
Investment to ensure a strong vibrant community mental health sector offering best practice services by a highly qualified workforce is consistent with ACT government policy. It would facilitate more people being supported in their community and contributing actively to society. The range of services offered by this sector – recovery, early intervention, prevention, health promotion and community support – also reduces the likelihood of people with mental health challenges reaching crisis point, which in turn reduces pressure on the more expensive acute government mental health services, the justice system and housing.
April 2019
Productivity Commission inquiry into the social and economic benefits of improving mental health – MHCC ACT submission
MHCC ACT would like to thank the Productivity Commission for the opportunity to contribute to this important inquiry. As well as comments and suggestions in response to the Commissions Issues Paper, MHCC ACT has included a number of ‘resource suggestions’ in our submission. These are people, websites and articles which may further inform the Commission in its work, and are placed according to the relevant subject matter.
We also support the recommendations in the submission of Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA), of which we are a member.
March 2019
Moving Canberra Integrated Transport Draft Strategy Submission
MHCC ACT’s submission will focus on the needs of people living with mental illness and their carers, referred to as ‘lived experience’ who use public transport. People with lived experience of mental health issues are often socially isolated. Access to safe public transport is one method of reducing such isolation yet the evidence shows that as a cohort they travel less. Various factors contribute to this such as anxiety, experiences of trauma, lack of confidence,
crowding in public transport, inadequate and inaccessible information about times and destinations/routes, and the costs of travel.
Reducing barriers to public transport for people with lived experience of mental health issues is also useful in increasing community cohesion and increases people’s potential for economic activity.