CEO Update: Making the most of new perspectives

I am delighted to be sending you my first Weekly CEO Update and making a connection with you, our members, stakeholders and friends of Mental Health Australia. It is an absolute privilege to be here in this role, at this time, and with this team, to take things forward with you.   

This week I have been thinking about perspective. 

Have you noticed how one’s perspective changes the view and the understanding of a situation? 

The physical distancing we have all been experiencing has modified our perspectives on our homes, on our work and on our relationships. We are seeing colleagues, friends and family on screens not across the table. We are filtering our understanding of community and connection through a new lens. We are learning new things about the experience of physical isolation, particularly the impact on mental health. 

For me, after working in clinical and community mental health settings, in government and in primary health care over 30 years, there is already a new perspective as part of Mental Health Australia and that’s exciting. 

This week the National Mental Health Commission has been developing a mental health plan responding to the COVID-19 pandemic for the Australian Government to consider with the states and territories as part of the National Cabinet agenda. This plan, and the new perspective in which it is being developed, could become a blueprint for future pandemic responses and is an opportunity for us all. 

On Wednesday we facilitated a mini Members Policy Forum webinar with National Mental Health Commission CEO Christine Morgan and it was great to have some 30 representatives from the mental health and suicide prevention sector involved. 

Despite short time frames and busy diaries, the opportunity to provide a range of perspectives on the next steps for government in responding to what we are learning about the impact of the pandemic, has triggered important feedback from members. We will compile this feedback and provide it to the Commission later today. Our submission will be built on the agreed directions embodied in Charter 2020, noting that this was already a well-informed platform for the sector.  

Finally and importantly, this week at Mental Health Australia the Board, team and I thanked Melanie Cantwell for her great work as Acting CEO as she passed the baton. I have been delighted to meet the team and begin to hear about the work they are doing and we will do together. 

I am looking forward to connecting with members over the next few weeks and months, and to hearing from you about the issues and challenges in the mental health sector from your perspective.   

Warm regards,

Leanne Beagley
CEO

This week the Senate committee inquiring into the Adequacy of Newstart has released their report, recommending that once the Coronavirus Supplement is phased out, the Australian Government increase the JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance and Parenting Payment rates to ensure that recipients do not live in poverty.

The committee recommends Australia’s income support system be underpinned by a series of principles including that social security is a human right that aims to reduce poverty, is an investment in people and that respect and dignity of the individual is at the heart of the social security system.

As you may remember, as part of our submission late last year Mental Health Australia urged the Committee to recommend Newstart and other income support payments be set independently at a level to meet reasonable costs of living to support economic and social participation, and we welcome these new recommendations.

Read the report