Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak on the outcomes in the form of a declaration of the Mental Health Services Learning Network, or TheMHS, pre-conference consumer forum, 'Share our Power', this year hosted by Consumers of Mental Health WA. The declaration, 'Our Collective Voice', outlines consumers' vision for a national consumer voice. The declaration was created by people with lived or living experience of emotional distress, trauma, neurodiversity, mental health challenges and psychosocial disabilities. It seeks to outline a vision of a future where the collective voice of mental health consumers is heard, valued and central to the design and implementation of policy and care. I had the great privilege of being asked to accept this declaration, and, in accepting the declaration, I committed to the forum to table it in the Senate and to pursue a national voice for consumers. I now table the declaration, which I have taken to whips. It's the declaration from the consumer forum on mental health.

Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are no objections to the document being tabled, and my understanding is this has been agreed.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Consumers of mental health are very clearly saying they want and need a national voice. They've articulated what a voice would give them. They talk about what a collective voice needs to be. It needs to be: heard, consumer led, essential, inclusive, funded, involving people, independent, peer led and valued. They're the things they're calling for. They see that having a consumer national voice would give them: validation, strength, acceptance, amplification of their voice, opportunities, belonging, power, agency, acceptance, safety and empowerment. They're the things that the consumers of mental health services are saying they need. Consumers of mental health services are very clearly saying this is what they want.

The declaration is a reminder to all members of parliament that consumers must be involved in decision-making about services, and that services must be reflective of their needs and experiences. Over the last year, it has been encouraging to see a renewed focus on mental health, not only from the government but across society, as we have all felt the effects of devastating bushfires, the global COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing uncertainty that has been created.

Late last year we saw the release of the Productivity Commission's report on Australia's mental health system, confirming that we are in the midst of a mental health crisis and that significant work is required to support individuals onto a path of ongoing wellbeing. It found that one in two adults will at some stage in their life suffer from a mental health illness or condition. One in five of us will face the struggle in any given year, costing the economy between $43 and $51 billion. With the Productivity Commission's report, we find ourselves with a unique opportunity to radically redesign our mental health systems in Australia. Putting consumers of mental health services and those with lived experience front and centre is absolutely essential and integral to any reforms that are initiated.

I've heard—and so have many in this chamber, I'm sure—the challenges that people face when seeking the care they need for themselves or when trying to find support for a friend or family member in times of crisis, only to be hit with roadblocks and red tape. We must take the lead from those who need access to services and those with lived experience of navigating the system on what is needed to deliver the outcomes for people suffering from emotional distress, mental ill health, trauma and psychosocial disabilities. We must listen to the consumers of those services and make sure that they have a national voice. I'm committed to supporting that call and encouraging the Senate to do what we can to support a national voice. (Time expired)