We have launched our Consumer-led Conversations series, hosted by the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance, for 2026.
Each month, we’ll be hearing from Consumer Advisory Groups and Affinity Groups supported by the State and Territory mental health consumer peak bodies, who will discuss the national policy development work they are doing on important topics chosen by them relevant to the consumer movement. For this event, we heard from Priscilla Brice, CEO of the Alliance, introducing the Consumer-led Conversation series followed by the Multicultural Affinity Group and the Psychosocial Affinity Group about their incredible work.
Click the link below to watch the video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf-kZd6BPII
Each month, we’ll be hearing from Consumer Advisory Groups and Affinity Groups supported by the State and Territory mental health consumer peak bodies, who will discuss the national policy development work they are doing on important topics chosen by them relevant to the consumer movement. For this event, we heard from Priscilla Brice, CEO of the Alliance, introducing the Consumer-led Conversation series followed by the Multicultural Affinity Group and the Psychosocial Affinity Group about their incredible work.
Click the link below to watch the video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf-kZd6BPII
2026-27 Pre-Budget Consultation Submission
The Alliance’s submission to the 2026-27 Budget Consultation provides a detailed summary of what is needed to ensure:• Extension of the Alliance’s existing peak funding• Uplift for the Alliance to deliver agreed outcomes• Uplift to create and implement national psychosocial reforms• Establishment of a Chief Mental Health Consumerread the full submission
Alliance 2024-205 Annual Report
The Alliance — Australia’s first national mental health consumer peak led entirely by people with lived experience — is now active, influential, and united. Together, we’ve built a credible national voice grounded in the lived expertise of consumers across every state and territory.
read the full report
Joint Statement - New Report finds Breaches
The National Mental Health Consumer Alliance, together with State and Territory mental health consumer peak bodies, today released Australia’s first mental health consumer-led Human Rights Report — revealing systemic, widespread breaches of human rights for people living with mental health challenges and psychosocial disability across the country.
read the full statement
Human Rights Survey Promotion Pack
The National Mental Health Consumer Alliance has launched Australia’s only national Human Rights Survey designed by and for people with lived experience of mental health challenges.
download the survey pack
Response to Productivity Report
We welcome the Government’s prompt release of the Productivity Commission’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement Review Final Report.We support the findings that the mental health and suicide prevention system in Australia needs to be improved. The four peaks are well-placed to work closely with all governments to lead this reform together.read the full review
Media Release Friends of Mental Health
Parliamentary Friends of Mental Health, an apolitical gathering of elected representatives and reform leaders committed to keeping mental health front and centre of the federal Parliamentary agenda, will take place in Parliament House in late November – the first time this event has been held during this term of government.
read the full media release
2025 Human Rights Survey
Please complete this survey if you are a mental health consumer/person with lived experience of mental health challenges and/or identify as having psychosocial disability. The three terms can be interchanged for the purposes of this survey, i.e. for psychosocial disability please read mental health consumer/lived experience/person with lived experience of mental health challenges. There are around 61 questions, most of which are Yes/No questions.
take the survey
The Response
The National Mental Health Consumer Alliance (the Alliance) welcomes the release of the Productivity Commission’s Interim Report into the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement. This review presents a critical opportunity to reorient Australia’s mental health system toward one that prioritises wellbeing, dignity, and human rights—not just economic productivity.
read the full statement
The National Mental Health Consumer Alliance (the NMHCA) is proud to announce the appointment of two outstanding First Nations leaders—Leilani Darwin and Louisa Salee—to our Board of Directors.
Leilani Darwin, a proud Quandamooka woman, is nationally recognised for her groundbreaking contributions to suicide prevention, mental health reform, and culturally informed systems change.
Louisa Salee, a proud Wakaid and Wagadagam woman from the Torres Strait Islands, brings over 27 years of experience in the health sector. read the full appointment notice
Louisa Salee, a proud Wakaid and Wagadagam woman from the Torres Strait Islands, brings over 27 years of experience in the health sector. read the full appointment notice
The National Mental Health Consumer Alliance (NMHCA) is the national mental health peak body for mental health consumers. We are led by, and represent, the voices of people with lived experience of mental health challenges.
NMHCA is working together with the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) on this opportunity. FECCA is a national peak body.
We are looking for one member from each State and Territory to join NMHCA’s Multicultural Mental Health Expert Group.
read the full member description
After seeking further information from the Department of Health and Aged Care regarding the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance’s (NMHCA) budget requests, and reviewing the Opposition's budget reply, we have updated our NMHCA Budget Release.
read the full update
The National Mental Health Consumer Alliance – the national consumer peak body for people with lived experience of mental health challenges– welcomes the funding for some foundational supports in the 2025 budget. However, we are disappointed with the lack of new funding for mental health initiatives that would increase access to supports and potentially save lives.
read the full analysis
We are recruiting a Chairperson to develop and lead the NMHCA's Rural and Remote Expert Panel consisting of representatives from rural and remote regions in each state and territory, excluding ACT. The Panel will provide high level advice directly to the NMHCA National Policy Council (NPC) identifying particular concerns for mental health consumers living in rural and remote Australia. This will include providing the rural and remote perspective on national mental health policies and providing input into Alliance policy development.
Available for four days a month, the Chairperson will Chair the Rural and Remote Expert Panel (2 hour meeting once a month) and attend the NPC once a month to create a policy pathway to and from the Expert Panel. The Chairperson CANNOT be a Board member of a State/Territory mental health consumer peak body nor be a member of a State/Territory peak body national Consumer Advisory Group.
view full job description
Available for four days a month, the Chairperson will Chair the Rural and Remote Expert Panel (2 hour meeting once a month) and attend the NPC once a month to create a policy pathway to and from the Expert Panel. The Chairperson CANNOT be a Board member of a State/Territory mental health consumer peak body nor be a member of a State/Territory peak body national Consumer Advisory Group.
view full job description
We are looking for a Chairperson to develop and lead the NMHCA’s Multicultural Mental Health Expert Group consisting of representatives from multicultural communities in each state and territory.
The Group will provide high level advice to NMHCA’s National Policy Council identifying particular concerns for people with mental health challenges. This will include providing a multicultural perspective on national mental health policies and providing input into Alliance policy development.
Available for four days a month, the Chairperson will Chair the Multicultural Mental Health Expert Group (2 hour meeting once a month) and attend the National Policy Council (NPC) once a month to create a policy pathway to and from the Expert Panel.
view full job description
The Group will provide high level advice to NMHCA’s National Policy Council identifying particular concerns for people with mental health challenges. This will include providing a multicultural perspective on national mental health policies and providing input into Alliance policy development.
Available for four days a month, the Chairperson will Chair the Multicultural Mental Health Expert Group (2 hour meeting once a month) and attend the National Policy Council (NPC) once a month to create a policy pathway to and from the Expert Panel.
view full job description
The Alliance is holding its first public webinar on Thursday 6 March 2025, from 12noon to 1pm (AEDT) via Teams. This webinar is for Mental Health Consumers only. This means that attendees must have lived experience of using mental health services. A webinar for our Allies is scheduled for 13 March 2025 (https://lnkd.in/gBB9KV7W).
Come along to hear about what we have achieved over the past 7 months, and what we're planning to focus on in 2025. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.
Register by clicking on the link below. We hope to see you there.
Introduction to National Mental Health Consumer Alliance - Consumer Webinar
Come along to hear about what we have achieved over the past 7 months, and what we're planning to focus on in 2025. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.
Register by clicking on the link below. We hope to see you there.
Introduction to National Mental Health Consumer Alliance - Consumer Webinar
The Alliance is holding a public webinar for our Allies on Thursday 13 March 2025, from 12noon to 1pm (AEDT) via Teams. This webinar is open for anyone who wishes to attend.
Come along to hear about what we have achieved over the past 7 months, and what we're planning to focus on in 2025. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.
Register by clicking on the link below. We hope to see you there.
https://events.humanitix.com/introduction-to-national-mental-health-consumer-alliance-webinar-for-allies
Come along to hear about what we have achieved over the past 7 months, and what we're planning to focus on in 2025. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.
Register by clicking on the link below. We hope to see you there.
https://events.humanitix.com/introduction-to-national-mental-health-consumer-alliance-webinar-for-allies
NDIS Bill No 2 Submission
Read our latest submissions in which mental health consumers call for co-design of National Disability Insurance Scheme quality and safeguard amendments and warn the National Disability Insurance Commission of unintended consequences that could arise from their proposed amendments.
read submission