2011-12 Achievements

The National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum (NMHCCF) is the combined national voice for consumers and carers participating in the development of mental health policy and sector development in Australia. The NMHCCFwas set up in 2002 by the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council Mental Health Standing Committee(MHSC) and is funded through contributions from each state and territory government and the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. It is auspiced by the Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA).

Through its membership, the NMHCCF gives mental health consumers and carers the opportunity to meet, form partnerships and be involved in the development and implementation of mental health reform.

Membership of the NMHCCF comprises one consumer representative and one carer representative nominated by each state / territory government and representatives from seven national health consumer and carer organisations.Additionally there are two CALD consumer and carer representatives nominated by Multicultural Mental Health Australia and one ATSI representative.

The NMHCCF met four times in 2011-12; 1-2September 2011 (face-to-face), 23 November2011 (teleconference), 5-6 March 2012 (face-to-face) and 13 June 2012 (teleconference).

The NMHCCF had many important achievements in 2011-12.

Publications, Submissions and Launches

  • NMHCCF members completed one Advocacy Brief on Psychosocial Disability (October 2011) and reviewed fiveAdvocacy Briefs:
  • Mental Illness and Intellectual Disability (revised May 2012)
  • Seclusion and Restraint (revised May 2012)
  • Duty to Care – Duty of Care (revised November 2011)
  • Privacy and Confidentiality (revised September 2011)
  • Supported Housing and Homelessness (revised September 2011).
  • The NMHCCF published two position statements:
  • Privacy, Confidentiality & Information Sharing – Consumers, Carers & Clinicians – launched by Senator Claire Moore at the TheMHS Conference on 8 September 2011
  • Unravelling Psychosocial Disability – launched by Senator Jan McLucas at Parliament House, Canberra,on 22 November 2011.
  • The NMHCCF also published a brochure in December 2011 –What Mental Health Consumers and Carers Want.
  • NMHCCF submissions were made to the following consultations:
  • Senate Inquiry into Commonwealth Funding and Administration of Mental Health Services
  • Draft Ten Year National Roadmap for Mental Health Reform.

All NMHCCF publications and submissions are available at

Joint National Register / NMHCCF Workshop

  • NMHCCF members participated in the National Register and NMHCCF Workshop held on 3-4 May 2012 in Sydney and attended by 61 mental health consumers and carers.
  • Key agenda items for this training and issues-based workshop included
  • Social inclusion
  • Population group issues
  • Disability sector reforms
  • Consumer and carer research and evidence based advocacy
  • Effective networking, advocacy and consumer andcarer capacity building
  • Consumer andcarer issues in the media
  • Relationships between the National Register and the NMHCCF

National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum Membership (as at 30 June 2012)

State/Territory / Organisation / Representative
Australian Capital Territory / Bradley Foxlewin(Consumer)
Judy Bentley (Carer Deputy Co-Chair)
New South Wales / Allison Kokany (Consumer)
Eileen McDonald (Carer)
Northern Territory / Gregory Johnson (Consumer)
Doreen Dyer (Carer)
Queensland / Noel Muller (Consumer)
Jean Platts (Carer)
South Australia / Lyn English (ConsumerDeputy Co-Chair)
Margaret Springgay(Carer)
Tasmania / Darren Jiggins (Consumer Ordinary Executive Member)
Elida Meadows (Carer)
Victoria / Isabell Collins (Consumer)
Jenny Burger (Carer)
Western Australia / Lorraine Powell (Consumer)
Debra Sobott (Carer)
blueVoices / Thomas Rust (Consumer)
De Backman-Hoyle (Carer Ordinary Executive Member)
Carers Australia / Pat Sutton (Carer)
Consumers Health Forum of Australia / Janet Meagher (Consumer)
Grow Australia / Luella Lazzarini (Consumer)
Mental Health Carers Arafmi Australia / Keiran Booth (Carer Co-Chair)
Private Mental Health Consumer Carer
Network Australia / Patrick Hardwick (Carer)
Interim representative from the former Australian Mental Health Consumer Network[1] / Michael Burge (Consumer Co-Chair)
Multicultural Mental Health Australia
(CALD representatives) / Susana Bluwol (Consumer)
Vicki Katsifis (Carer)
ATSI representative / Wayne Oldfield (Consumer)

[1]The Australian Mental Health Consumer Network ceased operations in late 2008. The MHSC has provided in principle agreement that the former AMHCN representative should remain on the NMHCCF as a consumer representative until the new peak national mental health consumer organisation is established.