Victoria’s Minister for Mental Health Gabrielle Williams will launch a landmark conference focused on Victoria’s mental health reform journey. 

Victoria’s three mental health sector peak bodies, the Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC), Tandem, and Mental Health Victoria, will jointly host the conference on Tuesday 6 September 2022 at the Pullman Hotel in Albert Park.

Our Reform: A progress report on the effectiveness of mental health and wellbeing reform from the people who use the system will be a unique opportunity for leaders and policy experts from across Victoria’s diverse mental health sector to critically examine, and reflect on, successes and challenges in Victoria’s Royal Commission reform and implementation process at the 18-month mark.

Lived experience leaders, policy makers, clinicians, and eminent system reform and human rights experts will lead a series of challenging, interactive, and detailed discussions on the work achieved to date, and the substantial road ahead.

The unique conference design includes leadership, coordination, design, and equal participation from consumers, families, carers, kin and supporters.

Senior representatives from the Victorian Government will be invited to engage in high-level, solutions focused policy discussions, led by the Victorian mental health sector, including the consumers, carers, families and supporters at the heart of our system.

The conference will inform evidence based and sector endorsed recommendations to government on how implementation can be strengthened throughout 2023 and beyond.

This will be an opportunity for Victoria’s mental health sector to thoughtfully examine key reform initiatives from the first 18 months of Victoria’s reform journey, including legislative reform, service system reform in clinical and community settings, Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing, and Lived Experience reform.

Our Reform will also feature the launch of Mental Health Victoria’s new report, prepared in partnership with the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, The Human Rights Roadmap: 40 ways to operationalise human rights in Victoria’s mental health and wellbeing system.

Tickets go on sale 25 July 2022. VMIAC and Tandem will oversee and administer a substantial free and subsidized ticketing allocation for consumers, carers, families, and supporters, so as to ensure the full and authentic participation of lived experience voices.

Pre-sale tickets for Mental Health Victoria members will be available from 22 July 2022.