The 2021-22 federal budget invested a record $2.3 billion in mental health. The 2022-23 federal budget, to be handed down on Tuesday 29 March, must maintain and exceed this momentum to respond to an escalating mental health and social and emotional wellbeing crisis across Australia.

This free webinar will be one of the first sector-wide events to address the budget announcements and discuss how political parties plan to respond to the foreseeable surge in demand for mental health services in 2022/3.

Join leaders from political parties, peak and professional bodies, consumer, carer and family organisations, service providers, unions, local governments and other sector stakeholders to explore fiscal plans and opportunities to bolster the mental health sector ahead of the federal election.

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Speakers

The Hon. David Coleman MP was sworn in as Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in 2020.

He has served in the House of Representatives since 2013.

He is a leading voice for the current Federal Government in delivering unprecedented funding and support for mental health.

Ms Emma McBride MP Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Shadow Assistant Minister for Carers.

She is Deputy Chair of the Select Committee on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention,

She was formerly the chief pharmacist at Wyong Hospital and a deputy director of pharmacy for the Central Coast Local Health District.

Prof Ian Hickie AM is a psychiatrist, Co-Director of Health and Policy at the University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Centre and an internationally renowned researcher in clinical psychiatry.

He was previously CEO of Beyond Blue, an inaugural Commissioner on Australia’s National Mental Health Commission.

He has been at the forefront of the move to have mental health and suicide prevention integrated with other aspects of health care.

Ingrid Ozols AM is Chair of Mental Health Victoria's Lived Experience Advisory Group..

She is a living experience mental health and suicide prevention consultant, educator, Director of MH@Work, and a Senior Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne.

Ingrid has over 20 years of experience across mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention sectors in a variety of executive, board and consulting roles.

Dr Sebastian Rosenberg is Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Policy at the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre.

He is Co-lead of the Economics, Systems Science and Mental Wealth Policy stream.

Sebastian’s research considers tools (including economic, financial and service models) that decision-makers can use to better respond to community mental health needs.

Prof Sharon Goldfeld is Theme Director Population Health and Co-Group Leader of Policy and Equity at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

She is Director of the Centre for Community Child Health at The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne.

A paediatrician and public health physician, Prof Goldfeld also has over a decade of experience in state government as a senior policymaker in health and education.

Professor Bianca Brijnath is the Divisional Director of Social Gerontology at the National Ageing Research Institute.

Her disciplinary training is in medical anthropology and public health and her research expertise is in cultural diversity, dementia, and mental health.

Within these disciplinary and contextual boundaries, she has undertaken several studies exploring mental health and culture, mental health and the life-course, and dementia and cultural diversity.

About this series

Mental Health Victoria's Thought Leaders is a series of free monthly webinars taking a deep dive into the key issues and hot topics affecting mental health.

More information

If you have any queries, please contact us at mhvic@mhvic.org.au