Policy Concordance
Policy Concordance: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health, Social and Emotional Wellbeing and Suicide Prevention
In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health, social and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention, government policies are critically important because they influence what services are available and how they are delivered – with enormous consequences for people’s lives.
This Concordance is a guide to policy and decision-making at national and State/Territory levels. It includes:
- profiles of key Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, government departments and agencies and other organisations with an important role in policy processes
- formal policies that describe governments’ commitments to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities, and how they intend to deliver on them
- other essential documents – for example community submissions to policy processes and the most influential research reports.
The focus is on current policy documents. However some older publications are included where they have been particularly influential, and policies and strategies are included after their intended finish date if they have not yet been replaced and are still guiding practice.
Social and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention are complex and multi-faceted and do not fall neatly into a single policy domain. This Concordance focuses on the organisations, processes and policies most directly related to these issues, acknowledging that important policy work also takes place in other domains – including education, justice and family services. The Concordance is a living resource and the CBPATSISP welcomes suggestions for additional inclusions.
The CBPATSISP published its first Policy Concordance in 2019. Since then, the field has moved exceptionally fast, notably with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap in 2020 and the new shared decision-making, Indigenous governance and direct funding changes that have flowed from that commitment.
At a State and Territory level, several jurisdictions have begun Treaty processes that will completely change the basis of policy-making to focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and governance. However there is still much further to go to create a policy environment that truly recognises the autonomy of Indigenous peoples and reverses two centuries of colonial decision-making.
This Concordance therefore is not a simple update but a complete revision. It is a one-stop online hub for anyone seeking information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health, social and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention policy in any part of Australia, including government and ministerial policy staff, researchers, service providers and community organisations.
National
Key organisations
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Coalition of Peaks |
The Coalition of Peaks is made up of more than 80 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled peak and member organisations across Australia, that represent around 800 organisations. The groups came together as an act of self-determination to work in partnership with Australian governments on Closing the Gap. The coalition:
|
| Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia |
Gayaa Dhuwi (GDPSA) is the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention. As a community-controlled organisation, it is governed and controlled by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experts and peak bodies, working in these areas to promote collective excellence in mental health care. |
| Social and Emotional Wellbeing Policy Partnership |
The SEWB Policy Partnership, established in 2022, brings together First Nations and government representatives to develop policies that improve social and emotional wellbeing and mental health and reduce suicide rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strat Islander people. It operates through shared decision-making and is one of five policy partnerships established under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. (The others are justice, housing, early childhood care and development and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages). |
| Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention |
The Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention (CBPATSISP) was established in 2017 at the University of Western Australia to develop and share evidence about effective suicide prevention approaches for Indigenous people and communities. Building on the foundation of the earlier Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project (ATSISPEP), the CBPATSISP influences Indigenous suicide prevention policy, practice and research by promoting access to evidence and resources and through advocacy. It operates under Indigenous leadership and governance and is funded through the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care under the National Suicide Prevention Leadership and Support Program. The work of the CBPATSISP is centred on the rights of Indigenous people and communities to self-determination, and the critical importance of cultural responses to distress alongside clinical approaches. |
| National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) |
The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) is the national peak body representing 145 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) on Aboriginal health and wellbeing issues. Tracing its history to the 1970s Indigenous rights movements, NACCHO provides advice and guidance to the Australian Government on policy and budget matters while advocating for community-developed health solutions that contribute to the quality of life and improved health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It works through:
|
| Healing Foundation | The Healing Foundation amplifies the voices and lived experience of Stolen Generations survivors and their families, working with communities to create safety and providing an environment for Stolen Generations survivors and their families to speak for themselves. It promotes trauma-aware, healing-informed practice to help government, policymakers, and workforces understand the trauma that was caused by colonisation and actions like the forced removal of children and their role in intergenerational healing. |
| Reconciliation Australia | Reconciliation Australia was established in 2001 as the lead body for reconciliation. It is an independent not-for-profit organisation which promotes and facilitates reconciliation by building relationships, respect and trust between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, focusing on influencing organisations, people and policies in based on five interrelated dimensions: race relations, equality and equity, institutional integrity, unity and historical acceptance. |
Government
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care | The Department works with stakeholders to develop and deliver policies and programs and advises the Australian Government on health, aged care and sport. It includes suicide prevention and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health branches. |
| National Indigenous Australians Agency | The National Indigenous Australians Agency was established in 2019 to recognise and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, working with them in partnership to enable self-determination. It leads and influences change across government to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a say in the decisions that affect them through the following functions:
|
| National Mental Health Commission |
The Commission monitors and reports on investment in mental health and suicide prevention initiatives, provides evidence-based policy advice to Government and disseminates information on ways to continuously improve Australias mental health and suicide prevention systems, and acts as a catalyst for change to achieve those improvements. This includes increasing accountability and transparency in mental health through the provision of independent reports and advice to the Australian Government and the community.It works with stakeholders, particularly people with living experience of mental health, their families and other support people to ensure mental health reforms are collectively owned and actioned.It works across all areas that promote mental health and prevent mental illness and suicide not just government and not just health, but education, housing, employment, human services and social support, towards the best possible mental health and wellbeing for all Australians. |
| National Suicide Prevention Office |
In response to recommendations in the National Suicide Prevention Advisers Final Advice and the Productivity Commission into mental health and suicide prevention, the Federal Government announced the creation of a National Suicide Prevention Office in May 2021. The Office is a critical national driver of the work towards zero suicides by ensuring a whole- of-government approach that is informed by lived experience and creates opportunities to respond early and effectively to distress. |
| Productivity Commission |
The Productivity Commission is a Commonwealth Government agency established to provide independent research and advice to Government on economic, social and environmental issues affecting the welfare of Australians. It publishes extensively on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander program and governance issues. |
Policy documents
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | National Agreement on Closing the Gap | Coalition of Peaks/ Commonwealth Government |
The objective of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement) is to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and governments to work together to overcome the inequality experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and achieve life outcomes equal to all Australians. In July 2020 the agreement was signed by Australian governments and the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (the Coalition of Peaks). It was developed as a partnership, between Indigenous organisations and the Commonwealth, State and Territory and local governments, and comprises 17 targets, including:
|
| 2024 | Review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap | Productivity Commission |
The first review of progress on the National Agreement on Closing the Gap found fundamental changes are required to deliver on the Agreement. In its strongly-worded introduction the Commissioners wrote: “The four Priority Reforms in the Agreement rely on a bedrock of trust, but trust is lacking and will only grow when decisions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are shared with communities. The gap is not a natural phenomenon. It is a direct result of the ways in which governments have used their power over many decades. In particular, it stems from a disregard for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples knowledges and solutions. Over the course of this review, it has become clear that in order to see change, business-as-usual must be a thing of the past. Across the country, we have observed small tweaks or additional initiatives, or even layers of initiatives, as attempts to give effect to the Agreement. However, real change does not mean multiplying or renaming business-as-usual actions. It means looking deeply to get to the heart of the way systems, departments and public servants work. Most critically, the Agreement requires government decision-makers to accept that they do not know what is best for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.” It made four recommendations:
|
| current | Closing the Gap Dashboard | Productivity Commission |
The Productivity Commissions Dashboard include its annual Closing the Gap progress reports and current indicator data on all CtG targets and outcomes. |
| 2013 | National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, supported by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Advisory Group | The first National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy supported by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Advisory Group Prevention Strategy (NATSISPS) was released in May 2013. It was developed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experts and leaders in mental health and suicide prevention. It contains six Action Areas:
NATSISPS has a holistic and early intervention focus that works to build strong communities through more community-focused and integrated approaches to suicide prevention and commits the Government to genuinely engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to develop local, culturally appropriate strategies to identify and respond to those most at risk. It commits the Government to working across portfolios and across all levels of government to reduce the incidence of suicidal and self-harming behaviour amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including by addressing social determinants that contribute to social disadvantage for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples such as unemployment, education, housing and community safety and focusing on building strong, resilient families, young people and communities. |
| 2020 | National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy (revision – pending) | Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia |
GDPSA has been tasked by the Commonwealth Government to renew the 2013 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy (NATSISPS) in consultation with stakeholders and community members. This work is continuing. |
| 2017 | The National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderPeoples Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing 2017 – 2023 | National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) | This Framework provides a dedicated focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing and mental health. It sets Agency (NIAA) out a comprehensive and culturally appropriate stepped care model that is equally applicable to both Indigenous specific and mainstream health services, and is intended to guide and support Indigenous mental health policy and practice, complementing the Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan and contributing to the vision of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2012-2023. It provides a framework for action for governments, communities and researchers, by outlining protective and risk factors according to the seven domains of social and emotional wellbeing:
|
2016 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project (ATSISPEP) | The University of Western Australia |
The highly influential Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project (ATSISPEP) was established to evaluate the effectiveness of suicide prevention services and programs for Indigenous people, with a focus on:
ATISSPEP’s final report, Solutions That Work: What the Evidence and Our People Tell Us, remains a key text in Indigenous suicide prevention policy. |
| 2015 | Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration | Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia |
Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australias vision is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, excellence and presence across all parts of the Australian mental health system and the achievement of the highest attainable standard of social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and suicide prevention outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. An implementation plan is under development. |
| 2021 | National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2021–2031 | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care |
This Health Plan represents governments ongoing commitment to the systemic change needed to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, in line with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, shifting from a top-down approach to working in genuine partnership. It focuses on the capability of mainstream services to provide high quality, culturally safe, trauma-aware, healing-informed and responsive care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people alongside prioritising and extending the reach of ACCHO services and increasing access to primary health care services through government clinics, private GPs and mainstream community health services. It also addresses cultural responsiveness of hospitals, including emergency departments. The health plan includes as accountability framework that:
|
| 2006 | Aboriginal an Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care |
This website brings together information from numerous sources to provide a comprehensive, up-to-date view of the state of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes, health system performance and the broader determinants of health in one area. With ongoing updates and major releases every two to three years, it is designed to inform policy, planning, program development and research. |
| 2020 | Indigenous Evaluation Strategy | Productivity Commission |
The Productivity Commissions Indigenous Evaluation Strategy sets out a comprehensive agenda for the evaluation of programs and services for Indigenous people and communities. Intended for use by government agencies, the Strategy, sets out a new approach to evaluating policies and programs affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aimed at improving the quality and usefulness of evaluation. It puts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at its centre, and emphasises the importance of drawing on the perspectives, priorities and knowledges of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people when deciding what to evaluate and how to conduct an evaluation. Aligned with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, the Strategy calls on Australian Government agencies to disseminate, synthesise and translate evaluation findings in accessible forms that can be used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to support their self- determination and their active participation in decision making that affects them. The Strategy also advocates for a new Office of Indigenous Policy Evaluation (OIPE) to be established in partnership with an Indigenous Evaluation Council with all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members, to oversee the transition to improved Indigenous evaluation. Health and wellbeing are proposed as policy domains for initial focus under the Strategy, along with education, housing, land and water, justice, culture and languages, family and child safety, and employment. The Strategy calls for credible, useful, ethical and transparent evaluation of Indigenous programs and services and addresses:
The Strategy is accompanied by an Evaluation Guide that offers practical advice on evaluation of both Indigenous-specific and mainstream programs and services in Indigenous contexts. |
| 2016 | Cultural RespectFramework 2016-2026 for Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander Health | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care |
This framework commits the Commonwealth Government and states and territories to embedding cultural respect principles into their health systems; from developing policy and legislation, to how organisations are run, through to the planning and delivery of services. Developed for the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (AHMAC) by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Standing Committee (NATSIHSC), it defines cultural respect as: Recognition, protection and continued advancement of the inherent rights, cultures and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It outlines six domains that underpin culturally respectful health service delivery:
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| 2021 | National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan 20212031 | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care |
Co-designed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, this plans target is for First Nations people to be fully represented in the health workforce by 2031. It includes actions to attract, recruit and retain workers across all roles, levels and locations within the health sector. |
| 2020–2025 | National Schemes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Cultural Safety Strategy | Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) |
The strategy promotes consistency and quality improvement in matters of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and cultural safety across AHPRAs National Registration and Accreditation Scheme. It aims to make cultural safety the norm for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, setting directions and actions for AHPRA, National Boards and Accreditation Authorities, which regulate Australias 740,000 registered health practitioners. It states that Cultural safety is a critical component of patient safety, and cultural safety must be defined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. |
| 2021 – current | ndigenous Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Clearinghouse | Australian Institute of Health and Welfare |
The Indigenous Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Clearinghouse uses three social and emotional wellbeing measures psychological distress, level of mastery and perceived social support drawn from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) 201819 to identify relationships between mental health conditions, drug and alcohol use, unfair treatment and social and emotional wellbeing. |
| Current and historical | Mental health and social and emotional wellbeing data sources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples | Australian Bureau of Statistics |
A directory of data items from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collections, relating to mental health and social and emotional wellbeing. |
| Current and historical | National Key Performance Indicators for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care |
Government-funded Aboriginal Medical Services report a set of 21 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander National Key Performance Indicators (nKPIs) twice a year. The data is used to measure progress towards the Closing the Gap health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. |
| Current and historical | Online Services Report (OSR) | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care |
The Online Services Report (OSR) collects national data every year about Australian Government-funded organisations that deliver health services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It provides information about the organisations themselves and the services they provide. |
| 2016 | National Framework for Health Services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Families | Australian Government |
This Framework articulates a vision, principles and approaches for the delivery of child and family health services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It aims to provide guidance for policy and program design, and for the development and implementation of services. The Framework has been developed to complement the National Framework for Universal Child and Family Health Services, the National Framework for Child and Family Health Services secondary and tertiary services and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-2023. It identifies the core elements of health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families as:
The Framework recognises that the child and family health service system does not currently meet the needs of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families, and a more holistic that draws on the strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures is needed. |
| 2014-2015 | National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey | Australian Bureau of Statistics |
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) was conducted from September 2014 to June 2015 with a sample of 11,178 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in private dwellings across Australia. The 201415 NATSISS is a multidimensional social survey which provides broad information across key areas of social concern for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, nationally, by state and territory and remoteness area. |
| 2018-19 | National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey | Australian Bureau of Statistics |
Statistics about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples long-term health conditions, disability, lifestyle factors, physical harm and use of health services. |
| 2014 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework | Australian Government |
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework supports higher education providers (HEPs) to implement Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health curricula across their health professional training programs. It aims to prepare graduates across health professions to provide culturally safe health services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through the development of cultural capabilities during their undergraduate training. The Framework addresses: Context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and curricula Resources that outline, map and align the implementation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health curricula with learning outcomes and the development of clearly articulated graduate cultural capabilities Resources, suggestions, tools and guidelines to assist higher education providers in the process of implementing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health curricula Accreditation guidelines including suggestions for accreditation bodies in defining criteria that could be expected in undergraduate health professional programs to demonstrate a curriculum is being delivered in line with professional standards |
Whole of community
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan (PDF 2017) Progress reports, supplementary data and performance indicators | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care |
The Fifth Plan is a foundation policy document that includes Priority Area 4: Improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and suicide prevention (p30). For the first time the Fifth Plan adopts the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration (p52), committing the government to promoting Indigenous peoples leadership in the health system. The Fifth Plan was intended to be implemented until 2022. An Implementation Plan, published in 2017, is no longer available online. Progress reports continued until 2021. According to the AIHW, a sixth National Mental Health plan is currently under development. |
| 2022-2026 | The National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care |
The National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement set out the shared intention of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to work in partnership to improve the mental health of all Australians, reduce the rate of suicide toward zero, and ensure the sustainability and enhance the services of the Australian mental health and suicide prevention system. It describes their shared commitment to contribute to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap in relation to mental health and suicide prevention, including: a significant and sustained reduction in suicide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples towards zero (Target 14)
Bilateral agreements between each State and Territory and the Commonwealth, consistent with the National Agreement, can also be accessed from this website. |
| Launched 2019 with subsequent revision | National Mental Health Service Planning Framework (NMHSPF) | Australian Institute of Health and Welfare |
The National Mental Health Service Planning Framework (NMHSPF) is a comprehensive model designed to help plan, coordinate and resource mental health services to meet population demands. It is an evidenced-based framework providing national average benchmarks for optimal service delivery across the full spectrum of mental health services in Australia. The model has been developed to take account of the particular needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The associated NMHSPF-Planning Support Tool (NMHSPF-PST) is an interactive data tool. It allows users to estimate need and expected demand for mental health care and the level and mix of mental health services required for a given population. |
| 2020 | Productivity Commission | Productivity Commission Inquiry into Mental Health |
The report discussed key influences on peoples mental health, examines the effect of mental health on peoples ability to participate and prosper in the community and workplace, and economic implications. It made recommendations to the Australian and State and Territory Governments, to improve the mental health of people of all ages and cultural backgrounds, working with people who have experience of mental illness, and with their families and carers – recommending reforms across workplaces, schools and universities, the justice system, community groups and healthcare, psychosocial support, and housing services. It included the following recommendations specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Indigenous communities should be empowered to prevent suicide. (Action 9.2)
Governments should, in collaboration with consumers and carers, commit to a more strategic and cross-portfolio approach to mental health that promotes genuine accountability and that prioritises prevention, early intervention and recovery. As a priority:
The Australian Government Department of Health should:
The Australian, State and Territory Governments should agree on a set of targets and timeframes that specify key mental health and suicide prevention outcomes.
|
| 2020 | National suicide prevention strategy for Australias health system: 20202023 | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care |
This strategy supports and furthers the existing efforts of governments, non-government organisations, Primary Health Networks, the private sector, research institutes and people with lived experience of suicidal behaviour from 2020 to 2023. It includes advice on community-driven Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide prevention (p43) |
| 2022 | National Mental Health Workforce Strategy 20222032 | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care |
The National Mental Health Workforce Strategy considers the quality, supply, distribution, and structure of Australias mental health workforce. It presents a roadmap for building a sustainable workforce that is skilled, distributed and supported to deliver mental health treatment, care and support that meets current and future population needs. It includes one action specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health people:
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| 2017-2026 | National Drug Strategy 20172026 | Australian Department of Health and Aged Care |
This national strategy includes a section about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (p26), describing their alcohol, tobacco and other drug use as a major concern, linking these issues to disconnection from cultural values as well as experiences of trauma, poverty, discrimination and lack of adequate access to services. It calls for culturally responsive approaches to reduce the disproportionate harms experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from drug use, delivered in the context of addressing social, cultural and emotional wellbeing needs holistically. It also calls for strong community engagement in the planning and delivery of services, including shared regional planning and evaluation of prevention programs and services provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Further, it advocates for interventions based on evidence of what works specifically for Indigenous people. |
| 2019-2028 | National Alcohol Strategy 20192028 | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care |
This framework to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm highlights possible actions at local, state or territory and national levels. It includes the following description of alcohol use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (p8): Overall, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more likely to abstain from drinking alcohol than non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (31% compared with 23% respectively). However, among those who did drink, higher proportions drank at risky levels (20% exceeding the lifetime risk guidelines) and were more likely to experience alcohol-related injury than non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (35% compared to 25% monthly, respectively). For this reason, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience disproportionate levels of harm from alcohol, including general avoidable mortality rates that are 4.9 times higher than among non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to which alcohol is a contributing factor.20 The poorer overall health, social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Islander people than non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are also significant factors which can influence drinking behaviours. The strategy references the earlier National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Drug Strategy 2014 – 2019 (a sub-strategy of the National Drug Strategy 2010 2015); however there is no current national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander drug or alcohol strategy. |
| 2021 | Vision 2030 | National Mental Health Commission |
Vision 2030 was promoted as a national direction for mental health and wellbeing in Australia, focused on lived experience perspectives/ |
| 2021 | National Childrens Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy | National Mental Health Commission |
Australias first National Childrens Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy was developed as part of the Australian Governments Long-Term National Health Plan. It focuses on children from birth through to 12 years, as well as on families and communities. The Strategy takes a childs rights-based approach, drawing on principles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The concerns of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are integrated into the Strategy (ie not confined to a separate section) and Indigenous understandings of culture, community and wellbeing inform the strategy as a whole. |
| 2021 | National Suicide Prevention Adviser Final Advice | National Mental Health Commission |
In July 2019, then Prime Minister Scott Morrison appointed the first National Suicide Prevention Adviser, who worked with a National Suicide Prevention Taskforce to develop advice across all levels of government and portfolios, organisations working in suicide prevention, researchers, leaders in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide prevention and the community. This final report takes a lived experience approach to system reform, prevention and early intervention, in three sections: This report captures the voices of more than 3000 people with lived experience of suicide, particularly those who have survived suicide attempts or lived with suicidal distress. This report details recommendations and actions in the following domains:
The report presents a model for a comprehensive whole-of- government approach to suicide prevention, highlighting the critical role of multiple sectors and government portfolios. |
| 2021 | National Suicide Prevention Trial Final evaluation report | University of Melbourne/ Department of Health and Aged Care |
The National Suicide Prevention Trial was announced by the Australian Government in 2016. It was designed to gather evidence and further understanding of what strategies are most effective in preventing suicide at a local level and in at-risk populations through trial interventions in 12 regions. These included two Indigenous- specific trials in the Kimberley region of WA and in the city Darwin in the Northern Territory. |
| current | Primary Health Network resources | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care |
Thirty-one regional Primary Health Networks across Australia are responsible for planning and commissioning primary health services at a regional level including in chronic disease, mental health and suicide prevention. These resources outline the governments expectations for the PHNs, which are government entities but operate independently under community and clinical governance. They include specific advice on commissioning mental health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Mental Health Services (2019) |
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Australian Capital Territory
Key organisations
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services (WNAHCS) | Winnunga is an Aboriginal community controlled primary health care service operated by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community of the ACT. It is the ACTs affiliate in NACCHO. |
| ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body (ATSIEB) | The Elected Body represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Canberra, focused on:
|
Government
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| ACT Health: mental health | This online listing provides details of all ACT Health mental health services, including hospital and community services. |
| The Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing | The Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing within ACT Health was established to:
|
| Capital Health Network | Capital Health Network plans and commissions primary health services across the ACT, including mental health, suicide prevention and social and emotional wellbeing services. |
Policy documents
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2028 | ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement 2019 2028 | ACT Government | The ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement 2019 2028 represents the commitment of the ACT Government and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body to deliver real outcomes that improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Canberra.
The Agreement outlines how the ACT Government, non-government organisations and the Elected Body will work together to meet the social, cultural and economic needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Self-determination is the founding principle of the Agreement. The focus areas of the Agreement were chosen by Canberras Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, facilitated by the Elected Body. The focus areas are:
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Whole of community
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ACT Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan | Capital Health Network |
The ACT Regional Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan (ACT Plan) was created to address the mental health needs of the community in the ACT in alignment with the 5th National Mental Health Plan. It was developed in collaboration with the ACT Mental Health Consumer Network, Mental Health Carers Voice, Mental Health Community Coalition, The Canberra Health Services, Office of Mental Health and Wellbeing and The Mental Health Policy Unit of ACT Health. The Plan offers an overarching framework for mental health services in the ACT. It is inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues, which are embedded throughout the Plan (there is no separate section for Indigenous issues). |
| 2023-2024 | Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing Work Plan 20232024 | Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing |
The Plan outlines a range of commitments to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly in suicide prevention. |
| 2022-2026 | Bilateral Schedule on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention | ACT Government, Commonwealth Government |
The Bilateral Schedule is the ACT agreement under the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, which sets out the shared intention of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to work in partnership to improve the mental health of all Australians, reduce the rate of suicide toward zero, and ensure the sustainability and enhance the services of the Australian mental health and suicide prevention system. The Bilateral Schedule include ACT-specific commitments including funding allocations and sites for service expansion. |
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New South Wales
Key organisations
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| The Aboriginal Health Council (AH&MRC) |
The AH&MRC is the peak body for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) across NSW, committed to ensuring our 47 Member Services have access to an adequately resourced and skilled workforce. The AH&MRC Policy Team delivers advocacy and escalates system and policy issues that affect the ACCHO sector and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in accessing health care, advocating for health policies and programs that:
As a member of the NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations (NSW CAPO) and the National Coalition of Peaks, the AH&MRC also plays a central role in the delivery of Closing the Gap in NSW and at the Commonwealth level, representing the ACCHO sector on Closing the Gap negotiations and collaborating to drive progress against the National Agreement. |
| Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations |
Convened within the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, CAPO leads delivery of Closing the Gap initiatives in NSW. |
Government
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal Affairs NSW |
Aboriginal Affairs NSW was established to advocate and enable Aboriginal communities to lead accountability and change across the NSW Government. It implements OCHRE, the NSW Governments plan for Aboriginal affairs, establishes partnerships for economic prosperity, supports Aboriginal community governance and supports communities to strengthen cultural identity and language. |
| NSW Health |
NSW Health is the state health system, managing public hospitals, out-patient, community health and public health services and the Justice Health network. |
| NSW Health mental health services |
This online listing provides details of all NSW Health mental health services. |
| NSW Ministry of Health |
The NSW Ministry of Health supports the Secretary of NSW Health, the NSW Minister for Health and Minister for Regional Health, Minister for Mental Health and Minister for Medical Research in their roles, developing policy and strategy and overseeing finances. |
| NSW Health – Centre for Aboriginal Health |
The Centre for Aboriginal Health was established within the NSW Ministry of Health to work in partnership to build a culturally safe and responsive health system, where Aboriginal people have the same health outcomes as non-Aboriginal people. The centres role is to support positive, holistic health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal people and communities through health system change. This includes supporting the health system to engage and listen to the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal people including about the social and cultural determinants of health, the effects of colonisation and inter-generational trauma, and how Aboriginal peoples experience of education, housing, employment, racism and discrimination affects their access to and utilisation of health services. |
| NSW Ministry of Heath Mental Health Branch and Chief Psychiatrist |
The Mental Health Branch of the NSW Ministry of Health is responsible for developing, managing and coordinating policy, strategy and program funding relating to mental health and maintaining the mental health legislative framework. It works to implement this work in partnership with local health districts and specialty health networks, community managed organisations, research institutions and other partners. The Branch includes the office of the Chief Psychiatrist, whose role is to provide:
|
| Mental Health Commission of New South Wales |
The Mental Health Commission of New South Wales is an independent statutory agency responsible for monitoring, reviewing and improving mental health and wellbeing for people in NSW. The Commission works with government and the community to secure better mental health and wellbeing for everyone, and availability of appropriate supports in or close to home when people are unwell or at risk of becoming unwell. The Commission promotes policies and practices that recognise the autonomy of people who experience mental health issues and support their recovery, emphasising their personal and social needs and preferences. It was established under the Mental Health Commission Act 2012. |
Policy documents
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
2020-2025NSW Aboriginal Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2020-2025NSW Health
The NSW Aboriginal Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2020-2025 supports and assists NSW Health services in delivering respectful and appropriate mental health services in partnership with Aboriginal services, people and communities.
This strategy is designed to support and assist NSW Health services in delivering respectful and appropriate care in partnership with Aboriginal services, people and communities. The strategy is the foundation for change that will support a future way of working under the national Agreement for Closing the Gap in Aboriginal Health outcomes.
- The Strategy is supported by three goals:
- Holistic, person and family-centred care and healing
- Culturally safe, trauma-informed, quality care
- Connected care
Each goal is underpinned by strategic directions that provide clear guidance for NSW Health services on what actions are required to achieve it.
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opportunity, Choice, Healing, Responsibility, Empowerment (OCHRE) | Aboriginal Affairs NSW | OCHRE is the community-focused plan for Aboriginal Affairs in NSW. It commits the NSW Government to working with and in support of Aboriginal communities by building strong working partnerships that have at their heart respect for local Aboriginal culture, leadership and decision making. | |
| 2020-2025 | NSW Aboriginal Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2020-2025 Monitoring and Reporting Framework | NSW Health The Monitoring and Reporting Framework for the NSW Aboriginal Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2020-2025 was developed to:
It is committed to recognising Aboriginal data sovereignty, drawing from existing data where possible to minimise reporting burden, minimising consultation burden, recognising Aboriginal perspectives, values and traditions, incorporating a social and emotional wellbeing perspective, including qualitative as well as quantitative measures, and keeping the community informed about how the strategy is working. | |
| Building on Aboriginal CommunitiesResilience a Towards Zero Suicides Initiative | NSW Health | Part of NSW Healths Towards Zero Suicides policy, the Building on Aboriginal Communities Resilience initiative is funding 12 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) to:
| |
| Aboriginal Health Impact Statement | NSW Health Centre for Aboriginal Health | The mandatory Aboriginal Health Impact Statement support NSW Health staff and organisations to by systematically applying an Aboriginal health lens to all new and revised policies and programs, aiming to:
|
Whole of community
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-2026 | Bilateral Schedule on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention | NSW Government, Commonwealth Government |
The Bilateral Schedule is the NSW agreement under the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, which sets out the shared intention of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to work in partnership to improve the mental health of all Australians, reduce the rate of suicide toward zero, and ensure the sustainability and enhance the services of the Australian mental health and suicide prevention system. The Bilateral Schedule include NSW-specific commitments including funding allocations and sites for service expansion. |
| 2022-2027 | Shifting the Landscape for Suicide Prevention in NSW A whole-of-government Strategic Framework for a whole-of-community response 2022-2027 | Mental Health Commission of New South Wales |
Indigenous perspectives are embedded throughout this framework, including a section on suicide prevention that draws on ATSISPEP. |
| Current | NSW mental health legislation, policy directives and guidelines | NSW Health |
Includes links to Legislation Regulation 2021 Policy directives Guidelines Information bulletin |
| 2018-2022 | NSW Strategic Framework and Workforce Plan for Mental Health 2018-2022: A Framework and Workforce Plan for NSW Health Services | NSW Health |
The NSW Strategic Framework and Workforce Plan for Mental Health 2018-2022 provides overarching guidance for NSW Health in implementing reform directions, including those of Living Well: A Strategic Plan for Mental Health in NSW 2014-2024. It includes the following approaches to strengthening services for Aboriginal people:
|
| 2014-2024 | Living Well: A Strategic Plan for Mental Health in NSW 2014-2024 Living Well: Putting people at the centre of mental health reform in NSW: A Report |
Mental Health Commission of NSW |
Living Well is NSWs 10-year reform strategy, taking a whole-of-government approach to system reform with a strong lived experience perspective. Actions specific to Aboriginal people and communities include:
|
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Northern Territory
Key organisations
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) | AMSANT is the peak body for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) in the Northern Territory. It aims to grow a strong Aboriginal community controlled primary health care sector by:
|
| Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (Congress) | Congress is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service that also has a research, policy and advocacy role. It makes many submissions to Territory and national policy processes, including in 2023: |
| Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory (APO-NT) | APO NT is an alliance comprising the Aboriginal Medical Service Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT), North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA), Central Land Council (CLC), Northern Land Council (NLC), Tiwi Land Council (TLC), Anindilyakwa Land Council (ALC), Aboriginal Housing NT (AHNT) and the Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network (NT IBN). The alliance was created to provide a more effective response to key issues of joint interest and concern affecting Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory, including providing practical policy solutions to government. It is committed to increasing Aboriginal involvement in policy development and implementation, and to expanding opportunities for Aboriginal community control. It is a member of the Coalition of Peaks. |
Government
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| NT Office of Aboriginal Affairs |
The Office of Aboriginal Affairs (OAA) is the lead agency on Aboriginal affairs within the Northern Territory Governments Department of the Chief Minister & Cabinet. The Office is responsible for providing support, engagement and advice to Aboriginal people and government on significant Aboriginal Affairs priorities through strategic Aboriginal policy matters, key projects and meaningful engagement and partnerships. It champions and accelerates work already underway in Aboriginal leadership, capability and capacity building, and building a culturally responsive public sector, that contributes to the commitments in the Everyone Together Aboriginal Affairs Strategy and National Agreement on Closing the Gap. The work of the Office is guided by the APO NT (Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory) partnership principles. |
| Northern Territory Health |
NT Health operates and commissions mental health services which are described in this listing. |
| Northern Territory Primary Health Network |
NT PHN plans and commissions primary health services that meet regional community needs across the NT. It is active in policy development at a Territory and national level, and led the Darwin site of the National Suicide Prevention Trial, one of two Indigenous- specific sites that have been influential in national planning. |
Policy documents
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2029 | Everyone Together Aboriginal Affairs Strategy 20192029 | Northern Territory Government | The Strategy is intended to be complementary to the National Agreement of Closing the Gap and comprises 10 focus areas, including the following which are particularly relevant to wellbeing and suicide prevention:
|
| 2016-2026 | NT Health Aboriginal Cultural Security Framework 2016-2026 | Northern Territory Health | The Framework outlines the importance of cultural security as a –clinical imperative and must be embedded into systematic business practices Aboriginal cultural security is fundamental to NT Health delivering safe, quality health care and addressing the health inequity and the significant burden of disease experienced by Aboriginal people. The framework offers guidance to NT Health staff to help them understand and implement components of cultural security, with six domains for action:
For each domain there are suggested strategies and monitoring tools. |
| 2021-2031 | NT HEALTH Aboriginal Health Plan 2021-2031 | Northern Territory Health | The plan sets strategic directions for improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal Territorians, and is intended to influence and inform strategic and business planning, funding, policy development, communication, relationships and partnerships with Aboriginal people, communities and organisations. The priority directions are:
|
| 2022 | Northern Territory Treaty Commission Final Report | Northern Territory Treaty Commission | The NT Treaty Commissioner recommended:
|
Whole of community
| Date | Title | Organisation | About | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-2023 | Northern Territory Suicide Prevention Strategic Framework 2018-2023 | NT Department of Health | The Framework prioritises Indigenous people (more than 25% of the population of the NT), drawing on ATSISPEP for its approach to community- level wellbeing as a protective factor against suicide. It also addresses different patterns of suicidal behaviour in the Indigenous community and social determinants including the effects of over-incarceration at individual and community levels. | |
| 2023-2028 | Northern Territory Suicide Prevention Implementation Plan Keeping Everyone Safe 2023-2028 | NT Department of Health | The Northern Territory Suicide Prevention Implementation Plan Keeping Everyone Safe 2023-2028 emphasises empowerment and leadership of Aboriginal community-controlled organisations in building capacity and resilience and responding to suicidality in culturally appropriate ways. | |
| 2019-2025 | Northern Territory Mental Health Strategic Plan 2019-2025 | NT Department of Health | The Northern Territory Mental Health Strategic Plan 2019-2025 aligns with the Northern Territory Suicide Prevention Implementation Plan Keeping Everyone Safe 2023-2028 and the Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan. Its priorities are:
| |
| 2021-2022 | Northern Territory Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Foundation Plan 2021 – 2022 | Northern Territory PHN, NT Department of Health, AMSANT | The Northern Territory Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Foundation Plan 2021 2022 outlines priorities for a more integrated mental health and suicide prevention service system across the Territory, encompassing Aboriginal community-controlled, community-based and hospital services. It prioritises five key action areas:
The Foundation Plan is expected to pave the way for a more detailed, implementation-focused Joint Regional Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan for the Northern Territory. | |
| 2022-2026 | Northern Territory Government, Commonwealth Government | The Bilateral Schedule is the NT agreement under the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, which sets out the shared intention of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to work in partnership to improve the mental health of all Australians, reduce the rate of suicide toward zero, and ensure the sustainability and enhance the services of the Australian mental health and suicide prevention system. The Bilateral Schedule include NT-specific commitments including funding allocations and sites for service expansion. |
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Queensland
Key organisations
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) |
QAIHC is a leadership and policy organisation. We were established in 1990 and are the peak organisation representing all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Organisations (ATSICCHO) in Queensland at both a state and national level. The QAIHC Membership is comprised of ATSICCHOs located throughout Queensland. Nationally, we represent Queensland through its affiliation and Membership on the board of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO). |
Government
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Queensland Health: mental health and wellbeing |
This online listing provides details of all Queensland Health mental health services and policies |
| Queensland Mental Health Commission |
The Queensland Mental Health Commission drivse reform of the mental health and alcohol and other drugs systems in Queensland, with a focus on:
The Commission is a statutory body established under the Queensland Mental Health Commission Act 2013. We actively seek the views and experiences of people with a lived experience to help shape the reform agenda and works across portfolio areas including health, communities, education, child safety, employment, police, corrections, the economy and justice. |
| Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP) |
The Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP) is a non-government organisation located at Griffith University in Queensland. The Institute conducts research in all aspects of suicide prevention and manages the Queensland Suicide Register. |
Policy documents
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2040 | Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Strategy 2020–2040 | Queensland Government Healing Foundation | The Queensland Healing Strategy has arisen from Our Way: A generational strategy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families 2017-37. It is a key action under the Changing Tracks Action Plan 2020-2022. It also supports Shifting minds The Queensland Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs, and Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan 20232028, which identifies a strategic priority to renew, strengthen and integrate cross-sectoral approaches to social and emotional wellbeing, including adopting healing informed approaches. The Healing Strategy was developed by the Healing Foundation for the Queensland Government. Healing enables people to address distress, overcome trauma and restore wellbeing. Ways to support healing include reconnecting with culture, strengthening identity, restoring safe and enduring relationships and supporting communities to understand the impact that people’s experiences have had on their behaviour and create change. Healing occurs at a community, family and individual level. Healing continues throughout a persons lifetime and across generations. |
| 2021 | Making Tracks Together: Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Equity Framework | Queensland Health/ Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) | Making Tracks Together outlines the strategic framework to drive health equity, eliminate institutional racism across the public health system and achieve life expectancy parity for First Nations peoples by 2031. It details the policy settings and strategic directions for Hospital and Health Services (HHSs) to develop and implement new Health Equity Strategies as required by the recent amendments to the Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011 and the Hospital and Health Boards Regulation 2012. An accompanying First Nations Health Equity Toolkit has also been prepared to provide operational guidance for HHSs to develop and implement the Health Equity Strategies. |
| 2010 | Making Tracks toward closing the gap in health outcomes for Indigenous Queenslanders by 2033: Policy and Accountability Framework | Queensland Government | In July 2010 the Queensland Government launched Making Tracks, which provides the overarching policy directions to guide the Queensland Government’s long-term effort towards achieving health parity between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Queenslanders. Making Tracks outlines five key priority areas required across the lifespan and health service continuum to achieve health parity. Priority 1 – A healthy start to life: Ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children 0-8 years are best placed for a healthy and safe start to life. Priority 2 – Addressing risk factors: Addressing the modifiable risk factors that contribute to preventable and chronic conditions. Priority 3 – Managing illness better: Establishing seamless pathways facilitating enhanced access to screening, early diagnosis, procedures and appropriate treatment of chronic conditions. Priority 4 – Effective health services: Improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ access to, and experience in, the health system, ensuring cultural capability throughout the patient journey and across the healthcare continuum. Priority 5 – improving data and evidence: Improve the quality and availability of research and data, accountability mechanisms and evaluation. |
| 2016-2026 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Strategic Framework 2016-2026 | Queensland Government | Key priorities are for a health system that:
|
| 2017-2037 | Our way: A generational strategy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families 2017-2037 and related action plans | Queensland Government / Family Matters | This strategy, and associated action plans, seek to close gaps in outcomes for
|
| 2022-2027 | Queensland Corrective Services Mental Health Strategy 2022–2027 | Queensland Government | The strategy includes a prominent focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody, addressing issues such as intergenerational trauma, culturally appropriate mental health screening and intervention, and working with communities to end over-incarceration. The Year 1 Action Plan 2022-2023 includes detailed commitments including the roll-out of social and emotional wellbeing programs in prisons. |
| 2021 | Tracks to Treaty: Reframing the relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders | Queensland Government | The Statement of Commitment to Reframe the Relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders sets out the Queensland Governments strategic reform agenda to improve outcomes in partnership with Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people. Tracks to Treaty gives effect to this commitment and comprises two key elements: Local Thriving Communities (LTC) and Path to Treaty. |
| 2022-2024 | Local Thriving Communities Action Plan 2022–24 | Queensland Government | This Plan is established under Tracks to Treaty. It outlines how the strengths of leadership and local cultural knowledge held by Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities should directly influence the design and delivery of Queensland Government services in their communities. |
| 2021 | Path to Treaty | Queensland Government | These reports, responses and agreements represent key milestones in Queensland’s treaty negotiations. |
| 2021 | Making Tracks towards achieving First Nations health equity Interim Investment Strategy 2021– 2022 | Queensland Government | Interim funding announcements and a commitment to investing in alignment with Queensland’s Treaty process. A promised investment strategy for 2022-2025 has not been released. |
Whole of community
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-2028 | Shifting minds The Queensland Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs, and Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan 20232028 | Queensland Government Overarching plan with separate suicide prevention and alcohol and other drugs plans aligned to it. | |
| 2019-2029 | Every life: The Queensland Suicide Prevention Plan 2019-2029 | Queensland Government | The plan is inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with Indigenous issues prominent and integrated into a community-wide response, drawing on ATSISPEP and the Gayaa Dhuwi Declaration to emphasise self-determination, empowerment and reconciliation. Every Life is an element of the Shifting Minds state strategy. |
| 2018-2023 | Achieving balance: The Queensland Alcohol and Other Drugs Plan 2022-2027 | Queensland Government | Achieving balance builds on Shifting minds The Queensland Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs, and Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan 20232028 and the Queensland Alcohol and Other Drugs Action Plan 201517, and guides Queenslands effort to achieve greater balance across the three pillars of harm minimisation: harm reduction, demand reduction and supply reduction. It includes culturally responsive approaches to alcohol and drug support and treatment and recognises the role of cultural and social determinants including inter-generational trauma and the impact of child removals and incarceration in the development of harmful alcohol and drug use. While this strategy notionally expired in 2023 it continues to guide policy in the absence of an updated approach. |
| 2022-2027 | Better Care Together | Queensland Government | A plan for Queenslands state-funded mental health, alcohol and other drug services to 2027. |
| 2023 | HEALTHQ32: A vision for Queenslands health system | Queensland Government | First Nations is one of seven key strategy areas under this overarching vision. The strategies were intended to be launched individually during 2023 but were unavailable in early 2024. |
| 2016 | My health,Queenslands future: advancing health 2026 | Queensland Government | Advancing health 2026 was developed to guide Queensland government investment and reorient the health system to be flexible and innovative in taking advantage of new technologies, while improving health outcomes for the whole population. |
| 2022-2026 | Bilateral Schedule Mental Health and Suicide Prevention on | Queensland Government, Commonwealth Government | The Bilateral Schedule is the Queensland agreement under the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, which sets out the shared intention of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to work in partnership to improve the mental health of all Australians, reduce the rate of suicide toward zero, and ensure the sustainability and enhance the services of the Australian mental health and suicide prevention system. The Bilateral Schedule include Queensland-specific commitments including funding allocations and sites for service expansion. |
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South Australia
Key organisations
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–2031 | SA Aboriginal Health Care Framework 2023-2031 | SA Health | This high level framework situates health delivery for Indigenous people in SA within the context of national and state commitments, including the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. The Framework sets the direction for SA Health’s investment in Aboriginal health by outlining four strategic priorities:
|
| 2021 | South Australia’s Implementation Plan for the National Agreement on Closing the Gap | SA Government | This Implementation Plan includes detailed commitments to Aboriginal mental health, social and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention, including:
|
Whole of community
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–2026 | South Australian Suicide Prevention Plan 2023-2026 | SA Health | This plan includes a section on Aboriginal people (p13), which focuses on social and emotional wellbeing as a protective factor including:
|
| 2020–2025 | South Australian Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2020 -2025 | SA Health | The South Australian Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2020 – 2025 is a high-level commitment to community and acute care service planning and delivery. It includes a commitment to develop an Aboriginal Health Care Framework. |
| 2020–2025 | SA Mental Health Services Plan 2020-2025 | SA Mental Health Commission / Office of the Chief Psychiatrist | The SA Mental Health Services Plan aligns with the Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan and is organised in three high-level categories: Personalised care and support
Integrated Care
Safe and High Quality Care
|
| 2022–2026 | Bilateral Schedule on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention | South Australian Government, Commonwealth Government | The Bilateral Schedule is the SouthAustralian agreement under the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, which sets out the shared intention of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to work in partnership to improve the mental health of all Australians, reduce the rate of suicide toward zero, and ensure the sustainability and enhance the services of the Australian mental health and suicide prevention system. The Bilateral Schedule include SA-specific commitments including funding allocations and sites for service expansion. |
Policy documents
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia Limited (AHCSA) |
AHCSA is the peak body representing Aboriginal community-controlled health and drug and alcohol services in South Australia. It is the “health voice” for all Aboriginal people in South Australia, advocating for the community and providing support for Aboriginal health programs. It is SAs NACCHO affiliate and a Member of the Coalition of Peaks. |
Government
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Preventive Health SA |
Preventive Health SA incorporates SA government mental health and wellbeing initiatives, building resilient communities and engaging with the people of SA to co-design and develop projects and strategies that respond to community mental health and wellbeing needs.
|
| SA Health – Mental Health |
SA Health provides and commissions hospital and community-based mental health services. |
| SA Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation |
The Office of Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation sits within the SA Attorney-Generals Department. It has a wide-ranging remit in promoting rights, culture and equity. |
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Tasmania
Key organisations
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Tasmanian Aboriginal Council |
TAC represents the political and community development aspirations of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community. The TAC was developed in the early 1970s and has been funded by the federal government since 1973. TAC is the Tasmanian affiliate of NACCHO and Member of the Coalition of Peaks. |
Government
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Tasmanian Department of Health: Mental Health |
Statewide Mental Health Services delivers care to Tasmanians with mental health conditions. It provides services in-patient hospital and community services, and partners with community sector organisations to deliver support services to people with mental illness. |
| Primary Health Tasmania |
Primary Health Tasmania plans and commissions primary health services across Tasmania, including mental health, suicide prevention and social and emotional wellbeing services |
| Aboriginal Affairs Partnership Division |
The Office of Aboriginal Affairs is one part of the Aboriginal Affairs Partnership Division, which sits in the Division of Communities, Partnerships and Priorities within the Department of Premier and Cabinet. The Office works in partnership with Aboriginal organisations and people to deliver Government funding and services, providing an Aboriginal voice to guide and advise the Tasmanian Government on policy issues affecting Tasmanian Aboriginal people and embed Aboriginal led co-design processes and Aboriginal knowledges across all government agencies. It oversees and coordinates the Tasmanian Governments Aboriginal Affairs agenda, including Truth-Telling and Treaty processes and Closing the Gap commitments, to improve social, cultural and economic outcomes for Tasmanian Aboriginal People. |
Policy documents
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Pathway to Truth-Telling and Treaty: Report to Premier Peter Gutwein | Tasmanian Government Department of Premier and Cabinet |
Report from consultations with Tasmanian Aboriginal people about their thoughts on and aspirations for treaty, truth-telling and reconciliation and to identify possible pathways towards these goals. Themes that emerged included:
|
Whole of community
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2025 | Rethink 2020 – Tasmanias strategic plan for mental health | Tasmanian Department of Health |
Rethink 2020 is Tasmanias strategic mental health plan, with renewed focus on:
The Rethink 2020 Progress Review and Update 2022-23 highlights the progress made in Tasmania under the Rethink Implementation Plan 2022-23. It outlines achievements in implementing Rethink 2020 Reform Directions and the Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Strategy Priority Actions. A current implementation plan is also available: Rethink 2020 Implementation Plan 2023-24 |
| 2023-2027 | Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Strategy 2023-2027 | Tasmanian Department of Health |
This Strategy identifies five suicide prevention priorities:
Aboriginal people are acknowledged as a priority population but their specific needs are not addressed in this strategy. |
| 2022-2026 | Bilateral Schedule on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention | Tasmanian Government, Commonwealth Government |
The Bilateral Schedule is the Tasmanian agreement under the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, which sets out the shared intention of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to work in partnership to improve the mental health of all Australians, reduce the rate of suicide toward zero, and ensure the sustainability and enhance the services of the Australian mental health and suicide prevention system. The Bilateral Schedule include Tasmania-specific commitments including funding allocations and sites for service expansion. |
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Victoria
Key organisations
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) | VACCHO is the peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing in Victoria, with a membership of 33 community-controlled organisations. It is the peak representative organisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in Victoria, and represents the Victorian community-controlled health sector through its affiliation and membership on the Board of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).
VACCHO supports Members to deliver high-quality, culturally safe health and social services to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community by:
VACCHO operates through the principle of self-determination, seeking to embed Culture, Community and Country in all healthcare settings, to promote equitable health access and outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. |
| The Balit Durn Durn Centre | The Balit Durn Durn Centre coordinates a collaborative approach to the expansion of Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) services in Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) and mainstream mental health services. It ensures there is ‘no wrong door’ for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people seeking a culturally safe SEWB service and advocates for accessible culturally safe SEWB services at both mainstream health providers and local ACCOs. The Centre draws on clinical, research and Community expertise to coordinate best practice across services through:
The Centre was established in 2022 and supports the strength and advocacy of Aboriginal communities and leaders in working towards the vision set out in Balit Durn Durn, VACCHO’s submission to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System and Balit Murrup, the Victorian Government’s 10-year Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Framework 2017-2027. |
| First Peoples Assembly of Victoria | The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria is the independent and democratically elected body to represent Traditional Owners of Country and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Victoria. It met for the first time on Wurundjeri Country on 2627 July 2023. With representatives from five regions, it will engage with the Victorian Government to develop a state-wide Treaty process and timetable for transferring power from Government to Community, and empower local groups to develop their own Treaties. |
| Treaty Authority | Within the First Peoples Assembly, the Treaty Authority – established under the Victorian Treaty Act 2022 and led by five First Peoples representatives – has been established to oversee Treaty-making in Victoria and moderate and determine disputes either between First Peoples and the Government or between different Traditional Owner Groups. To support its independence, the Treaty Authority sits outside of the bureaucracy and does not report to a Minister. Its recurrent funding is also provided outside the usual budget cycle. |
Government
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission |
The new Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission is an independent statutory authority that holds government to account for the performance, quality and safety of Victoria’s mental health and wellbeing system. The Commission, created in September 2023, will:
The Commission replaced the previous Mental Health Complaints Commission and operates under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022), which commenced on 1 September 2023, replacing the previous Mental Health Act 2014. |
| Department of Health – Mental Health |
The Mental Health branch of the Department of Health oversees mental health policy and standards in Victoria, including research and reporting, consumer inclusion and reform. It includes the offices of the Chief Psychiatrist and Chief Mental Health Nurse. |
Victoria’s mental health services |
This online listing provides details of all VicHealth mental health services. |
| Wellbeing Promotion Office |
The Victorian Government has established the Wellbeing Promotion Office in response to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, which recommended a renewed focus on mental health promotion and prevention, highlighting the value of a public health approach in reducing the prevalence of mental illness. The Wellbeing Promotion Office is responsible for developing Victoria’s first wellbeing strategy: Wellbeing in Victoria: A Strategy to Promote Good Mental Health.This plan will provide a coordinated approach that shifts the focus of the mental health system from treatment and care towards prevention, promotion and healing. The Wellbeing Promotion office also delivers programs including Social Inclusion Action Groups and Local Connections – a social prescribing initiative. |
| First Peoples – State Relations |
First Peoples – State Relations is established within the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet and is responsible for leading the Government’s work in the areas of cultural rights, self-determination, treaty and truth. It is committed to building ongoing, just and respectful relationships between self-determining First Peoples and the State, and to promoting Aboriginal leadership. First Peoples – State Relations incorporates the former Aboriginal Victoria and its statutory functions, and was established following consultation with Victoria’s Aboriginal community and peak bodies. Its work streams include:
|
Policy documents
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Treaty Negotiation Framework | First Peoples’Assembly of Victoria and the State of Victoria |
This policy guides Treaty-making, In the spirit of reconciliation, for all Victorians. It sets out the principles and legal terms for a future Treaty or Treaties, which should acknowledge truth and healing as guided by the recommendations of the Yoorrook Justice Commission. |
| 2020 | Balit Durn Durn Strong Brain, Mind, Intellect and Sense of Self | Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) |
The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO)’s Report to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System outlines five solutions for the Victorian mental health system to implement by 2025 to better meet the needs of Aboriginal Communities:
|
| 2021-2026 | On Solid Ground: VACCHO Strategic Plan 2021 2026 Strength, Sustainability and Innovation for Generational Change | Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) |
VACCHO’s strategic plan focuses on:
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| 2017-2027 | Balit Murrup Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing framework 20172027 | Victorian Government |
Balit Murrup, the Victorian Government’s SEWB framework, is based on the following vision, objective and principles: Vision: Victorian Aboriginal people, families and communities achieve and sustain the highest attainable standards of social emotional wellbeing and mental health. Objective: The health gap between Aboriginal Victorians and the general population attributable to suicide, mental illness and psychological distress is reduced. Principles: Self-determination and community control: Self-determination is recognised as essential to overcome the disadvantage that Aboriginal people experience. Government and services will support the leadership role of Aboriginal communities and organisations in the planning, delivery, evaluation and measurement of services delivered to Aboriginal people, including social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and healing and recovery services. Embedding healing and protective factors: Connection to culture, family, community and country are built into all approaches across the promotion, early prevention, early intervention, treatment and recovery continuum. Culturally capable services: Cultural perspectives are embedded into clinical and therapeutic practice and services respect the rights, views and expectations of individuals and families. Person-centred care: Mental health and alcohol and other drug services for Aboriginal Victorians are designed around the needs and expectations of individuals, families and communities rather than service providers. Community engagement: Aboriginal communities self-determine and participate in the codesign and delivery of social and emotional wellbeing and mental health services and programs. Partnerships: Integrated partnerships between all health service providers and Aboriginal communities will provide the best opportunity to improve mental health outcomes and optimise social and emotional wellbeing and will foster trust, connectivity, and appropriate care. |
| 2017-2027 | Korin Korin Balit-Djak Aboriginal health, wellbeing and safety strategic plan 20172027 | Victorian Government |
Self-determination is at the heart of this plan, which commits the government to achieving the best health, wellbeing and safety for Aboriginal Victorians within five priority domains:
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Whole of community
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-2024 | Victoria’s 10 Year Mental Health Plan | Victorian Government |
This over-arching plan for Victoria’s mental health system has been largely superseded by reform initiatives in the wake of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System Final Report. |
| 2016-2025 | Victorian suicide prevention framework 2016-2025 | Victorian Government |
The Victorian suicide prevention framework 2016-2025 is constructed around five objectives: Build Resilience
Support Vulnerable People Care for the Suicidal Person
Learn What Works Best
Help Local Communities Prevent Suicide
The Framework was developed before Balit Murrup, the Victorian Government’s SEWB framework, which now takes precedence in matters of Aboriginal suicide prevention. |
| 2022 (draft) | Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcomes and Performance Framework | Victorian Government |
The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System recommended a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcomes and Performance Framework. The framework is intended to provide a way to understand and measure the impact of Victoria’s mental health system reforms and the difference they make to people’s lives, driving shared responsibility and accountability for mental health and wellbeing outcomes across government. |
| 2021 | Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System Final Report | Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System |
The final report of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System articulates mental health system reforms focused on service delivery in the community close to where people live, work and study. It emphasises preventing mental illness and promoting good mental health and wellbeing and providing responsive community-based services, with hospitals reserved for highly specialised or acute care needs. The report includes the need to ensure a reformed system responds appropriately to the needs of Aboriginal people, supporting principles of self-determination with Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing services designed and led by Aboriginal communities. Recommendations of direct relevance to Indigenous people include:
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| 2022-2026 | Bilateral Schedule on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention | Victorian Government, Commonwealth Government |
The Bilateral Schedule is the Victorian agreement under the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, which sets out the shared intention of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to work in partnership to improve the mental health of all Australians, reduce the rate of suicide toward zero, and ensure the sustainability and enhance the services of the Australian mental health and suicide prevention system. The Bilateral Schedule include Victoria-specific commitments including funding allocations and sites for service expansion. |
Western Australia
Key organisations
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia |
The Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia (AHCWA) is the leading authority for Aboriginal health in Western Australia, supporting and acting on behalf of 23 Member Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) across the state. It is WA’s NACCHO affiliate and a Member of the Coalition of Peaks. Central to AHCWA’s work is the promotion of an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector Model of Care, built around the delivery of comprehensive, holistic and culturally secure primary health care services that support Aboriginal people to enjoy the same level of health and wellbeing as all Western Australians. AHCWA leads and influences the state and national Aboriginal policy agenda and grows and advances the capacity and capability of AHCWA and its Members for long term sustainability. |
Government
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal Advisory Council of Western Australia (AACWA) |
The Aboriginal Advisory Council of Western Australia (AACWA) was established under Section 18 (1) of the Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority Act 1972to advise the WA Government. Its purpose is to build genuine, respectful and reciprocal relationships between Aboriginal people and the WA Government to achieve better life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, women and children. Secretariat responsibility sits within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the AACWA meets up to six times per year to provide advice on a range of policy matters. |
| Aboriginal Health |
Aboriginal Health, a state-wide office within WA Health, is responsible for facilitating a collaborative and coordinated approach within WA Health’s public health system to improve health outcomes for all Aboriginal people living in Western Australia. Aboriginal Health provides high level strategic leadership including advice for matters which directly and indirectly impact health outcomes. |
| Mental Health Commission of Western Australia |
The Mental Health Commission was established in 2010 to plan and purchase mental health and drug and alcohol treatment and support services, health promotion campaigns and early intervention programs. It also has roles in research, policy and system reform. The Commission replaced the previous Mental Health Division of the WA Department of Health and later amalgamated with the Drug and Alcohol Office, recognising that drug and alcohol and mental health problems often co-exist. The Commission funds but does not directly provide services. |
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Western Australia
Key organisations
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia | The Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia (AHCWA) is the leading authority for Aboriginal health in Western Australia, supporting and acting on behalf of 23 Member Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) across the state. It is WA’s NACCHO affiliate and a Member of the Coalition of Peaks. Central to AHCWA’s work is the promotion of an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector Model of Care, built around the delivery of comprehensive, holistic and culturally secure primary health care services that support Aboriginal people to enjoy the same level of health and wellbeing as all Western Australians. AHCWA leads and influences the state and national Aboriginal policy agenda and grows and advances the capacity and capability of AHCWA and its Members for long term sustainability. |
Government
| Organisation | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal Advisory Council of Western Australia (AACWA) |
The Aboriginal Advisory Council of Western Australia (AACWA) was established under Section 18 (1) of the Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority Act 1972to advise the WA Government. Its purpose is to build genuine, respectful and reciprocal relationships between Aboriginal people and the WA Government to achieve better life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, women and children. Secretariat responsibility sits within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the AACWA meets up to six times per year to provide advice on a range of policy matters. |
| Aboriginal Health |
Aboriginal Health, a state-wide office within WA Health, is responsible for facilitating a collaborative and coordinated approach within WA Health’s public health system to improve health outcomes for all Aboriginal people living in Western Australia. Aboriginal Health provides high level strategic leadership including advice for matters which directly and indirectly impact health outcomes. |
| Mental Health Commission of Western Australia |
The Mental Health Commission was established in 2010 to plan and purchase mental health and drug and alcohol treatment and support services, health promotion campaigns and early intervention programs. It also has roles in research, policy and system reform. The Commission replaced the previous Mental Health Division of the WA Department of Health and later amalgamated with the Drug and Alcohol Office, recognising that drug and alcohol and mental health problems often co-exist. The Commission funds but does not directly provide services. |
Policy documents
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-2030 | WA Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Framework 20152030 | WA Department of Health | The Framework seeks to guide the approach that WA Health, other government agencies, non-government organisations and the community adopts to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people in Western Australia. It recognises the need to respond in a coordinated, flexible and practical way to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people and the importance of community capacity to support prevention and early intervention. The Framework includes six strategic directions that support evidence- based best practice, re-empowerment of Aboriginal people, and a service system in which the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people is everybody’s business:
It applies these directions across priority areas:
An evaluation of the first phase of implementation of the Framework has been published: Build the foundations An evaluation of the first five years of the WA Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Framework 20152030. |
| 2020-2030 | Outcomes Framework for Aboriginal Health 20202030 | WA Department of Health | The Outcomes Framework for Aboriginal Health 20202030 seeks to build on the WA Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Framework 20152030 by focusing on the effectiveness rather than the volume of interventions and services. The Framework is designed to guide the Department of Health and Aboriginal community-based health service providers to better design, deliver and evaluate programs and services through an outcomes focused model, and to build the overall capacity and responsiveness of the WA health system to meet both the clinical and cultural needs of Aboriginal people, families and communities. |
| TBC | Western Australian Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Strategy | WA Department of Health / AACWA | The Mental Health Commission will coordinate and implement WA’s first Aboriginal-specific suicide prevention strategy for Western Australia, which will include a series of regional plans that prioritise Aboriginal-led and locally endorsed initiatives based on a culturally informed social and emotional wellbeing approach. |
| 2021-2025 | Kimberley Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Regional Plan | Aboriginal Regional Governance Group (established as an interim mechanism to oversee the Regional Plan) | The Kimberley Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Plan, aligned to the Western Australian Suicide Prevention Framework 20212025, identifies practical, place-based approaches to prevent and reduce the impacts of self-harm and suicidal behaviours for Aboriginal people and communities in the Kimberley region. The Plan sets out recommendations, with activities and next steps for implementation. They draw on the extensive work done by Aboriginal people and communities throughout the Kimberley over many years, including:
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| 2022 | Infant, Child and Adolescent (ICA) Taskforce Implementation Program Aboriginal Mental Health Worker Model | The Aboriginal Mental Health Workforce Model is a contemporary workforce model that will inform the roles, responsibilities, career pathways and supports for AMHWs and Senior AMHWs. The model is needed to empower AMHWs in their role, including defining and guiding the care they will provide to Aboriginal children, their family and carers. AMHWs will be instrumental in championing the Infant, Child and Adolescent Culturally Safe Care Principles at the frontline and ensuring they are applied in practice. It is essential that the roles and 4 | Aboriginal Mental Health Worker Model responsibility are defined and aligned to the work that they perform. Learnings from current AMHWs have shown that in order to perform their roles effectively and best support Aboriginal children, their families, and the community, AMHWs must have confidence that they are valued for the expertise they bring and are respected by their peers and leaders within the sector. This model intends to support this and promote respect and partnership across the ICA mental health system. |
Whole of community
| Date | Title | Organisation | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-2025 | Western Australian Suicide Prevention Framework 20212025 | Mental Health Commission of Western Australia |
Building on existing programs and aligned with State and Commonwealth policy directions, the Suicide Prevention Framework 2025 supports the WA Government’s existing commitments to tackling suicide and sets the direction for future action. It brings the voices of the community together to provide understanding and guidance for individuals, communities, private and non-government organisations and the government. The Framework includes a chapter on Aboriginal suicide prevention (p37) and a commitment to facilitate the development of a Western Australian Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Strategy prioritising culturally secure approaches to social and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention, with dedicated regional plans. |
| 2021-2025 | Western Australian Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2021 – 2025 Consultative draft October 2019 | Mental Health Commission of Western Australia |
The Western Australian Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2021 – 2025 was drafted to operationalise the Western Australian Suicide Prevention Framework 20212025. The consultative draft includes a section on suicide prevention for Aboriginal people (p27) strongly linked to SEWB principles and the Gayaa Dhuwi Declaration. However, stakeholders responded negatively on release of the consultation draft to the lack of clear targets in the document, which has not been finalised or released. |
| 2020 | Think Mental Health | Mental Health Commission of Western Australia |
The Suicide Prevention Public Education Program’s Think Mental Health Campaign is a key initiative of the State-wide suicide prevention strategy, Suicide Prevention 2020, under Action Area One – Greater public awareness and united action across the community. The Think Mental Health education campaign is part of a comprehensive approach in Western Australia that aims to build mental health and wellbeing and reduce mental health issues with a view to reducing Western Australia’s suicide rate. It supports other initiatives to prevent and reduce suicide in Western Australia. |
| 2022-2026 | Bilateral Schedule on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention | Western Australian Government, Commonwealth Government |
The Bilateral Schedule is the Western Australian agreement under the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, which sets out the shared intention of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to work in partnership to improve the mental health of all Australians, reduce the rate of suicide toward zero, and ensure the sustainability and enhance the services of the Australian mental health and suicide prevention system. The Bilateral Schedule include WA-specific commitments including funding allocations and sites for service expansion. |
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