Mental health election promise kept - retaining Mental Health Commission

On 28 April, WA Premier Mark McGowan announced a raft of major changes to WA’s government departments, cutting the total number of departments of 41 to 25. McGowan stated the changes will help create a more efficient public sector to deliver better services for the community.

WAAMH welcomes confirmation of the new Labor Government's promise to retain a stand-alone Mental Health Commission, which WAAMH and community mental health advocates secured as an election commitment following last year's Don’t Mess with Mental Health advocacy.   

Merging the Mental Health Commission back into the health portfolio would have risked going backwards to a narrow, medicalised approach to mental health. Given the substantial restructure, retaining the Mental Health Commission is a significant win for the sector. 

WAAMH has written to the Premier to thank him for this decision. WAAMH has also urged him to protect the strategic commissioning role of WA’s Mental Health Commission, which is essential to enable mental health services to support people to attain health, wellbeing, recovery, a safe and stable home, and community belonging.