Mental Health Announcement
Mark Henley QCOSS welcomes the formation of a new standalone department of the Queensland Government responsible for addressing mental health issues in the community. It is a very positive and critical step in enhancing the range and mix of services required to support people with mental illness. The integration of government and non-government services, policy and service delivery will bring significant benefits to consumers.
However, we feel that calling a government department a Commission creates confusion. Given the concerns about the extent and growth of mental health issues in the community we support the establishment of a Commission. We support the notion of a Commission independent from government that separately monitors the progress of the department and has consumer and non government organisations represented.
