Act on The Act!

A new Mental Health Act is coming, probably very quickly.

Some big changes in the new Act have been set by the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health Services. We think some will come very quickly as a new Act, and others will come in a review in 5-7 years time.

However, we might be able to influence what the details say—and sometimes those details are really important. At VMIAC we think every consumer and survivor who wants to, should get to have a say about this.

So we’re pleased to welcome consumer/survivor leaders Vrinda Edan and Indigo Daya to lead a rapid new consultation for us about the new Act. This two-week campaign is called: Act On The Act!

So what’s happening?

1. Please do our survey

We have a new, important survey about the changes to the Act.

It’s a little bit long, but we wanted to give you the chance to comment on important areas where change might be possible. If you can, please do the survey. It’s OK to scroll through and just answer the bits that you care about.

Every person who does it will help us be stronger advocates.
You can do the survey here: Act on The Act Survey:

2. Join our focus groups

Indigo Daya and Vrinda Edan will be facilitating focus groups about the new Act next week. If you’d like to join a more in-depth conversation about possible changes, please join us.

Each of the focus groups have a slightly different focus, but do feel free to join whichever one best works for you.

You can book your place online at Eventbrite: Click here for the full Eventbrite listing, or click the sessions below to register for each one.

Day	Time	Who Should Attend	Session Topics
Tuesday 27 April	1-3pm	Consumer and Survivor Workforce	Changes to the Act: – Reducing compulsory treatment & restrictive practice – The new commission – Information sharing -Opt-out advocacy Bring in views/ideas from other consumers/survivors you work with (eg, from Consumer Advisory Groups)
Tuesday 27 April	6-8pm	All Consumers and Survivors	Changes to the Act: – Reducing compulsory treatment & restrictive practice – The New commission -Information sharing -Opt-out advocacy
Wednesday 28 April	6-8pm	Consumer and Survivor Leaders	Changes to the Act: – Statutory bodies, regulation and oversight – Systems governance & accountability – Reducing compulsory treatment & restrictive practice
Thursday 29 April	1-3pm	All Consumers and Survivors	Changes to the Act: – Reducing compulsory treatment & restrictive practice – The new commission – Information sharing – Opt-out sharing

If for any reason you can’t access the survey or attend a focus group, but you still have something you want to share about the new Act, you can email Indigo and Vrinda directly at: actontheact@gmail.com.

As always, thank you for joining our collective advocacy for a mental health system that can be safe and welcoming for all of us.

If you can, please share the survey with any other consumers or survivors who might want to do it!