Submission – Intergenerational Housing Inequity
The submission highlights that housing insecurity can cause long-term psychological distress and make it harder for people to access care, maintain relationships, and feel safe in their community. It also explains that these impacts are passed across generations, with children growing up in housing stress more likely to experience mental health challenges later in life.
Submission – 2026 Summer fires across Victoria
We made a policy submission to the Victorian Government’s inquiry into the 2026 summer fires. Our submission explores bushfires as environmental and economic disasters, with serious and long-lasting impacts on people’s mental health and wellbeing. We recognise that rural communities, people with pre-existing disadvantage, and those recovering from earlier disasters are often the hardest hit.
The Meaning of ‘Lived Experience’
VMIAC is proud to launch a critical new policy position: ‘The Meaning of ‘Lived Experience’. This position statement was developed in response to growing concern over the widespread co-option and dilution of lived experience language within mental health reform. As the term “Lived Experience” gains popularity across government and service sectors, its meaning is often stretched
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER, THE NATIONAL CABINET, & THE OPPOSITION LEADER
Immediate Actions Required for Australians with Disability in Response to the Disability Royal Commission4th December 2024 Dear Prime Minister, Hon Anthony Albanese MP and Opposition Leader, Hon Peter Dutton MP,We write to you, as Australians from all walks of life and all sides of the political spectrum. We include not only a diverse range of
VMIAC Statement on Israel-Palestine Conflict
VMIAC is part of a mental health consumer and survivor movement grounded in human rights and social justice. We hope for a community where people can stand proud, live a life with choices honoured, rights upheld and these principles embedded in all aspects of society. This vision applies at home and abroad, and we oppose
CLIG participant Jess shares her experience
Peer support worker, consumer consultant, and VMIAC member Jess Ferguson-McLellan is one of 28 students in VMIAC’s groundbreaking pilot training program, Consumer Leading in Governance. At the time, the Victorian Royal Commission into Mental Health was calling for more lived experience leadership in service delivery and boards. CLIG was designed to build capacity in the
VMIAC’s reaction to the Federal Government’s response to the Disability Royal Commission
On 30 July 2024, the Federal Government published its response to the Disability Royal Commission. The Federal Government responded to the 172 recommendations that it was found to be responsible for. The federal government: This outcome is disappointing for the over 10,000 people with disability and their allies who shared their experiences with the Disability
VMIAC deeply disappointed NDIS reforms have passed
The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No.1) Bill 2024 passed Parliament on 22 August 2024. This means that these reforms will become law and come into effect 28 days after Royal Assent. Since the NDIS reforms were announced, VMIAC has been strongly advocating for people with psychosocial disability. VMIAC