The National Mental Health Consumer Alliance (NMHCA) is the national mental health peak body for mental health consumers. We are led by, and represent, the voices of people with lived experience of mental health challenges.
NMHCA is working together with the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) on this opportunity. FECCA is a national peak body.
Both NMHCA and FECCA recognise the additional challenges facing migrants, refugees, and people of colour in Australia, particularly when it comes to mental health and wellbeing. The Group will provide high level advice to NMHCA’s National Policy Council identifying particular concerns for people with mental health challenges. This will include providing a multicultural perspective on national mental health policies and providing input into Alliance policy development.
We are looking for one member from each State and Territory to join NMHCA’s Multicultural Mental Health Expert Group.
Meeting online four times a year for three hours, you will be expected to attend at least 80 per cent of these meetings. You will be paid for your participation at the rate set by the NMHCA, currently $92.80 per hour. This rate includes reading time.
To join the Panel, you will:
- identify as a refugee, migrant, person of colour and/or from a multicultural background
- have personal lived experience of mental health challenges. The NMHCA defines lived experience of mental health challenges as “experience of mental health challenges that have caused life as we knew it to change so significantly we must reimagine and redefine ourselves, our place in the world, and out plans”.
- have personal experience using, or trying to use, mental health services and supports funded or partially funded by the Australian Government* within the last five years
- have experience actively contributing in meetings with your mental health peers in a safe and constructive way
- have experience sharing your lived experience from a multicultural perspective to contribute to the development of systemic policy advice
- have experience of identifying improvements to the availability and use of mental health services for multicultural mental health consumers
- want to advise the NMHCA on national mental health policies and how they impact multicultural mental health consumers
- have access to reliable internet
To participate on this Expert Panel you cannot be a Board member of a State/Territory mental health consumer peak body (i.e. the members of NMHCA), nor be a member of a State/Territory peak body national Consumer Advisory Group.
If you meet these criteria and are interested in nominating for the Panel, please complete this form by midnight Friday 2 May 2025. The NMHCA and FECCA will be making the final recruitment decisions.
*This may include receiving services through the National Disability Insurance Scheme or at a Medicare Mental Health centre, or receiving a Medicare Benefits Schedule rebate under the Better Access initiative when using a general practitioner (including a mental health plan), psychiatrist, prescribed medical practitioner, psychologist, social worker and/or occupational therapist