Queensland Alliance for Mental Health

26/09/2025

Save the Date!

Join us for the QAMH Annual Alliance Meeting on Friday, 14 November, 10am–12pm (Hybrid – Brisbane & online).

We’ll launch our new QAMH Strategy, reflect on the past year, and look ahead together. For those attending in person, this event is an opportunity connect and network with fellow members.

Formal invitations will be emailed to Members soon – keep an eye on your inbox!

23/09/2025

This week we’re spotlighting Karakan , who deliver place-based and specialised services across Logan, South Brisbane and Ipswich. With programs like STEPS Transitional Living and YouthKan, Karakan is creating innovative, recovery-oriented supports for people who often fall through system gaps. We’re also highlighting the leadership of Cameron Thayer, who is passionate about reshaping service systems through lived experience, contemporary practice and evidence.

We’re proud to have Karakan as part of our QAMH membership.

21/09/2025

The Productivity Commission’s Interim Report on Delivering Quality Care More Efficiently sets the stage for major reforms to Australia’s care economy. While it highlights much-needed integration, prevention and workforce changes, we’ve stressed that reform will fall short unless community mental health is fully recognised.

In our latest submission, we call for:
1. Recognition and inclusive regulation of community mental health, with safeguards for smaller and regional providers and proper valuing of the peer workforce.
2. Collaborative commissioning that includes NGOs, lived experience and ACCHOs, guided by a recovery-focused national outcomes framework and supported by stable funding.
3. A broader prevention agenda that sees psychosocial supports as core to prevention, with evaluation and advisory structures that reflect community voices.
4. Workforce investment to embed and sustain peer and psychosocial roles alongside clinical professions.

You can read our full submission here:https://www.qamh.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Delivering-Care-More-Efficiently_Final-Submission-QAMH.pdf

And for a quick snapshot, check out our summary of the Interim Report and what it means for the community mental health sector:https://www.qamh.org.au/wp-content/uploads/PC-Delivering-Quality-Care-More-Efficiently-QAMH-Summary-220925.pdf

18/09/2025

This week’s Spotlight shines brightly on Upbeat Arts and their General Manager, Susan Gilmartin who has proudly served the organisation since its inception in 2014.

Upbeat Arts is a community-focused organisation dedicated to supporting individuals with mental health challenges through creative programs and workshops in music and creative writing. Their programs offer developmental and therapeutic benefits, helping participants enhance life skills, boost confidence, improve communication, and promote overall well-being.

For over 10 years, Upbeat Arts has created accessible opportunities for self-expression, personal growth, and connection in a safe, supportive environment. Led by skilled professional artists and supported by passionate facilitators and mental health buddies, their programs encourage individuals to explore their talents and take their own journey of growth - an approach that fosters personal development while also nurturing meaningful social connections.

17/09/2025

QAMH’s submission on the draft National Guidelines for including mental health and wellbeing in Early Childhood Health Checks (ECHCs) helped shape the final Guidelines, now released by the National Mental Health Commission.

Our advocacy strengthened the focus on:
- Caregiver mental health as foundational to children’s wellbeing
- Proactive engagement and follow-up for families
- Clearer definitions of “foundational needs”
- More flexible, community-based venues for ECHCs

But gaps remain. The community mental health sector is still not explicitly recognised, and there is little tailored guidance for families in rural and high-risk contexts.

Read where our advocacy made an impact here:https://www.qamh.org.au/shaping-the-future-qamhs-voice-in-early-childhood-mental-health-guidelines/

15/09/2025

We’ve had a fantastic start to our Regional Roadshow, with successful sessions on the Sunshine Coast and in Bundaberg and fully booked sessions in Cairns and Townsville next week. Now we’re turning our focus to Queensland’s rural regions.

Our upcoming sessions in Mount Isa and Roma are an important opportunity to ensure the experiences and priorities of rural communities are included in QAMH’s advocacy. We want to hear from those working in community mental health, as well as people in organisations that intersect with our sector, to capture the unique challenges and opportunities of delivering services in rural settings.

Spots are still available, so if you work in or around community mental health in these regions, register today and share with your networks:

Mount Isa: https://events.humanitix.com/mount-isa-sector-networking-and-policy-conversation

Roma: https://events.humanitix.com/roma-sector-networking-and-policy-conversation

Queensland Alliance for Mental Health (QAMH) uses Humanitix for their events. Discover events by Queensland Alliance for Mental Health (QAMH), learn more, or contact this host.

12/09/2025

This week we shine the Spotlight on Primary & Community Care Services (PCCS) and their CEO, Dr J.R. Baker. Dr J.R. Baker is also a Member-Elected Director on the QAMH Board.

PCCS is a local health organisation working to make it easier for people to access the health and community services they need. Day-to-day, PCCS provide practical supports for anyone facing complex health and mental health challenges. With a focus on optimising health and wellbeing for local communities, PCCS pride themselves on designing innovative services including social prescribing, care coordination and supports that make a real difference.

10/09/2025

QAMH’s submission helped shape the NDIS Bill No. 2 Consultation Insights Report with our advocacy directly quoted on pricing reform, regulatory oversight, and provider sustainability. Here’s where we made an impact, and what’s still missing: https://www.qamh.org.au/qamhs-voice-reflected-in-ndis-bill-no-2-consultation-insights/

08/09/2025

Join us for a relaxed and engaging morning of connection at the QAMH Members-Only Coffee and Conversations event. This is your opportunity to catch up with peers, make new connections, and share insights with others working across the community mental health and wellbeing sector. Coffee and light snacks will be provided throughout the morning.

Spots are limited, so if you're a QAMH Member, please register here: https://events.humanitix.com/qamh-member-networking-coffee-and-conversations.

If you would like to discuss membership with us, please reach out to Chloe at cjesson@qamh.org.au.

03/09/2025

Communify Queensland provides a wide range of supports across Brisbane, including housing, family services, neighbourhood centres, and mental health and wellbeing programs.

This week, we’re spotlighting their Lived/Living Experience (Peer) Workforce. Through the work of team members like Katie Shields and Brooke Starr, Communify is embedding peer perspectives into mental health and wellbeing supports to ensure services are inclusive, person-directed, and grounded in lived experience.

We’re proud to showcase Communify’s commitment to growing the peer workforce and strengthening the future of community mental health.

02/09/2025

We’re proud to share that our CEO, Emily Wolter, has been invited to present at CheckUP Australia's Let’s Connect for Mental Health event.Emily will speak on the state of the community mental health sector and the important work happening at QAMH, alongside other leaders and advocates passionate about improving mental health and wellbeing.

This hybrid event is open to all – whether you’re a community leader, health worker, or simply passionate about mental health. Together, we’ll connect, collaborate and reflect on this year’s theme: Connect for Mental Health.

Date: Thursday 4th Sep, 10:30am - 12pm
Join in-person or online
Free for CheckUP Members and Outreach providers

Stay up to date and register here: https://events.humanitix.com/connectformentalhealth

28/08/2025

Whilst QAMH supports addressing gender-based undervaluation and fair pay across the SCHADS Award, the Fair Work Commission’s draft determination rewards existing staff while penalising new entrants, removes structured pay progression, and ignores the critical role of lived experience – all without any commitment to matching funding increases.

To ensure the changes are fair, sustainable, and reflective of the realities of community mental health work, QAMH is calling on the Commission to:
- Revise translation arrangements to prevent inequities and maintain supervisory differentials.
- Restore meaningful pay progression to reward experience and support retention.
- Recognise lived experience as a distinct and valued source of expertise.
- Align classifications with role complexity, not just qualifications or tenure.
- Provide a funding uplift so community organisations can remain viable.

Without urgent revision, the changes will create inequities, destabilise organisations, and erode workforce retention at a time when community mental health services are needed more than ever.

Read our full submission on the 'Our Work' page of our website.