Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the privilege of travelling across Australia, meeting with stakeholders in several States and Territories to discuss the current state of mental health promotion and the path forward. It’s clear that while each jurisdiction is taking a different approach—some with dedicated strategies, others integrating mental health promotion into broader AOD or suicide prevention frameworks—there is no shortage of innovation and good practice across the country. 

From place-based initiatives like Logan Together, to comprehensive frameworks such as Thriving Kids Queensland, to local programs like Mindful Margaret River and Jessie’s Classroom, there are many bright spots. We’ve also seen valuable investment in public awareness through campaigns like Think Mental Health, and significant steps toward systems development, such as the establishment of the Victorian Municipal Mental Health and Wellbeing Promotion Network and new ways of funding such as the Investment Dialogue for Australia’s Children. We are also building on these conversations internationally and have been delighted to be in conversation with the Anna Freud foundation, their manifesto being strongly aligned with the work we are doing in Australia.  

The challenge now is coordination. Individually, these initiatives and frameworks are promising—but brought together under a unified, well-funded systems approach, their collective impact could be transformative. At Prevention United we continue to work on the system foundations to make that vision a reality. 

This commitment was reflected in our recent work with the Wellbeing and Prevention Coalition submitting to the Productivity Commission a set of recommendations on how to break down the barriers to long-term investment in prevention. We also recently released ‘How to’ Guides for community engagement and evaluation targeted towards those commissioning and delivering mental health promotion initiatives. A reimagined approach to mental health promotion—one that is system-wide, integrated, and sustained—is essential if we’re to make a lasting difference in the mental health and wellbeing of our communities, particularly for children and young people. 

Finally, I want to extend my congratulations to the re-elected Labor government. We look forward to continuing our engagement with all levels of government to ensure the best ideas and initiatives from across the country are scaled and sustained—for the mental health and wellbeing of all those living in Australia.

Suzanne, CEO
Prevention United

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