G’day,
There is an artwork hanging in my office that features a famous quote from the Brazilian priest and later Bishop, Dom Helda Camara:
“When I feed the poor, they call me a saint.
When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”
On the face of it, there is widespread support for “mental health” in Australia. In our recent , we classed 85% of people as being broadly aware of the importance of good mental health. Only 15% resisted mental health and wellbeing as an important social issue.
But scratch the surface and a whole different picture emerges.
Some 22% of us recognise the importance of mental health and have had a pretty good experience getting the support they need. They struggle to see the experience of the 13% of us who fight for survival in a system that is just not there for them.
There are the 23% of us who intuitively know mental health is an important issue but for whom the issues have not really touched their lives; and the 28% of us who accept that mental health is important, but who lean into personal responsibility as the right response.
Make no mistake: mental health is a question of justice that will only be fully addressed when we accept collective responsibility for change.
Awareness campaigns and pats on the head are not enough: we need real action.
That’s not going to be for everyone. When we substitute real change for platitudes, it is easy for everyone to get onboard. But real change requires solidarity and courage.
By connecting with each other, understanding each other, and ultimately standing united with each other, we can demand that our governments hear our stories and commit to changing the policies, norms, attitudes and laws that help write our stories.
And sometimes the changes we seek may look a bit boring but matter a lot.
At last night’s monthly member meetup, we discussed whether the PM appointing a Minister for Mental & Wellbeing, who sits in the Cabinet and works out of his department to coordinate a whole-of-government response to the mental health crisis would make a difference.
I say a firm “YES”.
Imagine a government that did not have a Minister charged with national security or defence? It would be plainly derelict in its duty.
Imagine a government that did not have a Minister charged with managing the economy? It would be laughed out of office.
But what issue is more profoundly central to the prosperity of Australia or the safety of its people than mental health?
Without a Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, we have government Ministers with all care and no responsibility, and a Health Minister who is charged with putting out a bushfire with a garden hose.
. And then help spread the word by sending this email to your family, friends and co-workers – every extra person brings us a step closer to the Australia we want and need.
Best,
Chris
Chris Gambian
Executive Director
Australians for Mental Health
P.S. If you are not yet a member and this resonates with you, I am asking you to join us. The first month is free, then it is $4 a month, and we will waive that if you need. You can cancel at any time. You can join here.