Membership Review

The NMHCCF was established by the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council Mental Health Standing Committee (MHSC) in 2002. The organisations and state/territories that can nominate representatives to the NMHCCF have remained unchanged since then.

When the NMHCCF was set up it was proposed that the membership include representatives from the Indigenous, youth and transcultural sectors, however this was never enacted.

In the past couple of years the NMHCCF has also been approached by a number of national mental health organisations seeking representation on the NMHCCF.

The Review

In September 2009 MHSC requested that the NMHCCF undertake a membership review to ensure that the current membership provides the best representation of mental health consumers and carers nationally.

In February 2010 a short survey was sent to key stakeholders to gauge their views on what NMHCCF membership should look like.

NMHCCF members considered the survey results and made a range of recommendations to the MHSC, including:

• All existing NMHCCF representative positions should be retained, including the consumer representative position for the former Australian Mental Health Consumer Network (to be taken up by a representative from the new mental health consumer peak body, once established).
• Those organisations on the NMHCCF that represent both mental health consumer and carers should have both a consumer and carer representative member on the NMHCCF.
• NMHCCF membership should be expanded to include consumer and carer representatives from the CALD, Indigenous, youth and aged care communities, subject to appropriate funding.

MHSC considered these recommendations in July 2010 but at this stage funding has not been agreed for an expanded membership.