Mental health reform

Mental Health Act 2016

The Mental Health Bill 2015 was passed by Queensland Parliament on Thursday 18 February 2016, enacting the Mental Health Act 2016.

Passage of this Bill has cleared the way for Queensland to undertake its biggest mental health reform in 15 years.

The Act represents a major step forward for patient rights, strengthens the role of family and support persons for patients and better aligns the legislation with superior clinical practice.

It also includes major reforms about how persons who may have a mental illness are dealt with before a magistrate.

A range of new measures will now be introduced which will ensure improved outcomes for mental health patients across the state.

Queensland Health will now progress to the implementation stage of the legislation, which will continue until later this year.

For more information see the Queensland Mental Health Commission website.

Queensland Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Strategic Plan

A new vision for mental health services in Queensland was launched on 9 October 2014 in the Queensland Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Strategic Plan 2014-2019.

Developed by the Queensland Mental Health Commission (QMHC), the plan continues the drive towards a more integrated, evidence-based, recovery-oriented mental health and substance misuse system.

The responsibility for implementing the strategic plan will be shared by the community, government and industry.

Different sectors have different roles to play, but they are equally important. By working together we can strengthen the system and improve support for people with, or at higher risk of, mental illness or substance misuse.

This page will continue to be updated with more information on mental health reforms as it becomes available. For current news and resources please visit the relevant menu links.