Public Response

The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) proudly joins the global community in recognising World Breastfeeding Week (1–7 August), acknowledging not just the physical act of breastfeeding, but the profound emotional, psychological, and social challenges that often accompany early parenthood.

On World Lung Cancer Day, the Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) joins health organisations and communities worldwide in raising awareness about lung cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths globally.

Over the past 25 years, mental health awareness has transformed from silence to visibility. Campaigns, school programs, and social media have played an important role in breaking stigma and encouraging help-seeking. Yet as Professor Patrick McGorry highlights, blanket awareness programs in schools may be creating unintended harms including increased distress, misdiagnosis, and misplaced confidence in “awareness” as a substitute for real care.

The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) has welcomed correspondence from the Queensland Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, the Hon. Tim Nicholls MP, in response to our concerns regarding the Draft National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists.

The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) has today submitted its final response to the Productivity Commission’s Interim Review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, calling for bold reform, structural inclusivity, and recognition of the full spectrum of mental health professionals already delivering care across the country.

The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) has welcomed recent correspondence from the Northern Territory Minister for Education and Training, acknowledging the validity of VMHPAA’s concerns regarding the Draft National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists.

The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association Australia (VMHPAA) fully supports the recommendation for a National Bullying Standard for schools - a standardized framework to shift school cultures towards respect, early intervention, and prevention.

The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) has welcomed recent correspondence from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, responding on behalf of Ministers Andrew Giles MP (Skills and Training) and Amanda Rishworth MP (Employment and Workplace Relations) to our concerns regarding the Draft National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists.

A growing chorus of experts, educators, and front-line workers are sounding the alarm: Australia’s children are not okay. A new report featured by 7News reveals that half of young Australians are experiencing psychological distress, marking what may be the most urgent youth mental health crisis in generations.

The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) has welcomed the support of Kate Chaney MP, Independent Member for Curtin, following a constructive meeting this week to discuss the proposed Draft National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists.

The VMHPAA Winter Edition 2025 Newsletter is packed with powerful updates, reflections, and resources for anyone passionate about a fairer, more inclusive mental health system in Australia.

The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) has welcomed correspondence from ACT Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Education and Early Childhood, Yvette Berry MLA, in response to our concerns regarding the Draft National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists.

In the July 2025 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly, the article "Nowhere to Turn" lays bare a devastating truth: Australia's mental health system is on the brink. Emergency departments are overwhelmed. Suicide rates are rising. Too many Australians, especially women and young people, have nowhere to turn.

This July, the Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association Australia (VMHPAA) proudly celebrates Disability Pride Month, a time to recognise the strength, diversity, and dignity of individuals living with disability across Australia and beyond.

Today, Shane Warren (Chair) and Philip Armstrong (CEO) of the Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) formally met with representatives from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - specifically the Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Division of the Primary and Community Care Group.

The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) is encouraged by the strong support received from Senator Katy Gallagher, who has formally written to the Federal Minister for Health, the Hon. Mark Butler MP, raising our concerns regarding the proposed Draft National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists.

The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association Australia (VMHPAA) fully endorses The Australian Women’s Weekly exposé Nowhere to Turn: Inside Australia’s Mental Health Crisis, which underscores a mental health system at breaking point - overwhelmed, under-resourced, and fragmented.

In recent weeks, VMHPAA has lodged formal concerns with federal decision-makers, while also petitioning State Premiers, Health Ministers, and Senators to draw urgent attention to the following risks...

The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) acknowledges recent correspondence from the Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People regarding the Draft National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists.

The Productivity Commission’s recent review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement confirms what many of us working in the community already know all too well: the agreement, while well-intentioned, has failed to deliver real outcomes for the people it was meant to support.