Ben Mullings, PhD (WA Senate)
Paul Stevenson, OAM (QLD Senate)
Traditional Portfolios
A Caring Health System
Economy and Tax Reform
Educational Reforms
Driving Principles
Thinking Bigger
Mental health is an investment
No Discrimination at School
More meaningful lives
Environment in Mind
Accessing enough help
Preferences in the Senate
Update (Jan 2019)
Update (Mar 2019)
Update (April 2019)
Update (Oct 2019)
Quiz Night 2019 (recap)
Mental Health and the Federal Budget 2019
Fifth National Mental Health Plan
Update (Nov 2018)
Update (Dec 2018)
See you at the next election!
Perth By Election 2018
Our candidate at the By Election
Summing up the Perth By Election
Jun 26, 2018 Admin6 CommentsPolicies
People function better when daily activities are meaningful to them. Our party is focused on policies which help people aspire and reach their potential. We will help Australians connect better with each other, their community, and the world around them. Other parties simplify issues of this kind down to a matter of providing basic education and work opportunities. Our party understands that context matters. For opportunity to be fully realised, policy must factor in the specific needs of people across different situations.
We'd like to see a society where the notion of 'a fair go' is not simply about the competitive forces of a free-market economy, or addressing conflict between classes in society. We stand outside of the traditional ideologies of left and right, looking instead towards the position that we must place value on human beings if we are going to improve Australian society. To us, the idea of a fair go is about recognising the value of all people who live in our society.
If elected, we will push for policies that strengthen the efforts of people to improve their lives. Our party will look at the systems which affect people as they go from one stage of life to the next – from childhood, to youth, and adulthood; from living alone to starting a family; from working life to retirement, finding purpose and meaning in later age. We will develop constructive policies to better manage the transitions people face between the major institutions of society. These transitions begin with providing safety for children around their adjustments between school, home life, and interactions with wider society. We will support veterans to adjust back to civilian life. We will push for better management of people when they are released from prison, to assist in that critical early period of adjustment, to help them start making a positive contribution to our society. Importantly, we will also develop policies which help people move from hospital-based care back to living in the community again.
When people find a better way of living and feel valued for their contributions, it not only helps them personally, but it ultimately makes our whole society better. The return on investment is clear for better policy across domains like these. Investing here will not only will we see reduced expenses at the more critical and costly areas, but will also lead to far greater long-terms gains for the Australian population. A vote for the Australian Mental Health Party is a vote for a more meaningful society which values people.
A meaningful life of aspiration and potential is a matter of citizenship, choice and communication of belonging, need and place. A fair go values every human being irrespective of difference or illness. No stigma or discrimination please. Value for work, community, family and so on is fundamental we waste money and power when we seek to restrict others.
We agree Stephen! And I think most people out there in our communities do too. A few well targeted policies helping people to connect with stable and personally significant activities in their own daily lives, will go a long way to building that sense of participation and contribution to Australian society. Together we are stronger.
'You had me at hello' 🙏 Have just stumbled across a tweet which lead me to your Party.. Brilliant.. just reading the above has inspired me to believe a political Party's Policies can stand for all of the ideologies and issues I feel so strongly about 👏 You Have My Vote! 👌
If funding is a question we can redress item subsidies etc but perhaps we need a real alignment between tax and welfare systems might this be g mtaxation as a family unit or even ensuring less penalties for living meaningful lives and making choices.
I wonder if transfer systems will be fully addressed under the pillars of home ownership, aged pension and compulsory and voluntary super. and the social determinants attached thereto? More so will PHNs combined with health districts reorganise mental health? Stephen.
Ben Mullings
Can you talk a little more about those things you mentioned in the first sentence? I'd like to know a bit more about your ideas on that.
As for PHNs and health districts, in practice their impact is fairly limited right now. The mental health care programs run by PHNs have restrictive entry criteria, which seem to change every few years and differ from one postcode to the next. Communication between the PHNs and local mental health care providers is poor, leading to a uncertainty and confusion about what services can be provided and who can access them. This leads me to think that on the whole, PHNs are not well suited for connecting people to the right type of care at the right time. That is, there's a cohort of people they work with in niche parts of the sector and if you happen to have the right type of problem and talk to the right person, then you might be able to access their programs.
Wishing you all a safe and happy festive season. Here's a quick recap on our party focus across this last month amhp.org.au/2018/dec/ See you next year!
About 2 hours ago from Mental Health Party's Twitter via Twitter Web Client
What does a person-centred education system look like? amhp.org.au/educational-re… A vote for the Australian Mental Health Party is a vote for a better educated and more inclusive Australia.
About 3 weeks ago from Mental Health Party's Twitter via Twitter Web Client
PERTH people: join us for a relaxed get together on Saturday amhp.org.au/2018/perth-get… A great way to connect and find out more about what we do
Funding disparities between private and public schools continue to widen abc.net.au/news/2018-11-2… Our party wonders what kind of impact disparities like these might have on mental health and well-being right across Australian society?
About a month ago from Mental Health Party's Twitter via Twitter Web Client
Allowing foster care to extend up to at least 21 years of age would make a big difference abc.net.au/triplej/progra… This policy change will save lives, reduce expenditures across many other areas, and show real investment in people at a crucial point in their life.
About 2 months ago from Mental Health Party's Twitter via Twitter Web Client