A United Voice for the Community Mental Health & Wellbeing Sector
Advocating for Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Services Across Queensland
Collective Benefit through Collaboration
We are stronger when we work together. Join us to connect, contribute, and shape the future of community mental health.
Integrity with Impact
Curiosity Fuels Innovation
We don’t just ask what’s possible. We try it. Our projects turn insight into impact.
Courage to Disrupt
We speak up where it matters. We work to shift systems, influence policy, and lead change for our sector.
We’re counting down the weeks towards the Connecting for Impact Conference and on Day 2 the Workfo…
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This week’s Membership spotlight shines on Mind Australia, and its Executive Director – Queensland, So…
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The Health Ministers met last Friday to discuss the state of mental health services across the country, and with…
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QAMH member Youth Insearch is a peer-led intervention program that supports young people through their…
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We`re proud to welcome the @qld.lgbtqia.alliance to @qldallianceformentalhealth.
The Alliance brings together LGBTQIA+ organisations from across the state. Big and small, regional and urban, grassroots and specialist. They`ve come together to lead reform, not just to be heard.
Their work is grounded in First Nations leadership, peer wisdom, and lived experience. They put community expertise at the centre of policy, research and advocacy, and they invest in regional, rural and remote communities so LGBTQIA+ Queenslanders everywhere can access safe, affirming, culturally secure support.
#LGBTQIAQueensland #Queensland #QueerQueensland #LGBTQIA #LGBTQIACommunity #MentalHealthQueensland #LGBTQIAHealth #MentalHealthReform #LGBTQIAAdvocacy #LivedExperience #PeerSupport #CommunityLed #FirstNationsLeadership #RegionalQueensland #HealthEquity
The Inclusive Communities Fund must recognise psychosocial disability.
@qldallianceformentalhealth supports the Fund’s aim of making community organisations more welcoming and accessible for people with disability.
But making a community activity more inclusive is not the same as providing the flexible, relational support some people need to participate and stay connected.
Our submission calls for psychosocial disability to be explicitly recognised, meaningful involvement of people with Lived and Living Experience, practical organisational change and locally designed approaches.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, approaches must be led by those communities and community-controlled organisations.
The Fund should complement, not replace, individual NDIS supports, Foundational Supports or community-based psychosocial services.
Read our submission on our website. Copy url: https://www.qamh.org.au/inclusive-communities-fund-consultation/
#PsychosocialDisability #DisabilityInclusion #InclusiveCommunities #LivedExperience #DisabilityRights #MentalHealthAdvocacy #NDIS #Queensland #NothingAboutUsWithoutUsNDIS #queensland
What happens when learning is designed with the sector, for the sector?
QAMH’s three micro-credentials were proudly funded and supported by the Queensland Government and developed with workers and leaders to reflect the realities of community mental health practice.
In the first 12 months of launch:
→ 205 organisations engaged (6.8 times the target)
→ 304 learners enrolled (3 times the target)
The program reached learners across metropolitan, regional, rural and remote Queensland. Participant feedback also highlighted the value of the learning, including greater confidence, stronger practice and practical knowledge that could be applied at work.
We’ve brought the results, insights and voices from the sector together in the QAMH Micro-credential Project. Read the full insights. Copy url: https://www.qamh.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Final-Micro-credential-Project-Learning-Designed-with-and-for-the-Community-Mental-Health-Sector.pdf
#QAMH #communitymentalhealth #MentalHealthWorkforcece #queensland #WorkforceDevelopment #Microcredentials
@qldallianceformentalhealth was proudly represented by our First Nations Project Officer, Asha Keegan, at The University of Queensland Poche Centre’s Blak, Proud and Visible seminar at The University of Queensland on Tuesday.
Thank you to Asha for attending and contributing to this important conversation, which centred the voices, experiences, health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIASB+ communities.
We acknowledge and thank UQ Poche Centre researchers Zamira Tyson and Dr James Fowler for sharing the Blak and Proud project, led by James Ward, which is creating change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIASB+ people accessing primary healthcare in South East Queensland.
We also thank Baylee O’Grady from 2Spirits, Rebecca Johnson OAM, Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland LGBTQIA+ Alliance, Maddison Hoad from the Institute of Health at University of Southern Queensland - Australia Institute for Health, and Venus Currie, a genderfluid role model for queer Indigenous young people, for sharing their knowledge, experiences and perspectives.
On Wear It Purple Day today, we recognise the importance of visibility and inclusion, and appreciate the opportunity to listen, learn and stand alongside Rainbow Mob and the broader community in supporting culturally safe, inclusive and responsive mental health and wellbeing.
Learn more about the Blak, Proud and Visible seminar: https://lnkd.in/p/gGMsvpxS
Learn more about Wear It Purple: https://www.wearitpurple.org/
#WearItPurple #RainbowMob #FirstNations #LGBTQIA+ #MentalHealth #BlakProudAndVisible #LGBTQIAHealth #CommunityMentalHealth
The workforce conversations start here.
We’re launching Workforce Webinar Wednesdays, a new QAMH series bringing our workforce projects and sector conversations together.
Over eight webinars, we’ll unpack the issues that matter to Queensland’s community mental health workforce and share practical insights, project learnings and ideas from across the sector.
First conversation: QAMH and QCOSS: Understanding the Vocational Education and Training (VET) System.
10.00am Wednesday 23 September 2026.
Join us. Register now via Humanitix. https://lnkd.in/gcdby8AB
#QCOSS #TAFE #VET #Queensland #CommunityServices #WorkforceDevelopment #SkillsForJobs #SocialJustice
Could your organisation host a Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work student?
Round two of the Peer Work Placement Project is opening soon. We can support you to:
· Find a student
· Set up your placement framework
· Access up to $4,000 per placement towards supervision costs
No previous placement experience? No problem. Organisations of all sizes and levels of readiness are welcome.
Find out how the project works at our information session this coming Wednesday 26 August 2026 from 10.00am to 10.30am.
Join the session here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/04790897-9601-477d-beb6-e08f1ebdf191@81ee06cb-283a-442b-b14c-eedfef99fca2
Learn more: https://www.qamh.org.au/lle-supervision-project-2/
Questions? Email ctrupp@qamh.org.au.
#PeerWork #MentalHealthPeerWork #LivedExperience #PeerSupport #MentalHealthWorkforce #MentalHealthTraining #WorkforceDevelopment #CommunityMentalHealth #MentalHealthQueensland #QueenslandMentalHealth
What does Mt Isa need to build stronger pathways into non-clinical community mental health roles for local people?
We want to hear from you.
We’re working with the Mt Isa community to develop a Grow Your Own Non-Clinical Community Mental Health Workforce Plan, a local blueprint for the future.
We want your voice to help identify local workforce priorities and shape the Plan, with a focus on pathways for First Nations peoples, multicultural communities, people with Lived and Living Experience, and local residents.
Tuesday 8 September 2026
9.30am to 1.30pm
Ibis Styles Mount Isa
Your local knowledge. Your voice. Shape the workforce Mt Isa needs.
Book now https://lnkd.in/giVG35gr or email Michelle Wattridge, Project Officer at mwattridge@qamh.org.au for more information.
#MountIsa #NorthWestQueensland #CommunityMentalHealth #MentalHealthWorkforce #GrowYourOwn #LivedExperience #FirstNations
We’re pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Rosemaria Flaherty GAICD as Queensland Alliance for Mental Health’s new Chief Executive Officer, commencing Tuesday, 18 August 2026.
Rosa brings extensive leadership experience across the health, social services and child protection sectors, with deep expertise in government engagement, policy reform and organisational transformation. She is also a registered Senior Psychologist with a PhD in Psychology, and postgraduate qualifications in business administration and counselling psychology.
Acting Chair Tanya O`Shea said, "We welcome Rosa as Chief Executive Officer and are confident her experience and leadership will be invaluable as we work with Members and Government to shape the sector`s future."
Rosa said it`s a privilege to join the Alliance at such a significant time for the mental health sector in Queensland. "I am eager to build on Queensland Alliance for Mental Health`s strong foundations - working closely with Alliance Members to strengthen the sector`s voice, and in partnership with the Queensland Government and the broader community to ensure we are well-positioned to respond to Queensland`s evolving community mental health needs and commissioning priorities."
Please join us in welcoming Rosa to the Alliance.
#MentalHealth #QueenslandMentalHealth #CommunityMentalHealth #MentalHealthLeadership
@themhsorg annual conference this week gave us the chance to take our Regional, Rural and Remote insights to a national stage.
The findings from our 2025 Roadshow, drawn from 83 voices across seven Queensland regions, deserve the widest possible audience. Every conversation with policymakers, researchers and practitioners is another chance to keep these communities front of mind. One theme stood out: connection and relational practice hold these systems together, yet they rarely show up in how services get designed and funded.
We’ll keep sharing this report wherever decisions get made. The people behind it are counting on their voices being heard, and we’re not done carrying them.
#MentalHealth #RegionalMentalHealth #MentalHealthReform #CommunityMentalHealth #Queensland #HealthEquity #QAMH
On Wednesday, the Cairns Grow Your Own working session brought together the full breadth of the region`s mental health sector, including funders, service providers, training organisations and community members, all in one room with a shared purpose.
The conversations were thoughtful, practical, grounded in local experience and marked an important first step towards co-designing a region-wide, non-clinical mental health workforce strategy for Far North Queensland.
This is part of a long-term commitment to growing local mental health workforce pathways from within the Cairns community. We`re excited to keep building on this momentum, and there`s much more to come.
#GrowOurOwn #FNQ #MentalHealthWorkforce #WorkforceDevelopment #CoDesign #FarNorthQueensland #CommunityLed
Yesterday, QAMH appeared before the Rural, Regional, and Remote Medicare Access Senate inquiry to make our point clear. Community-based mental health services are a key partner in the mental health ecosystem, not an optional extra.
In rural, regional and remote Queensland, our members are often the first point of contact for someone in distress. That work holds people while they wait for clinical care, and too often it runs on local goodwill rather than a funded system.
We asked the Committee to back a formal, two-way pathway between primary care and community-based services, so referral and coordination depend on design, not chance.
We were also clear that telehealth has its place as a complement to local, face-to-face care, not a replacement for it.
The Committee was engaged and receptive, and we welcomed the chance to put the sector`s case forward. Thanks to the members whose experiences shaped what we shared.
#CommunityMentalHealth #MentalHealth #RuralHealth #RegionalHealth #MentalHealthReform #Medicare #Queensland #Advocacy
@qldallianceformentalhealth is proud to shine a light on the important work of Thirrili, one of our newest Members.
@thirrili_postvention_support is a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Organisation providing 24/7 culturally safe postvention support to individuals, families, and communities impacted by suicide or other traumatic loss.
Thirrili is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 1800 805 801 to speak directly with a dedicated Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander team member.
Learn more at thirrili.com.au.
#Thirrili #Postvention #CommunityLed #CulturallySafe #SocialEmotionalWellbeing
Lived and Living Experience provides essential expertise that strengthens community mental health services, policy and practice.
Peer workers draw on their own experience to build trust and connection with the people they support. That shared understanding helps people feel heard, supported and empowered, often in ways that other forms of support cannot replicate.
This is why Lived and Living Experience should be embedded across every part of the mental health system, not as an add-on, but as a core contributor to a more responsive, self-determined and effective system of care.
#LivedExperience #LivingExperience #PeerWork #PeerSupport #MentalHealth #MentalHealthMatters #CommunityMentalHealth #Recovery #RecoveryOriented #CoDesign #PersonCentredCare #Inclusion #Wellbeing #MentalHealthAustralia #SystemsChange
The Griffith Centre for Mental Health Annual Research Showcase brought together researchers, clinicians, consumers, carers and community partners to discuss and shape mental health research that matters.
This year`s theme, With, not for: Where research partnership meets purpose, focused on the value of meaningful research partnerships.
As part of the lived experience and workforce development stream, Yumi Stamet facilitated a workshop exploring what it takes to build a lived experience-centred research culture. In the afternoon, Chris Trupp joined a panel of partners and stakeholders to discuss where we are now and where we need to go, highlighting the importance of power equity in co-design and sustainably embedding lived expertise at every level.
A big thanks to Dr Leanne Geppert, Simon Katterl, Leena Favolosa, Dr Catherine Brasier, Professor Lara Farrel,
Donna Humphrey and the @qldallianceformentalhealth team.
A fair wage for community mental health workers is long overdue.
@qldallianceformentalhealth welcomes the Fair Work Commission`s recommendation to award a 15% interim wage increase for eligible SCHADS Award Schedule E workers from 1 October 2026.
Now governments must match this decision with funding. Without coordinated Commonwealth funding, providers face higher costs that could put vital services for people living with psychosocial disability at risk.
Fair wages and sustainable funding must go hand in hand.
Read our submission via the link in our bio.
#QAMH #MentalHealth #CommunityMentalHealth #PsychosocialDisability #SCHADSAward #FairWork #NDIS
It was a pleasure to host some of our members at this year`s QCOSS Budget Breakfast.
A few things from the Treasurer`s address stood out for the community-managed mental health sector.
A welcome move towards greater funding certainty, with specialist homelessness services extended for a further three years to June 2029. The Treasurer acknowledged that year-by-year funding makes workforce planning and long-term service delivery near impossible, something our sector has long advocated. We`d like to see this approach extended more broadly.
Recognition of the sector`s scale, with one in four Queenslanders now working in education, health, care and community safety. It was encouraging to hear social services recognised as a core part of Queensland`s economy.
However, there was no mention of the mental health levy or the indexation gap, two issues critical to the sustainability of community-managed mental health services. The absence of both was noticeable.
We`re shaping how this advocacy continues over the coming weeks and will keep members updated.
Thank you to @qcoss_ Aimee McVeigh and the members who joined us for another valuable morning.
#MentalHealth #CommunityMentalHealth #MentalHealthAdvocacy #CommunityServices #QueenslandMentalHealth
During NAIDOC Week, Chris Trupp, Linda Buxton and Sasha Sullivan from Queensland Alliance for Mental Health visited Birrunga Gallery, an Indigenous-owned gallery in Milton that provides a unique space for First Nations artists, Cultural education and community connection.
We were privileged to hear emerging artists Ahna Maree Barker, Ella Muir, Elysia Love-Anderson and Kane Brunjes, mentored by Suzie Goodchild and Birrunga Wiradyuri, share the stories behind their work. Their reflections on their lives, significant people and events, and the strengths and hopes of mob were a generous reminder of the power of storytelling.
One message especially stayed with us, that being Birrunga`s metaphor of keeping the switch on. Beyond NAIDOC Week, we are challenged to continue listening, learning and acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the lands we are on, strengthening our connection and allyship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples every week of the year.
Thank you to the artists and the Birrunga Gallery team for sharing your stories, knowledge and hospitality.
#NAIDOCWeek #BirrungaGallery #MentalHealth #Meanjin
#AboriginalAndTorresStraitIslander
Discover what traineeships could do for your organisation.
As workforce pressures continue across the mental health sector, organisations are looking for sustainable ways to attract, develop and retain skilled workers.
Our free micro-credential, Hosting Trainees in Mental Health & Peer Work, is designed to demystify traineeships and equip leaders, managers and HR professionals with the knowledge and confidence to successfully host trainees.
Traineeships aren`t simply a training pathway, they`re a strategic investment in your future workforce.
Enrol today in Hosting Mental Health and Peer Work Trainees and discover how traineeships can help strengthen your organisation`s workforce. See link in bio.
#MentalHealthWorkforce #PeerWork #Traineeships #MentalHealth #WorkforceDevelopment #QAMH
Community mental health NGOs are trusted, local and embedded in the communities they serve. They understand the people, places and strengths that make each community unique.
Support close to home helps people stay connected to family, culture, community and everyday life. It builds on local strengths, fosters lasting relationships and makes it easier to access support when it’s needed most.
QAMH advocates for a mental health system that invests in community-based support, because everyone deserves access to quality care close to home.
Our members deliver community mental health services across Queensland. Explore the Member Services Map from our website to see the breadth and reach of community mental health support across the state. Link in bio.
The best mental health support is often the support that`s close to home.
#CommunityMentalHealth #LocalSupport #PlaceBasedCare #CommunityConnection #MentalHealthMatters
Help shape the future of Far North Queensland`s non-clinical community mental health workforce. Register now at the Events and Consultations link in our bio.
Join @qldallianceformentalhealth for the Cairns Grow Your Own Working Session and help co-design a practical workforce plan that creates stronger pathways into non-clinical community mental health roles.
We`ll bring together community members, people with lived and living experience, service providers and sector partners to identify priorities and turn ideas into action.
Wednesday 29 July 2026
9.30am–12.00pm (networking lunch included)
Cairns Sheridan Hotel
Optional afternoon breakout sessions are available for people with lived or living experience of mental health, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Attendance is free, but registrations are essential and places are limited.
