Archived from Australian Mental Health Party

Thanks to our supporters, we now have a federal political party dedicated to mental health and well-being.

While the focus of other political parties is on business, workplace issues, and the environment, our political party is about valuing people as our number one asset. For too long, the political agenda has failed to think about how people experience living in our society, which has made mental health an afterthought. Government policies end up looking like they were intended to benefit something other than the people who make our nation what it is. Our party will always keep real human beings in mind.

Just under a year ago, we became officially registered with the AEC as a federal political party. Rather than rushing into an election at short notice, we made the call to slow down and build a strong foundation for the party before we begin. Although we have been relatively quiet, the Executive and a small team of volunteers across Australia have worked hard to build on our values and a strong vision for the future. Careful steps in the right direction will serve us well as we approach the next federal election in 2019.

Across the first few months, we worked together with our supporters to develop our core values. Bringing everyone together has helped us to create a shared sense of what our party stands for.  The core domains of our values highlight a need for policy reforms aimed at empowerment, equality, better support, and healthy relationships.

The structure and relationships between sections of our party are just as important to us as our policies are. The composition of our Executive is intentionally diverse and our Branches across the states and territories reflect a broad mix of unique individuals. We believe that looking after mental health is a responsibility that belongs to all of us, aiming towards a shared vision that everyone can identify with in one way or another. A lot of our time and energy over the last six months has been on diversifying, finding good ways of working together, and developing a code of conduct to inform the ways we interact. Our thinking is that if we can get that part right in a political party, then we are off to a good start!

Leading up to our first AGM, we’d really like to hear from you, our supporters, about the issues you care about most. A party like ours is only as strong as the people who stand with us. Next year brings excitement, as we plan to make our presence felt by the wider public and share our vision and ideas on policy reform. Please join us as we find a new direction in politics.

Thanks again.
Dr Ben Mullings (Leader)
Australian Mental Health Party