About the Mental Health Act
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022, which replaced the previous Mental Health Act 2014, came into effect on 1 September 2023.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 is a new law that governs how people who experience mental health challenges or distress are supposed to be treated. It is used mainly by:
- Mental health inpatient units.
- Clinical services in the community (i.e., CATT teams, outpatient clinics).
- Police and emergency services.
Improving the 2014 Act was one of the recommendations in the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System’s final report (published March 2021).
The Victorian Department of Health drafted the 2022 Act. You can read more about the 2022 Act here.
The VMIAC Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 Resources Project
The Victorian Department of Health has funded VMIAC to support the implementation of the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 by developing resources and delivering community education sessions to mental health service consumers.
The project is being conducted by a VMIAC project Coordinator, with the support of VMIAC policy staff and legal expertise supplied by the Mental Health Legal Centre.
The first step in this project is to consult with mental health consumers to determine what they want to know about the Act.
What will this project accomplish?
The project goals are to:
- Create accessible information about the Act for a diverse range of Victorian consumers on essential issues they identify.
- Educate consumers on their rights under the new Act, particularly those who access mental health support voluntarily.
- Support consumers in self-advocating for their rights under the new Act.
- Follow consumer-centred co-design and production processes throughout every stage of the project.
By the end of this project, VMIAC will have:
- Developed a suite of resources to explain mental health consumer rights under the new Act and other relevant laws and guidelines. The resources will be co-designed with consumers and may include factsheets or postcards, videos, and other materials to be hosted on a webpage.
- Held 18 community education sessions across Victoria to launch these materials and inform consumers and community members about the new Act and other relevant laws and guidelines.