The Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland (ECCQ) appreciates that the bilateral schedule on mental and suicide prevention between the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of Queensland (2022) outlines strategies and reforms necessary to improve the wellbeing of Queenslanders, including suicide prevention. However, we note that the most vulnerable cohorts such as migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees are barely recognized in the Agreement. Neither are the complexities in the mental health issues within multicultural communities considered, apart from a superficial mention of multicultural and refugee areas in point 36. Such omission, whether intentional or unintentional, implies the lack of full commitment to the multicultural communities’ mental health and wellbeing, making it difficult for our sector to hold the State Government and the Commonwealth of Australia accountable for any service delivery gaps.
Read full submission below:
Submission – Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement Review
