Objectives of the Act

The objectives of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 (the Act) provide important context on the main purpose of the Act. The objectives are high level, system wide aspirations.

The Health Secretary and the Chief Officer for Mental Health and Wellbeing are required to promote the objectives of the Act and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission must report in its annual report on actions taken to promote the objectives of the Act.

Mental health and wellbeing service providers will support the objectives by complying with the provisions of the Act and in making all reasonable efforts to comply with the mental health and wellbeing principles.

Objectives of the Act

In pursuit of the highest attainable standard of mental health and wellbeing for the people of Victoria, the objectives of the Act are:

1. to promote conditions in which people can
   1. experience good mental health and wellbeing; and
   2. recover from mental illness or psychological distress
2. to reduce inequities in access to, and the delivery of, mental health and wellbeing services
3. to provide for comprehensive, compassionate, safe and high-quality mental health and wellbeing services that promote the health and wellbeing of people living with mental illness or psychological distress and that
   1. are accessible; and
   2. respond in a timely way to the people's needs and recognise that these needs may vary over time; and
   3. are consistent with a person's treatment, care, support and recovery preferences wherever possible; and
   4. are available early in life, early in onset and early in episode
   5. recognise and respond to the diverse backgrounds and needs of the people who use them
   6. provide culturally safe and responsive services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in order to support and strengthen connection to culture, family, community and Country; and
   7. connect and coordinate with other support services to respond to the broad range of circumstances that influence mental health and wellbeing including alcohol and other drug support services and treatment; and
   8. include a broad range of treatment options with the aim of providing access to the same treatment and support irrespective of whether a person is receiving voluntary or compulsory treatment; and
   9. include a broad and accessible range of voluntary treatment and support options—
      1. to enable a reduction in the use of compulsory assessment and treatment; and
      2. to enable a reduction in the use of seclusion and restraint with the aim of eliminating its use within 10 years
4. to promote continuous improvement in the quality and safety of mental health and wellbeing services including by ensuring that the experiences of people living with mental illness or psychological distress, and the people receiving treatment, their carers, families and supporters, are at the centre of changes in practices and service delivery and the design and evaluation of systems
5. to protect and promote the human rights and dignity of people living with mental illness by providing them with assessment and treatment in the least restrictive way possible in the circumstances
6. to recognise and respect the right of people with mental illness or psychological distress to speak and be heard in their own voices, from their own experiences and from within their own communities and cultures
7. to recognize, promote and actively support the role of families, carers and supporters in the care, support and recovery of people living with mental illness or psychological distress
8. to promote and support the health and wellbeing of families, carers and supporters of people living with mental illness or psychological distress
9. to recognise and value the critical role of the clinical and non-clinical mental health and wellbeing workforce and to support and promote the health and wellbeing of members of that workforce
10. to promote the mental health and wellbeing principles.