Mental Health Commission
The mental health and alcohol and other drug systems are governed by tiered groups. The governance arrangement was put in place following the Western Australian Government's commitment to establishing new governance arrangements on 31 August 2023.
The Mental Health Commission (Commission) is also supported by the Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Board (AODAB). The AODAB is established pursuant to s.14 of the Alcohol and Other Drug Act 1974 to provide advice to the CEO (Mental Health Commissioner).
Advisory and Leadership Groups Overview
The Mental Health, Wellbeing and Alcohol and Other Drugs Ministerial Advisory Panel (MAP) is an expert advisory and consultative body that provides direct feedback to the Minister for Health; Mental Health (Minister) about system performance and reform progress.
The Mental Health Commissioner and the Department of Health (DoH) Director General attend the MAP as observers to stay abreast of the MAP’s feedback and advice.
The MAP is independent of the Commission and the DoH.
Download the Communiques:
- Communique 30 April 2024
- Communique 29 July 2024
- Communique 8 October 2024
- Communique 3 December 2024
- Communique 23 September 2025
- Communique 10 December 2025
- Communique 5 March 2026
- Communique 4 June 2026
Ministerial Advisory Panel Membership
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Hon Meredith Hammat (Co-Chair) | Minister for Health; Mental Health |
| Margaret Doherty (Co-Chair) | Lived Experience Leader (Carer) |
| Alex Arpino | Executive Manager, Alcohol and Other Drug Consumers and Community Coalition |
| Katie Berry | Advocacy and Engagement Manager, Youth Affairs Council of WA |
| Shannon Calvert | Lived Experience Leader (Consumer) |
| Sue Cantwell | Chief Executive Officer, St John of God Social Outreach |
| Vacant | Representative, Western Australian Association for Mental Health |
| Darren Munday | Chief Executive Officer, Consumers of Mental Health WA |
| Vacant | Representative, Western Australian Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs |
| Tanya Sim | Lived Experience Leader (Carer) |
| Julia Stafford | Deputy Chair, Alcohol and Other Drug Advisory Board |
| Meaghan Holden | Chief Executive Officer, Living Proud |
| Dr Murugesh Nidyananda | WA Branch Chair, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists |
| Dr John Edwards | General Practitioner, Cambridge Clinic |
| Vacant | Representative, Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia |
The Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs Joint Leadership Group (JLG) is tasked by the Minister to be responsible for the performance of the public and community mental health and alcohol and other drug systems, inclusive of strategic reform objectives.
The JLG provides high-level, system-wide, collaborative decision-making, and oversight to deliver a system that adopts a person-centred approach and encapsulates whole-of-system priorities. This includes the transition to community-based services that provide prevention, earlier intervention, and diversion away from acute in-patient services.
The Mental Health Commissioner and the DoH Director General Co-Chair the JLG. They are accountable to the Minister who has responsibility for administering the mental health (including alcohol and other drugs) and health portfolio. Members include the Chief Executive Officers of each of the Health Service Providers. The Commission's Assistant Commissioners for Aboriginal Affairs, Alcohol and Other Drugs, Lived Experience Consumer, and Lived Experience Significant Other attend as strategic advisors to the JLG.
Download the Communiques:
- Communique 21 March 2024
- Communique 30 May 2024
- Communique 8 August 2024
- Communqiue 17 October 2024
- Communique 17 December 2024
- Communique 6 March 2025
- Communique 29 May 2025
- Communique 9 October 2025
- Communique 11 December 2025
- Communique 14 May 2026
- Communique 9 July 2026
Joint Leadership Group Membership
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Dr Shirley Bowen (Co-Chair) | Director General, Department of Health |
| Maureen Lewis (Co-Chair) | Mental Health Commissioner, Mental Health Commission |
| Neil Doverty | Chief Executive South Metropolitan Health Service |
| Robert Toms | Chief Executive, North Metropolitan Health Service |
| Joel Gurr | Chief Executive, East Metropolitan Health Service |
| Valerie Buić | Chief Executive, Child and Adolescent Health Service |
| Jeffrey Moffet | Chief Executive, WA Country Health Service |
The Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) is an advisory body and supports the JLG by providing contemporary, practical and achievable expert advice on clinical mental health, alcohol and other drug matters in a range of settings inclusive of both inpatient and community settings.
The CAG is a Ministerially appointed Committee and is co-chaired by the Commission's Deputy Commissioner, Commissioning and Programs and Dr Steven Blefari, Head of Department ICAMHS Southwest WA Country Health Service (WACHS); Director of Training Rural Psychiatry Training WA, WACHS .
The CAG members comprise diverse and multidisciplinary professionals with clinical expertise in mental health and alcohol and other drugs issues and conditions.
Download the Communiques:
Clinical Advisory Group Members
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Monica Taylor (Co-Chair) | Deputy Commissioner Commissioning and Programs, Mental Health Commission |
| Dr Steven Blefari (Co-Chair) | Head of Department, Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Southwest and; Director of Training Rural Psychiatry Training WA, WA Country Health Service |
| Dr Sarah Youngson | General Practitioner, Bridgetown Medical |
| Lana Moncur | Allied Health Coordinator, North Metropolitan Health Service |
| Teresa Stevenson | Clinical Psychologist, Rockingham Peel Group |
| Carolyn Bright | Clinical Psychologist Director, Women and Newborn Health Service, North Metropolitan Health Service |
| Josephine Gray | Aboriginal Mental Health Consultant, WA Country Health Service |
| Dr Vinesh Gupta | Medical Co Director, East Metropolitan Health Service |
The Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG) supports the JLG by providing advice grounded in lived experiences and human rights.
The LEAG is an advisory body, responsible for ensuring the voices of consumers, family members and significant others and community members with lived and living experience of mental health, alcohol and other drug issues, harms and service use are embedded in the relevant work being undertaken across the mental health and alcohol and other drug systems.
The LEAG is a Ministerially appointed committee and is chaired by Wendy Cream, the Assistant Commissioner Lived Experience (Significant Other).
The LEAG members comprise diverse designated Lived Experience members, inclusive of emerging Lived Experience leaders.
Download the Communiques:
- Communique 1 May 2025
- Communique 7 August 2025
- Communique 6 November 2025
- Communique 26 February 2026
- Communique 28 May 2026
Lived Experience Advisory Group Memberships
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Wendy Cream (Chair) | Assistant Commissioner Lived Experience (Significant Other), Mental Health Commission |
| Carli Sheers | Lived Experience Leader |
| Charles Foster | Lived Experience Leader |
| Gee Anderson | Lived Experience Leader |
| Jessica Brentnall | Lived Experience Leader |
| Lee Steel | Lived Experience Leader |
| Margaret Doherty | Lived Experience Leader |
| Michael Elwan | Lived Experience Leader |
| Paul Dessauer | Lived Experience Leader |
| Samantha Phipps | Lived Experience Leader |
| Virginia Catterall | Lived Experience Leader |
An action from the first meeting of the JLG was to establish a sub-group to meet monthly, with membership comprising Health Service Provider Executive Directors. This group is chaired by the Commission's Deputy Commissioner Commissioning and Programs and will support decisions and actions as requested by the JLG. To facilitate the group in undertaking its function, all members will be appointed as strategic advisors to the JLG.
Joint Executive Director Sub-Group Membership
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Monica Taylor (Chair) | Deputy Commissioner Commissioning and Programs, Mental Health Commission |
| Jill Pascoe | Executive Director Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Child and Adolescent Health Service |
| Sandra Miller | Executive Director Mental Health, East Metropolitan Health Service |
| Dr Mark McAndrew | A/Executive Director Mental Health, Public Health and Dental Services, North Metropolitan Health Service |
| Tim Leen | Executive Director Mental Health and Transformation, South Metropolitan Health Service |
| Paula Chatfield | Executive Director Mental Health, WA Country Health Service |
| Theresa Marshall | Statewide Clinical Director of Mental Health, Clinical Excellence, Department of Health |
The Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Board (AODAB) was established pursuant to s.14 of the Alcohol and Other Drugs Act 1974 (the Act) to provide feedback and advice to our Commissioner on key projects and priorities of the Commission.
All members of the AODAB are appointed by the Minister responsible for the Act. Members are appointed based on their leadership, experience, knowledge and expertise in the AOD sector and do not represent specific organisations or professions.
To ensure the advice provided is considerate of diverse perspectives, membership may include, but is not limited to, members with expertise in the following areas:
- Community sector and regional services
- Aboriginal sector
- Multicultural sector
- Prevention, Treatment and Recovery
- Youth, older adult and people experiencing disability
- Law enforcement
- Psychiatrists and/or Addiction Medicine Specialists
- Public Health
- Academia and research
- Lived and Living Experience (consumer and significant other)
The AODAB’s expertise contributes to ensuring decision-making at the highest level is informed by contemporary and expert advice, including decisions related to strategy and policy development and systems and services planning.
Download 2024/25 Activity Report
Download Communiques
- Communique 3 June 2026
- Communique 1 April 2026
- Communique 13 November 2025
- Communique 13 August 2025
- Communique 11 June 2025
- Communique 26 February and 9 April 2025
- Communique 11 December 2024
- Communique 25 September 2024
- Communique 7 August 2024
- Communique 26 June 2024
- Communique 24 April 2024
- Communique 14 February 2024
Alcohol and Other Drug Advisory Board Members
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Professor Steve Allsop (Chair) | Academia and Research |
| Julia Stafford (Deputy Chair) | Public Health |
| Miriam Rudd | Lived and Living Experience - Significant Other |
| Assistant Commissioner Peter Healy | Law Enforcement |
| Nafiso Mohamed | Multicultural sector |
| Ethan James | Community Sector |
| Brett Goring | Aboriginal Sector |
| Vickey Hill | Aboriginal Sector |
| Dr James Tidder | Consultant psychiatrist |
| Hayley Diver | Regional Sector |
| Paul Dessauer | Lived and Living Experience – Consumer |
Page last updated6 July 2026
