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:
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 | Alcohol and Other Drug Consumers and Community Coalition (Development Coordinator) |
| Vacant | Youth Affairs Council of WA |
| Shannon Calvert | Lived Experience Leader (Consumer) |
| Sue Cantwell | St John of God (CEO Social Outreach) |
| Taryn Harvey | Western Australian Association for Mental Health (CEO) |
| Dr Helen Milroy | Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |
| Darren Munday | Consumers of Mental Health WA (CEO) |
| Jill Rundle | Western Australian Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs (CEO) |
| Tanya Sim | Lived Experience Leader (Carer) |
| Julia Stafford | Alcohol and Other Drug Advisory Board (Deputy Chair) |
| Meaghan Holden | Living Proud (CEO) |
| Dr Murugesh Nidyananda | The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (WA Branch Chair) |
| Dr John Edwards | General Practitioner, Cambridge Clinic |
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
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 | A/Chief Executive South Metropolitan Health Service |
| Rob Toms | Chief Executive, North Metropolitan Health Service |
| Dr Lesley Bennett | 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.
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 ICAMHS Southwest WACHS; Director of Training Rural Psychiatry Training WA, WACHS |
| Dr Robina Redknap | Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Department of Health |
| Dr Sarah Youngson | General Practitioner, Bridgetown Medical |
| Lana Moncur | Allied Health Coordinator, North Metropolitan Health Service |
| Jennifer Wilton | Nurse Practitioner, Silver Chain |
| Teresa Stevenson | Clinical Psychologist, Rockingham Peel Group |
| Dr Richard O'Regan | Addiction Medicine Consultant, East Metropolitan Health Service Royal Perth Bentley Group |
| Chloe Walker | Addiction Medicine Nurse Practitioner, Next Step |
| Carolyn Bright | Clinical Psychologist Director, North Metropolitan Health Service Women and Newborn 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 co-chaired by Wendy Cream, the Assistant Commissioner Lived Experience (Significant Other), and Stephen Bright, Assistant Commissioner Alcohol and Other Drugs.
The LEAG members comprise diverse designated Lived Experience members, inclusive of emerging Lived Experience leaders.
Lived Experience Advisory Group Memberships
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Dr Stephen Bright (Co-Chair) | Assistant Commissioner Alcohol and Other Drugs, Mental Health Commission |
| Wendy Cream (Co-Chair) | Assistant Commissioner Lived Experience (Significant Other), Mental Health Commission |
| Patricia Tran | Assistant Commissioner Lived Experience (Consumer), 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 |
| Lorraine Powell | 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 |
| Nicole Velkoski | Lived Experience Leader |
| Tony Lee | 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 |
| Megan Inglis | Executive Director Governance and System Support, Department of Health |
| Sandra Miller | Executive Director Mental Health, East Metropolitan Health Service |
| Dr Theresa Marshall | 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 |
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 Communiques
- 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) | Prevention/ Public Health |
| Miriam Rudd | Lived and Living Experience |
| Commander Lawrence Panaia | Law Enforcement |
| Nafiso Mohamed | Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Community |
| Ethan James | Community Sector |
Page last updated1 May 2025
