Mental Health Commissioner for South Australia

18/06/2026

This Men's Health Week, we're encouraging men to reach out, check in and prioritise their mental health and wellbeing.

We know there is no one-size-fits-all approach to seeking support. Men often respond to different environments, and what feels comfortable for one person may not feel right for another.

For some, talking anonymously with a professional counsellor is the first step. For others, it might be making an appointment with their GP or connecting with other men in their community.

MensLine Australia offers free, confidential 24/7 counselling and support for men experiencing stress, loneliness, relationship challenges, anxiety and depression.

Men's Health Week's "101 Reasons to See Your GP" campaign reminds us that there are many reasons to check in with your doctor. You probably already know yours. Two in three Australian men wait too long when something changes.

Men's Sheds provide welcoming community spaces where men can connect, learn new skills, share experiences and support one another through the simple power of conversation, purpose and mateship.
Mendis: Men Mending Men is a peer-led community for men living with disability, creating opportunities to build connection, identity and wellbeing through shared lived experience in a private, supportive and judgement-free environment.

The Men's Table brings together small groups of local men who meet regularly to share a meal and have meaningful conversations that go beyond everyday banter, fostering genuine connection, support and belonging. There’s one near you.

Whether it's a phone call, a visit to your GP, a chat over a cuppa at a Men's Shed, or sharing a meal and connecting at your local Men’s Table, support looks different for everyone.

This Men's Health Week, take the first step in whatever way feels right for you. For more information visit:
MensLine Ph:1300 78 99 78: Free help, referrals & counselling for men

16/06/2026

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of facilitating a workshop with the Skylight Mental Health leadership team as part of our role in preparing the workforce for the future: supporting safer conversations, compassionate services, and reduction of system-based prejudice and discrimination.

It was an afternoon filled with reflection, discussion and fun activities, including building blocks (the k-mart blocks I found under the kids' bed in the last move). Who says adults can't play with building blocks?

Together, we explored opportunities for growth within teams and across the organisation, while also recognising strengths and celebrating what is already working well and how they can continue to strengthen their impact.

One of the things I enjoy most about this work is creating space for people to pause, think differently and learn from one another. There was plenty of energy in the room, thoughtful conversations, and a willingness to be open about both strengths and areas for improvement.

Leadership development doesn't have to be all serious. Some of the best learning happens when people feel comfortable, connected and are having fun along the way.

Thank you to the Skylight team for your openness, enthusiasm and willingness to engage. It was a special afternoon and a privilege to spend time with such a committed group of leaders.

13/06/2026

Weekend Reflections #38: Jung, and dinner table psychoanalysis

My son and husband spent part of the weekend analysing me through Jungian philosophy.

A bold choice I thought by two people who live in the same house as me and expect me to cook their dinner… but I digress

I knew almost nothing about Jung, apart from the vague sense that he was very interested in dreams, symbols and giving ordinary human mess a dramatic name.

Synchronicity caught my attention tho. The idea that certain coincidences may not be coincidences at all, but some part of the universe we don’t understand attracting more of the same things to you.
For better or for worse.
A ’type’ of person keeps showing up in your life. The same theme keeps turning up, or the same thing keeps happening to you. Perhaps we can draw different people towards us simply by becoming less available for the ones who leave us drained.

The shadow self bit of Jung’s philosophy was interesting too, and maybe even a bit useful. Irritating, but useful. It’s all the bits we would rather attribute to someone else. Envy. Control. Vanity. Anger. The urge to be right long after the conversation should have ended.

Annoyingly, it seems that these parts need to be looked at and dissected. I was about as keen to do this as a frog in a school biology lab.

I do, however, like the idea of getting curious about the parts of myself I usually send straight to my internal complaints department.

The dodgy bit for me was the anima and animus stuff.
My inner world is already crowded without providing them with a litter box

so anyway I came to the conclusion that sometimes it’s synchronicity.
But sometimes it’s just Siri listening to every conversation and whispering in the ear of your phone’s algorithm.

Still, it was a good conversation. Slightly invasive. Free therapy provided by relatives with no professional indemnity insurance.

I may read more.

Or I may build the earthship and leave them both to analyse the alpacas instead.

Just a personal reflection, not advice, and not a substitute for professional support. (And yes I used AI to generate this image. You can tell because Jung died in 1961, didn’t own a foot long smartphone)

12/06/2026

Last week, the Commission attended a co-design activity for the for the launch of the Assisting Communities through Direct Connection (ACDC) Project social prescribing initiative.

Social prescribing bridges the gap between clinical healthcare and community-based support, enabling health professionals to refer people to non-medical community services that address the social determinants of health and improve overall wellbeing.

In Port Adelaide Enfield for ACDC social prescribing, local stakeholders explored a link worker approach to support people with non-medical needs, designed in culturally safe, community-led ways with clear referral pathways.

Led by Kate Hawtin, National Policy Director at Community Mental Health Australia, alongside Dr Candice Oster from Flinders University, the session explored how lessons from previous ACDC activity in Salisbury can inform more connected and accessible local support systems. Participants contributed to shaping how the approach will be developed, accessed, and sustained within the community.

For more information head to:

From Neighbour Day celebrations to prescriptions for connection, there are plenty of ways to get involved with your City of PAE community.

09/06/2026

It’s Thank a First Responder Day and I wanted to take a moment to recognise and thank the emergency service workers, volunteers and support personnel across our state who respond when people are experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

First responders enter homes and places they have never seen before quickly building trust and providing support when people are at their most vulnerable. They are often the first people someone in distress encounters. In those moments of fear and vulnerability, it’s their compassion and ability to remain calm that reassure us.

Every day, first responders help keep individuals safe during mental health crises, and support families facing trauma and loss. Their ability to quickly assess a situation, make critical decisions and respond with care is extraordinary.

Whilst first responders spend their careers supporting others, they are also exposed to experiences that can take a significant toll on their own mental health and wellbeing.

Repeated exposure to trauma, grief and distress can have lasting impacts, making it vital that we continue to support the mental health of those who dedicate their lives to protecting our communities.

So today I like to acknowledge not only the work first responders do, but also the personal sacrifices they and their families make.

I’d also like to recognise the everyday first responders in our lives, the friend who answers the phone late at night, the colleague who notices someone is struggling, the family member who stays and listens, and the neighbour who checks in when something doesn't seem right.

On Thank a First Responders Day, we thank everyone who responds with care, compassion and courage. Your support helps people feel safe, connected and hopeful when they need it most.

To thank a first responder please visit:
https://fortemaustralia.pulse.ly/0bbdcb083c, an independent not-for-profit supporting the mental health and wellbeing of first responders and their families.

07/06/2026

Weekend Reflections #37: The public bit

I don’t usually block people.

Not because I’m especially noble. I’m not. I just know anger usually comes from somewhere.

People are furious because systems have hurt them, or their kids, or someone they love. They’ve been dismissed, bounced around, put on waitlists, told to call another number, told they are too complex, not complex enough, or somehow both before lunch.

I totally get that. Hell, it’s why I ended up in this work. Not through some tidy career plan involving committees, public scrutiny and a calendar that needs its own mental health plan.

My actual fantasy is still very clear. Build an earthship somewhere quiet, live off-grid, raise alpacas. Maybe goats. Something with excellent fringe management and no interest in reform timelines.

So no, I didn’t choose the public profile bit.

I chose the work. Or it chose me. Or I walked too close to it one day and got absorbed. Hard to tell now.

Most of the time, I can keep the angry comments in perspective. People are not usually angry at me, personally. They’re angry at pain. At waiting. At being ignored. At having to explain themselves again and again.

But abuse is different.

Some days I can laugh it off. Some days I think, well, at least the alpacas would never tell me to “get a real job”.

They’d probably spit, to be fair. But at least they’d be direct.

And I know I get a very mild version of this.

People who push for change through activism, legislation, reform, protest, whistleblowing, lived experience work, or simply refusing to stay politely quiet, cop far worse.
They’re the ones expected to stay calm while someone with a profile picture of a ute yells at them in all caps.

I’ve been thinking about how strange it is that people can want change, then punish the people trying to make it.

It’s tiring. Deeply, boringly, cup-of-tea-and-stare-at-the-wall tiring.

I’m learning that being visible does not mean being endlessly available. Listening does not mean absorbing everything. Caring does not mean leaving the door open for people to throw furniture through it

Just a personal reflection, not advice, and not a substitute for professional support.

05/06/2026

This week, the Commission attended When Words Fall Short, an inspiring exhibition showcasing artworks created by local emerging artists participating in Neami National’s Group Programs.

The exhibition is a powerful reminder that there are many ways people can share their experiences, strengths and stories. Creative expression can support mental health and wellbeing, while fostering connection, understanding and belonging.

Through themes of hope, resilience and recovery, the artists demonstrate how creativity can communicate experiences that are often difficult to put into words. Each artwork reflects the unique strengths, values and perspectives of its creator, highlighting the important role that art can play in self-expression, connection and healing.

At the Commission, we recognise the importance of creating opportunities for people to share their experiences in ways that feel meaningful and authentic to them.

Thank you to Neami National, The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre and the artists for sharing these powerful works with the community.

When Words Fall Short is showing at the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery from 3–26 June 2026

04/06/2026

Looking forward to joining the "Forks in the Road Podcast" to talk about lived experience leadership, hope and recovery, and what it takes to lead change in complex systems. Episode coming very soon. Look out for an update for when its available.

https://spotify.pulse.ly/iscm1lo87j

03/06/2026

Yesterday at Parliament House I had the privilege of spending time with families who know eating disorders not as a statistic, but as something that lands in the middle of ordinary life and changes everything.

We had quiet conversations about resilience, not something anyone wants to hear when the preference is that you don't go through it at all - not just become more 'resilient'. But what I mean by resilience here is the kind families build when they are supporting someone they love through things no family should have to go through.

As one mum said when asked at the hospital if they were coping "do I have a choice?" families need to keep showing up, even with a laptop on a work zoom call in the emergency department because caring doesn't happen in isolation of all the other things life throws at you daily.

Penelope, a mum, shared her daughter’s story with us, with her daughter’s permission. It was generous, careful and deeply human. Like many stories, it carried the complexity of coming to understand a neurodivergent brain, the pressure to fit into a world not always built with enough room, and the ways eating disorders can become tangled with shame, control, identity and belonging.

It also reminded me how much damage is done by the world around our young people. Social media can leave us more disconnected when what we most need is real connection. Feeds can push diet and appearance culture straight at those who are already vulnerable. And too often, families are left trying to counter all of that with love, patience and whatever support they can find.

The strength in the room yesterday was tangible and sometimes a little raw. So was the importance of the work EDFA does with families and carers who are so often holding things together quietly, out of sight.

I’m also looking forward to reading Strong Enough: 11 stories of caring for a loved one with an eating disorder. I was honoured to support the safe storytelling process for this book. Stories are important, but how we hold them and responsibility to share them is the most important bit.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with me, and with the room, and to the families who keep showing up with love, even when the path is frightening, unfair and far too heavy.

If you, or someone you know needs support you can contact EDFA Counselling Ph: 03 9125 5670. You can also purchase a copy of Strong Enough here https://edfa.pulse.ly/lj0vjxkgpa.

02/06/2026

A Severe Weather response for people experiencing homelessness has been activated statewide. Damaging winds are expected across the state with some rainfall.

Activation is in place for Monday 1 June and Tuesday 2 June 2026.

Call Homeless Connect SA on 1800 003 308 (24 hours, 7 days) to find out what support may be available. ❄️