Mental Health Australia Chair Matt Berriman resigns

The chief of Australia’s peak mental health body has resigned, lashing over a “lack of traction” with the Australian government during a national “mental health crisis”.

The chair of the nation’s peak body for mental health has stepped down with immediate effect out of frustration at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s lack of action on mental health.

Mental Health Australia chair Matthew Berriman said after three years he was stepping down because of “a lack of traction at the Australian Government level”.

It is understood Mr Berriman’s frustration reached breaking point after the Prime Minister failed to address mental health issues in the aftermath of the Bondi Junction stabbing attack that left six people dead.

“The nation is amid a mental health crisis and Australians need urgent collaborative attention

at the highest level,” Mr Berriman said in a statement.

“Only increased investment in services and major public policy reform will affect the necessary change.”

Mental Health Australia Chair Matt Berriman has resigned. Picture: Supplied

“This change is not only critical for those living with mental ill-health but also for the ever so

important preventative measures and support to carers,” he said.

Mr Berriman added: “Every Australian deserves a system that truly supports and enhances their mental health. Anything less just isn’t good enough.”

Sources within the mental health community said Mr Berriman had grown increasingly frustrated at the Prime Minister’s refusal to meet with him directly.

In September last year he used a speech to Federal MPs to call for more funding and to lay responsibility for the lack of action directly at the feet of Mr Albanese.

“There is one person who is crucial to driving this change and prioritising mental health reform. Where is our prime minister?” Mr Berriman said.

“With one in five of us impacted by a mental health condition each year, why is mental health not a national priority and getting the attention of our prime minister?”

Anthony Albanese spoke at the candlelight vigil at Bondi Beach for the victims of the Bondi Junction tragedy. Anthony Albanese pictured, Picture: Monique Harmer

In his resignation statement from the peak body, which represents more than 80 member organisations, Mr Berriman said he remained committed to creating an improved mental health system in Australia.

“I am now looking forward to doing that in another role closer to the community, and in a

capacity that ensures my lived experience can guide better outcomes,” he said.

His resignation was met with a furious response from the Coalition with health spokeswoman Anne Ruston saying it was “absolutely disgraceful” that the chair of the peak body had quit out of sheer frustration.

“I have personally valued the time Mr Berriman has spent talking to me about Australia’s mental health system and how we could make tangible improvements,” she said.

Ms Ruston commended him for “bravely sharing his own lived experience” in his bold calls to make mental health to be considered a national priority amidst a rising crisis.

“He is an incredibly strong voice in the sector, and I know that although he will be missed as Chair of Mental Health Australia, he will continue to fight for better mental health outcomes in Australia, she said.”

Mr Berriman served in the role as chair for three years.

“We thank Mr Berriman for all his valued work with Mental Health Australia and wish him the best for the future,” Mental Health Australia CEO Carolyn Nikoloski said in a statement.

Mental Health Australia is a member of the federal government’s Mental Health Reform Advisory Committee, which gives advice to the governmental around reforms for mental health support.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler thanked Mr Berriman for his work but said that mental health reform “would not happen overnight”.

“The Government will continue to work closely with the sector to deliver for all Australians,” he said.

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