The ACT Government has reviewed some parts of the Mental Health Act 2015.

It was important that we heard from people who have personal experience with the mental health system and the Mental Health Act.

What we heard will help the ACT Government know what’s working well and where change is needed. This will help us improve safety and support for people in the mental health system and the people who care for them.

This review looked at 15 parts of the Mental Health Act and 7 other issues. This will help decide if these parts of the law are working well or if changes are needed.

The areas we sought feedback on included:

• Mental Health Orders and Forensic Mental Health Orders
• what the ACAT (ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal) must think about when making a Mental Health Order
• what happens if someone does not follow a Mental Health Order
• when a person can be taken into care because of safety concerns
• who is considered a forensic patient under the law
• when information can be shared with registered affected people
• reviews of court-ordered detention
• reviews of conditions set when a person is released
• information people receive before a hearing
• how people can take part in hearings.

One additional topic was discussed with specific groups instead of the public consultation: The topic was:

• the role of the Mental Health Advisory Council, which gives advice about mental health services and laws in the ACT.

This was discussed with specific groups because it is more complex and may not be familiar to everyone.

For more information about the review, read the Public Discussion Paper or the Easy Read summary.

Feedback from the review will help us know if:

• the Mental Health Act supports people with a mental health condition or disorder and the people who care for them
• we need to improve the health and safety of people with a Mental Health Order or Forensic Mental Health Order
• we need to change the laws about information sharing to help families, carers and kin
• we need to better protect people’s information better in domestic violence, family violence, controlling or abusive situations
• we need to change the laws about sexual safety and reporting deaths to make services safer
• the Chief Psychiatrist can cancel certain orders.

Now that the consultation has ended, a summary of the feedback will be published on this page.

Your feedback will help inform the final review report. The ACT Government will use this report to decide whether changes should be made to the Mental Health Act to improve safety, care and support for people affected by the Act.

This is not a review of the whole Mental Health Act.

Information was collected in accordance with our Privacy Policy. The ACT Government respects the rights and privacy of all individuals and is committed to complying with the Information Privacy Act 2014 and the Territory Privacy Principles and protecting the personal information we hold.

People who gave feedback were advised not to share personal or private information about themselves or anyone else. This included personal health information.