Our Policies
Please see the Commission’s policies below (listed in alphabetical order):
Audit and Risk Committee Charter
In accordance with the PGPA Act, the CEO has established an Audit and Risk Committee to provide independent advice and assurance on the Commission’s financial and performance reporting responsibilities, risk oversight and management, and system of internal control. View the Audit and Risk Committee Charter (363KB).
Compliments and enquiries
If you have a compliment, complaint, suggestion or enquiry about the Commission we welcome hearing from you. Please contact us by email [email protected], by phone: (02) 8229 7550 or by mail at National Mental Health Commission, PO Box R1463, Royal Exchange, NSW 1225.
Complaints
From time to time we may not meet your expectations. If you wish to raise a concern about the Commission, your experiences with the Commission or a Commission funded contractor, consultant, event or activity, you can do this through our Complaints Management Policy and Process (526KB).
Freedom of Information (FoI)
Under the FOI Act, members of the public can seek access to documents held by the Commission. Our FOI page provides information on how to make a request, how we process your request and charges that may be applicable. It also includes an outline of the information we publish under the Information Publication Scheme. Our disclosure log provides access to information which has been released in response to an FOI request.
Mentally Healthy Workplace Policy
The Commission is committed to ensuring employees are supported in the workplace to achieve the best possible mental health and wellbeing. View the full Workplace policy (4MB).
Paid Participation Policy
The Commission recognises the valuable specialised and expert contributions to its work made by people who have a first-hand experience of a mental health issue or are a family member or support person. Our Paid Participation Policy sets out the Commission’s commitment to supporting paid participation by people with a living experience of mental health difficulties, their families and support people and sets a benchmark for other organisations. Download the Paid Participation Policy (760KB).
Privacy Policy
This policy explains how the Commission handles personal information. This includes how we collect, store, secure, access, use and disclose it.
The Commission protects your privacy in line with the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the Australian Government Agencies Privacy Code.
Public Interest Disclosure Guidelines
The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 promotes the integrity and accountability of the Australian Government public sector by:
- encouraging public officials to disclose information on suspected wrongdoing in the public sector
- offering protections to ‘whistleblowers’ from reprisal action
- ensuring disclosures are properly investigated.
Download the Commission’s Public Interest Disclosure Guidelines (7.2MB).
Workplace Diversity
The Commission is an Executive Agency in the portfolio of the Minister for Health and Aged Care. Staff are employed under the Public Service Act 1999. The Australian Public Service (APS) is a career-based public service that provides workplaces that are free from discrimination, patronage and favouritism; and recognises the diversity of the Australian community and fosters diversity in the workplace. The workplace diversity section provides more information.
Survey Policy
As part of its functions the Commission actively seeks to engage with a broad cross section of the community, particularly people with a living experience of mental health difficulties, their families and carers. One mechanism we use to do that is surveys.
Surveys are usually conducted electronically via our Engagement HQ website, an online consultation hub operated by Bang the Table Ltd. The Commission's Survey Policy sets out how we will use, store and disclose the information you provide when you respond to a survey.
