Advocacy organistions

The following organisaitons provide a breadth of support and advocacy for those with mental illness, ranging from medical second opinions to free legal support. 

IMHA

The IMHA (Independent Mental Health Advocacy) IMHA is a service provided to people who are receiving or are at risk of receiving compulsory treatment under the Mental Health Act 2014 (MHA). They aim to assist people to be involved in and make decisions about their treatment and recovery.

They can do this by:

  • Providing advice to consumers about their rights under the MHA;
  • Engaging directly with the treatment team on behalf of a consumer;
  • Supporting consumers to self-advocate during their treatment; and
  • Referring consumers to other services, if they request to do so.

They can be contacted 9:30am-4:30pm Monday-Friday

VMIAC

For voluntary patients, the VMIAC (Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council) are available to provide advocacy and information for Victorian residents who identify as having mental health challenges or emotional distress. They can provide non-legal advocacy and information regarding:

  • Issues with mental health services;
  • Issues with community organisations and your experience of mental health or emotional challenges; and
  • Your rights regarding mental health.

They can be contacted 9:00am-4:30pm Monday-Friday

Psychiatric Second Opinion Service

The Psychiatric Second Opinion Service is an independent, free service provided for consumers under the MHA. They can provide an expert psychiatric opinion on:

  • The treatment provided to a consumer; and
  • Whether an order under the MHA is relevant to a consumer (unless subject to a court order).

A second opinion does not replace a person’s treating psychiatrist. However, the treating psychiatrist may make changes to a consumer’s treatment informed by the second opinion, or explain why they feel treatment should not change.

The second opinion service cannot provide second opinions on diagnosis.

The service can be contacted by:

Mental Health Legal Centre

The Mental Health Legal Centre (MHLC) is a multidisciplinary organisation which provides free and confidential legal services to people with lived experience of mental illness or are involved in the mental health system. MHLC can provide:

  • Representation at Mental Health Tribunal hearings; and
  • General legal advice including:
    • Rights as an involuntary patient at hospital or in the community and your treatment
    • Mental Health Tribunal hearings
    • Complaints about the mental health system, health providers, police or protective service officers
    • Human rights and discrimination relating to mental illness
    • Criminal law, family law and guardianship
    • Housing and tenancy
    • Freedom of information and privacy

They can be contacted 9:00am-5:00pm Tuesday-Friday

Victorian Legal Aid

VLA (Victorian Legal Aid) provides free information about legal problems including family breakdowns, family violence, child support, fines, criminal matters and Centrelink issues. They can also provide representation in Mental Health Tribunal hearings.

Free legal information can be found at legalaid.vic.gov.au/i-need-legal-information-about

They can be contacted via:

Online chat on the VLA website legalaid.vic.gov.au

Ph: 1300 792 387 8:00am-6:00pm Monday-Friday (there can be long wait times so we advise to call early in the day)

Mental Health Wellbeing Commission

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission (MHWC), established under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act, 2022 (the Act), is an independent statutory authority that holds government to account for the performance, quality and safety of Victoria’s mental health and wellbeing system.

Complaints forms can be located at mhwc.vic.gov.au/contact-us-or-make-complaint

Office of the Public Advocate-Community Visitors Program

The OPA (Office of the Public Advocate) is an independent statutory organisation promoting the rights and interests of people with a disability or mental illness. They provide telephone advice regarding guardianship and administration, power of attorney and medical treatment. They also run a trained volunteer service of ‘community visitors’.

At the request of a resident of accommodation facilities for people with disabilities or mental illness in Victoria, community visitors can make an unannounced visit to a facility and speak to consumers about concerns about their accommodation, and speak to staff and managers of these facilities at the request of a consumer They will write a report about what was discussed and observed.

The OPA’s advise hotline can be contacted on:

Ph: 1300 309 337 (9:00am-4:45pm Monday-Friday)

Email: OPA_Advice@justice.vic.gov.au

Community Visitor program can be contacted on: Ph: 1300 309 337

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