It’s been a big month in for our mental health members. Our nurses and PSOs receive a pay increase during the first full pay period on or after April 1st 2019. Due to the success of our last EBA campaign, this year, our nurses won increases of between 5-18%! Read more about it here.

If you're keen to find out about the previous or upcoming pay rises for all mental health workers, click here to download the wage rates tables for the life of the EBA.

Our campaign for Better Mental Health is continuing along this month, with visits to multiple politicians. We’re lobbying the government to improve the sector NOW, rather than wait for the outcome of the Royal Commission.

Community Consultations: 

Community Consultations have been announced and we're hoping you can attend one near you.  

Consultations taking place in the next two weeks include Whittlesea, Pakenham, Hamilton and Geelong.  

Register NOW to attend a community consultation near you or find out more click here or go to: rcvmhs.vic.gov.au 

It's important that HACSU members attend these consultations to provide insights to the Government about your work and the issues facing the sector.  

We know there will be a lot of voices to be heard throughout the Royal Commission process. In order to get the best possible outcomes for the workforce, increase services and staffing and stop violence in mental health we need YOU as front-line workers to raise your voices! 


HACSU Workforce Survey: 

Very soon you'll receive a survey from us relating to workplace issues in the mental health sector.  

We need EVERY MEMBER to complete the survey. 

It's important that we hear about your experiences in the sector so we can gather opinions from all workers from different disciplines and regions in the State.  

In the meanwhile, you can read all about our proposals for the Royal Commission.  

Click here to read our proposals and let us know when you complete the survey if there are other proposals we need to make in the Royal Commission. 

The Mental Health Royal Commission website has launched and community consultations will begin soon starting in Whittlesea on April 5th, Pakenham on April 9th and Hamilton on April 11-12th. A full list of community consultation dates can be found at the end of this article.

We’re also lobbying Peninsula Health to STOP STAFFING CUTS at Frankston CCU because we think no services should be losing staff at a time when the government has agreed the sector is in crisis!

Beginning in early May, the Prehospital Response of Mental Health and Paramedic Team (PROMPT) pilot will be rolled out in the Greater Geelong area. Barwon Health received funding by the Department to operate alongside Ambulance Victoria, running this three-month pilot extension of the existing PACER program. This is as a result of the 5,360 cases that paramedics respond to in 2018 that were flagged as ‘mental health’ events, equating to 15 cases a day.

We’re excited about this pilot and are hopeful it may be considered for extension to other areas in Victoria! For members currently employed by Barwon Health, please be aware that an EOI email will be sent to all Access Clinicians and recruitment for the backfill has commenced. Please contact your HACSU Delegate for more information.

There are also two big training events now open for registration, being the Collaborative Conference and the International Mental Health Conference (QLD). We’d recommend registering ASAP if you’re keen to attend!

Also don’t forget that HACSU provides free training to all members! You can read more about the training available here!

You can follow along the campaign by going to bettermentalhealth.org.au or on our social media pages.

Community Consultation Dates:

Friday 5 April - Whittlesea 

Tuesday 9 April - Pakenham 

Thursday 11 April – Friday 12 April - Hamilton 

Monday 15 April - Geelong 

Tuesday 16 April - Ballarat 

Wednesday 17 April - Sunshine 

Wednesday 1 May - Mildura

Wednesday 1 May - Swan Hill 

Friday 3 May - Melbourne 

Tuesday 7 May - Dandenong

Wednesday 8 May - St Kilda

Wednesday 8 May - Preston

Thursday 9 May - Werribee

Thursday 9 May - Melbourne CBD

Tuesday 14 May - Healesville

Tuesday 14 May - Seymour

Thursday 16 May - Shepparton

Friday 17 May - Bendigo

Tuesday 21 May - Sale

Wednesday 22 May - Warragul 

Knowledge is power. Keep your colleagues informed by printing this newsletter to put up on your workplace noticeboard.