Advocacy

Our advocacy role

PSC has a leadership role in the community, advocating for action to address the risks to health and mental health posed by the climate emergency. We advocate that psychosocial wellbeing is an essential part of transformational action on climate change. 

Using our professional knowledge, our aim is to increase understanding and emotional engagement with climate change. We hold a systemic worldview and acknowledge that mitigation and adaptation to the climate emergency will require a transformational political and systems level response. 

PSC’s goal is to further our community leadership role, our public communications and governmental submissions to support our advocacy.

Submissions

Submission to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s mental health system

The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System was formally established in February 2019 on advice from the Victorian Government. This signalled that the state’s mental health system was failing to support those who needed it. The consultation process in 2019 invited Victorians were invited to share their experiences, views and ideas on how to improve Victoria’s mental health system. The Commission received more than 3,200 submissions from organisations and individuals, including PSC’s submission. 

The Royal Commission’s Final Report was handed down in February 2021 and can be downloaded here.

Read PSC’s PSC submission to the Royal Commission into Victorian mental health system.

Submission to National Preventative Health Strategy

The Australian Government is creating it’s 10-year National Health Prevention Strategy. Psychology for a Safe Climate is concerned that no mention of the climate crisis was made in the Strategy, nor in the Consultation Paper. We consider this shameful negligence.

As climate disasters are on the rise, Psychology for a Safe Climate feels imperative that the psychological impacts of environmental devastation be considered a public health concern and planned for.

In our submission, we make clear the compounding mental health impacts of the climate crisis and highlight that the current mental health system in Australia is not equipped to deal with this growing area of mental health needs.

Read PSC’s Submission to consultation on the national preventative health strategy.

Submission to Victorian Government Inquiry into Tackling Climate Change in Victorian Communities

The Victorian Government’s Inquiry looked at what urban, rural and regional communities in Victoria are doing to tackle climate change and how the Victorian Government could support these communities.

Read PSC’s Submission to Victorian Government Inquiry into Tackling Climate Change in Victorian Communities.

The Inquiry’s final report was handed down in November 2020. Download Final Report