I spent a few years writing profiles of Australians from all different walks of life, which forced me to think about this to some extent. I have no good answers but the sense I have is that colonial Australians don't really associate themselves with, or engage with place.

Great article from Aimee Sinclair, Christina Fernandes, Sue Gillieatt, Lyn Mahboub, which I was lucky to tag along on! We discuss the limitations of relying upon peer worker inclusion to address mental health stigma. journals.library.brocku.ca/index.php/SS...

My mother has previously been involuntarily detained in an SMHRU, the Queensland equivalent of a SECU. I know because she was put there partly as a result of endangering me. Billing non-short-term involuntary detainees is among the biggest cunt moves I can imagine.

Positive move from the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission to highlight the issues with charging people compulsorily detained within SECU's. Has been happening for at least 11 years, but credit where due. mailchi.mp/mhwc/changes...

“I can’t breath,” www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

When did unrestrained neoliberalism become centre-left? www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

How can you be a professor of constitutional law and talk such shit like this? What an absurd statement for professor Craven to make? How can Craven legitimately state that superannuation and defence would be impacted by the judiciary? Complete nonsense. cathnews.com/2025/07/14/a...

My suspicion/hope is that they're not completely devastated that this got out because it gives a permission structure to explore tax reform. Possibly optimistic thinking, but if they didn't want this they could have severely frustrated the FOI process. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

Just days after Elon Musk's AI chatbot praised Hitler and called itself "MechaHitler", Australia's lead advisor on fighting antisemitism praised Musk's platform X's use of AI to "root out hate" 😵‍💫 www.crikey.com.au/20...

There are profound issues in Queensland's mental health system. But this isn't solved by more bricks and beds. Community based and peer-led supports are needed, including as a response to severe distress. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...

A good read “Governments can bolster mental health by removing barriers to well-being, such as fostering vibrant communities, promoting economic security, and, as economist Dr. Kelsey O’Connor’s research suggests, ensuring robust social safety nets” Its why a *strong healthy Democracy is so crucial

Ever felt stuck in a low-grade funk? My latest interview with Dr Matt Iasiello dives deep into #languishing, its impacts and how we can address it. www.simonkatterlconsulting.com/writing/why-...

Everyone watching international law right now.

Now is the time for the Victorian Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission to establish an inquiry into the government's mishandling of the mental health reforms. www.simonkatterlconsulting.com/writing/its-...

If you or someone you know relies on robust mental health support in Victoria, this is critical. The very body meant to oversee our mental health system is having its powers removed. What does this mean for Victorians facing mental distress & suicide? www.theage.com.au/politics/vic...

Snippet from my interview on Nine with Steph Anderson about how the hospitality industry wants accountability and cultural change. Full package on 6pm bulletin tonight and story online at The Age.

more crime in america

Both the United States and the United Kingdom are reviewing the AUKUS agreement. In light of this, and the consequential nature of the agreement, it's vital that our Parliament do the same. The crossbench will push to ensure scrutiny is applied. Australians expect nothing less.

Worth a read: This ABC News piece explores the nuanced discussion around consent for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a treatment for depression. An important topic for anyone interested in mental healthcare. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...

110% "ABC's treatment of this important issue has indeed silenced the collective voice of mental health consumers. The National Mental Health Consumer Alliance — the national peak body for people with lived experience of mental health challenges — was not contacted for comment.’"

“...the system is heavily reliant on the use of biomedical responses to distress, and there are high rates of coercion and resulting #trauma from the system. Families are left in a perpetual state of hypervigilance...Underfunding...is not the primary structural cause” Medicalising distress is flawed

How last night's Four Corners missed the mark and where we need to go on mental health reform. We won't get progressive mental health reform by evidence-free reporting and the exclusion of people with lived experience. Here: www.simonkatterlconsulting.com/writing/pql5...

Disability, race, religion...if the ABC was doing a story centring on these topics, it would incl the voices of people w lived experience - particularly rep bodies. I don't understand how this story hasn't got any representation of people w lived exp. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...

National corruption watchdog mishandled complaint against commissioner www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05...

Australia's tax system is currently geared to help the very richest avoid paying tax. That means everyone else has to pay more to ensure we have the things we need.

If you know someone who has made a complaint about public mental health services and wishes to speak to a story about the lack of action, please feel free to introduce them to me.

Open letter to the Royal Australian New Zealand College of Psychiatry asking it to act on earlier vilifying statements in the Age.

I'm not going to pretend that I will prioritise my tears for Joe Biden. Gaza has had to close its only cancer hospital because it is being bombed into the ground. No life is worth more than others and there are hundreds of thousands being lost in Gaza. www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/...

My brief comments in this SMH report on the Cauchi Coronial Inquest. It's unlikely IMO that we're going to have a positive outcome from this inquiry for changing the system. It'll lead to greater systemic violence on people w lived experience. 1/2 www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

Here's me. 'The Prime Minister is lying to your face about selling weapons for Israel’s genocide' This article also features not one, but two excellent new cartoons from @fionakatauskas.bsky.social

Mental health crisis response in Victoria: Royal Commission ordered reforms, government promised action, police still shooting. www.croakey.org/police-shoot...

Seize the moment: and other calls to action on prevention – Croakey Health Media Prevention Centre Head and Adjunct Associate Professor Nadia Mastersson shares five key insights from the 2025 @publichealthaus.bsky.social Preventive Health Conference #Prevention2025 www.croakey.org/seize-the-mo...

My column on the latest wage growth figures and the long path of recovery www.theguardian.com/business/gro...

No surprises here. He’s just playing the usual games.

Come along to the next Open Dialogue tomorrow, talking about the vital role transport plays in connecting us to community. Free, accessible, led by disabled people, register now! disabilitydialogue.com.au/events/trans...

Another brilliant article from Zoe Mithen on what Labor needs to do to reform the NDIS and disability policy more broadly this term of government. www.afr.com/policy/healt...

George W. Bush was the worst President of the last few generations and it's really not close. what we in the US are (rightly!) up in arms about is that Trump is the worst President for us, specifically - which is a different thing

Michelle Rowland to Attorney-General does not inspire confidence for a #HumanRightsAct this term. Botched misinformation bill and wasn't able to drive gambling advertising reform, despite overwhelming support. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05...

Husic highlighting that speaking up internally on Gaza has contributed to his ousting from the front bench.

'Dreyfus’ legacy as attorney-general is, at best, very modest. In fact, come to think of it, he was perfectly suited to the style of the Albanese Government. Incremental change and a refusal...to embark on "big picture" initiatives'. —@barnsgreg.bsky.social johnmenadue.com/post/2025/05...

The idea that if the Greens had just focused on climate, this would have meant they faired better is absurd. It would limit their reach & scope. It would limit their relevancy to chance. And it would gentrify the movement by failing to account for the economic & racial intersections with climate.

Everyone learning that Colin exists.

"Bandt’s loss... has ushered in a rush of commentary that... his leadership has been a disaster for the party, and the Greens should go back to being a party of the environment focused on winning the balance of power in the Senate. That’s a gross misread." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Just fucking tax him. youtube.com/shorts/kfNiP...

BREAKING: Denmark says it will summon the US ambassador to respond to reports that US intelligence was ordered to step up espionage in Greenland. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told Ritzau: “It worries me a lot, because we don’t spy between friends.”

Bronwyn Kelly provides a review of Australian values, johnmenadue.com/post/2025/05.... She also explores how well Australians are inhabiting these values. However, we need to go further in asking how well Australians are living within planetary ecological boundaries, planetaryhealthcheck.org.

Wherever you think the Greens overstepped - the CFMEU rally wasn't the best - they were the only party consistently speaking up about a genocide. Journalists today write about fleeting outrage at the Greens' incivility. Historians tomorrow will write about journalists' permissiveness of genocide.

WA dramatically needs mental health reform from this government. But sure. Let's give people brain trauma for sport instead.

Both major parties continue to insist that "the key to housing affordability is supply", which is simply a conscious lie. Our tax system is structured to favour and reward property investors and our politics are built on the guarantee of ever-increasing property prices.