An official report calls for financial redress and apology for victims of mental health system abuse in Victoria.

A special report commissioned by the Andrews government has found that individuals who suffered “gross human rights violations” during involuntary mental health treatment should receive financial redress from the state along with a full public apology from the government. 

The report reveals that some people with mental illness endured compulsory treatment involving seclusion, restraint, coercive measures, and induced comas.

The report, commissioned by the Department of Health to advise the mental health minister, also recommends the establishment of a restorative justice process in Victoria. 

This process would allow mental health system consumers and their carers to publicly share the trauma they experienced due to treatment. 

The report says individuals with mental illness were additionally harmed by police violence, community negligence, and even premature deaths caused by medication side effects or prolonged wait times for assistance.

Highlighting the significance of the findings, the report describes these harms as “gross human rights violations” and puts forth six major recommendations to the state government. 

These include a political apology, a commitment to prevent similar harms in the future, and compensation for consumers and carers affected by the mental health system's failures.

The Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC) and Tandem, an organisation representing carers, were involved in shaping the report. 

The report was released by its authors rather than the state government.

The report advocates for the establishment of a restorative justice process facilitated by the upcoming Wellbeing and Mental Health Commission, scheduled to commence operations on September 1. 

This process aims to document the harms suffered by individuals and foster improved relationships between system users and administrators, thereby driving cultural change and reducing human rights violations.

Additionally, the report recommends that the government consider individual and collective reparations, acknowledging the physical, psychological, spiritual, and economic harm inflicted on mental health consumers, survivors, families, carers, and supporters.

Mental Health Carers Australia (MHCA), a peak body, says the report should be considered by governments nationwide. 

MHCA CEO Katrina Armstrong believes that a restorative justice process, followed by public apologies, would mark the beginning of mental health reform rather than an endpoint.