NSW Minister for Mental Health Kevin Humphries has announced the appointment of John Feneley as the inaugural Commissioner of the NSW Mental Health Commission.

 

Mr Humphries said the Commissioner will deliver strategic direction for mental health in NSW, ensure services are appropriately designed and targeted, and review, monitor and report to the Government, the Parliament and the public on how the system is working, to ensure we are using funding effectively to deliver real results.

 

Mr Feneley brings to the position experience within the mental health sector as Deputy President of the Mental Health Review Tribunal and through mental health policy and law reform work as Assistant Director General NSW Attorney Generals Department.

 

He has also served on the Board of the Schizophrenia Fellowship and government Boards and committees such as the Youth Justice Advisory Committee, the Child Death Review Team and the Legal Profession Admission Board. Mr Feneley is also a former Deputy Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

 

Chair of the National Mental Health Commission, Professor Allan Fels, welcomed Mr Feneley’s appointment and said he looked forward to working with him to develop a single plan for the future of mental health delivery in NSW that the State and Federal Governments can invest in.

 

“I expect the work of the NSW Commission will complement and enhance the work of the National Commission, with myself and Mr Feneley working closely together to ensure our efforts to improve mental health outcomes are coordinated,” Mr Fels said.

 

Mr Feneley has been appointed as Commissioner of the NSW Mental Health Commission for a period of five years and will begin on 1st August 2012.

 

The first role of the Commission will be to prepare a draft strategic plan for the mental health system in NSW for the Government’s consideration that will consider how it can better manage the experience of people with mental illness, their families and carers.