National Summit on Mental Health Emergencies and Police Collaboration

Mental health emergencies are among the most complex challenges facing Australia’s health and emergency response systems. At the centre of every response is a person in crisis who deserves care that is safe, compassionate and responsive to their needs.

Across Australia, jurisdictions are rethinking the role of police in mental health emergencies and exploring new ways for mental health services and police to work together. Approaches vary widely — from police-led and co-response models to clinician-led and non clinical pathways designed to reduce unnecessary police involvement.

Yet there has been little opportunity to step back and consider what we are learning. This Summit will bring jurisdictions together to examine the Australian and international evidence, share lessons and build a clearer national picture of what safe, effective and person-centred mental health and police collaboration should look like.

Hosted by the Australian Society of Psychiatrists (ASoP) and the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research (QCMHR), the National Summit will bring together leaders from mental health, police, government, research and lived experience to help shape a shared path forward.

The Summit has three principal objectives:

1. Build a shared national understanding of mental health and police collaboration — drawing on evidence, experience and emerging approaches to mental health emergencies across Australia and internationally.

   
   

2. Develop the Brisbane Consensus Statement — nationally agreed principles to guide safe, person-centred and proportionate collaboration between mental health services and police.

   
   

3. Create a pathway for national implementation — ensuring the principles inform future policy, service design, research and reform.

   
   

The Summit will culminate in a facilitated national consensus process to develop the Brisbane Consensus Statement. The aim is not to prescribe a single model for every jurisdiction, but to establish shared principles for what good mental health and police collaboration should look like — and provide a foundation for future reform.

The Summit will be held in person at Brisbane’s iconic Customs House, with the option to join virtually as part of a fully hybrid event.

The full programme and speaker biographies will be available soon.

Convenors:

Prof. Ed Heffernan (QCMHR)

Dr Pramudie Gunaratne (ASoP)

Event hosts: