Section 201 of the Mental Health Act 2007 required the Minister to review the Act 'to determine whether the policy objectives of the Act remain valid and whether the terms of the Act remain appropriate for securing those objectives'. A report on the outcome of the review was tabled in Parliament on 30 May 2013.
Extensive consultations with the community and key stakeholders were conducted over a period of 18 months, and draft amendments were tested through an Expert Reference Group. Significant amendments to the Mental Health Act were passed by the NSW Parliament on 18 November 2014 and commenced on 31 August 2015.
More information about the Act in the Mental Health Act 2007 Guide Book.
The NSW Ministry of Health issued an Information Bulletin on amendments to the Mental Health Act 2007.
In addition, NSWH Health commissioned the NSW Institute of Psychiatry (now the Health Education and Training Institute - HETI) to provide education and training on amendments to the Mental Health Act 2007, and have produced the following fact sheets:
HETI has also developed a website about Understanding the Mental Health Act. Although the website is aimed at education and training for health professionals, anyone can access the information. There are FAQs that answer general questions about the amendments.
