The Victorian Municipal Mental Health and Wellbeing Promotion Network is a newly established network helping local governments across Victoria to strengthen their role in promoting mental wellbeing and preventing mental health conditions.
The network aligns with the ‘Improving wellbeing’ priority in the 2023-2027 Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan and has been established at a critical time as councils navigate their role in a reformed mental health system following the 2021 Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.
The City of Melbourne has provided support to Prevention United for the planning and development of the Victorian Municipal Mental Health and Wellbeing Promotion Network. Prevention United is leading and convening the initiative in the first 18 months to bring together councils from across Victoria to explore their role in promoting mental wellbeing and preventing mental health conditions in their communities. There are currently 73 members representing 37 different local governments across metropolitan, regional and rural Victoria.
The Network aims to:
- Develop and evolve the role of local councils in improving mental wellbeing.
- Provide members with an opportunity for information sharing and networking on mental health promotion activity across councils
- Create a space to share mutual challenges and strategies to resolve them by drawing on each other’s experiences and ideas (safe to fail)
- Share learnings and foster collaboration between municipalities on their mental health promotion related programs, services and other initiatives
- Develop a platform to progress collective projects that enable members to progress the promotion of mental wellbeing and prevention of mental ill-health in their local government area.
Since the launch in May 2025, the network has met twice and generated valuable dialogue and collaboration to help shape more connected, supportive, and healthy communities across the state.
This network is free to join for local government professionals who are responsible for planning, designing or delivering mental health and wellbeing promotion strategies or initiatives. Join the Victorian Municipal Mental Health and Wellbeing Promotion Network
For further information, email prevention@health.vic.gov.au