From the Chief Executive Officer

May 2020 | Frances Mirabelli

The speed at which COVID-19 has spread around the world and the changes that it has forced us all to make in every aspect of our lives has been astonishing.From the cases reported from Wuhan in December last year, to the staged lockdowns of numerous countries, and the restrictions and medical...

February 2020

Since December, APS members and staff have found themselves focused on responding to Australia’s bushfire crisis.Millions of hectares of land have been burnt. Hundreds of homes and buildings have been destroyed. Australians have lost their lives, including volunteer firefighters. And...

December 2019

There have been a number of firsts for psychology and for the APS in 2019.One that I believe holds considerable significance for the profession was Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt’s statement in August that, “For the first time, mental health will be rated equally alongside physical...

October 2019 | Frances Mirabelli

According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, last year 3,046 Australians took their own lives. That is on average eight lives lost to suicide each day, accounting for approximately 105,730 years of potential life lost. Each individual lost to suicide is a person who was valued and...

August 2019 | Frances Mirabelli

In early July, I attended the European Congress of Psychology in Moscow. Like all international meetings, this was an excellent forum for conversing with colleagues from around the world. I am always encouraged to observe at such gatherings that despite differences in language and culture, more...

June 2019 | Frances Mirabelli

“In 2019, the APS mission is clear: to be at the forefront of advocacy, innovation, change and opportunity, with you”In June 2019, Victoria became the first state in Australia to allow voluntary assisted dying. In the same month, a public national inquiry invited submissions into the...

April 2019 | Frances Mirabelli

As experts in human behaviour, psychologists are in great demand across all sectors and professional settings in Australia. The expertise provided by psychologists is highly sought after by community members, employers, health professionals and policymakers grappling with the big issues facing...

February 2019 | Frances Mirabelli

Over the past decades, Australia has done much to confront mental illness in the community. Through sustained campaigning by organisations and individuals (including the APS and our engaged members) we have substantially increased awareness about many disorders and the effective treatments...

December 2018 | Ms Frances Mirabelli

In my first months at the APS I have been travelling around the country meeting face-to-face with APS members and other parties with a stake in psychology. By reaching out to ministerial advisors and bureaucrats, employers of psychologists, representatives of educational institutions...