A statewide mental health listening initiative is set to travel across regional New South Wales over the coming months, with Sydney-based advocacy organisation BEING – Mental Health Consumers launching a four-month roadshow designed to hear directly from people with lived experience of the public mental health system.
The roadshow, titled “We’re All Ears!”, will run from May through August 2026, visiting more than a dozen regional centres across the North Coast, New England, and inland NSW. Meetings will focus on listening to consumers, building relationships with local services, and gathering lived experience insights to inform state-level mental health policy.
BEING says the information collected will feed directly into advocacy work with the NSW Government, including discussions with Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson.
BEING CEO Giancarlo de Vera said the roadshow is essential for ensuring regional and rural perspectives are properly represented in state mental health decision-making.
“BEING can’t be a state peak without knowing what the regions think, so it’s incredibly important we build relationships and networks throughout NSW.
Our power as consumers lies in finding common ground across the diversity of our experiences, getting people behind a common vision for our mighty state. I’m looking forward to meeting people who want to shape and define that common vision, so our voice can’t be ignored!” they said.
Lived Experience Engagement Manager Kylie Smith said the approach is deliberately informal, focused on listening rather than structured consultation.
“There is something incredibly special about showing up in a community, sitting down, and simply listening with no agenda, no assumptions, just genuine curiosity and care for the people in front of you,” said Ms Smith.
“For me, this roadshow is about building partnerships with communities that deserve to have BEING standing alongside them… and understanding what mental health support truly needs to look like in their world, not ours.”
BEING says the tour has several key objectives:
- Building stronger connections with mental health consumers and services outside Sydney
- Gathering input for a new rural and regional mental health position statement
- Informing BEING’s priorities ahead of the next NSW state election
- Contributing lived experience perspectives to a proposed NSW Human Rights Act inquiry
- Strengthening partnerships with local organisations supporting mental health consumers
The organisation is particularly keen to meet with both service providers and individuals with lived experience, including its members.
Meetings will generally be held between 9am and 5pm, with flexibility for early morning or evening sessions where demand exists. BEING says it will attempt to meet as many people as possible, though video meetings may be offered if in-person sessions fill up.
The roadshow will begin in Moree before moving through the New England, North Coast, and wider regional NSW areas.
- Moree: 4 May
- Port Macquarie: 25–27 May
- Dubbo: 1–2 June
- Tamworth: 4–5 June
- Coffs Harbour: 16–18 June
- Grafton: 18–19 June
- Broken Hill: 21–23 June
- Albury/Wodonga: 30 June
- Wagga Wagga: 1–2 July
- Ballina / Lismore / Byron Bay / Nimbin: 7–9 July
- Wollongong: 14–15 July
- Newcastle: 12–13 August
- Orange: 19–21 August
BEING says the schedule is flexible and may be adjusted as meetings are confirmed.
Local residents, community organisations, and mental health service providers are encouraged to register an expression of interest to meet with the BEING team during their local stop.
Meetings can be held at workplaces, community venues, or informal locations such as cafés, depending on what suits participants.
BEING says while it will make every effort to meet everyone who requests a session, demand may mean some people are offered follow-up video meetings instead.
The organisation has also clarified that the roadshow is not a crisis or personal support service, but a systemic advocacy initiative focused on capturing lived experience to improve mental health systems across NSW.
For those needing immediate support, BEING directs people to existing mental health services and support organisations listed on its website.
BEING says the “We’re All Ears!” roadshow is intended to ensure regional communities are not only heard but actively shaping the future of mental health care in NSW.
For more information or to request a meeting at one of the roadshow locations, vis the BEING website.
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