Day two of the Perspectives 2026 Conference offered a compelling keynote address from Priscilla Brice, the CEO of the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance in Australia. Her speech highlighted the necessity of reimagining mental health systems through the inclusion of lived expertise—an approach rooted in personal experience with mental health challenges combined with systemic knowledge and advocacy.

Who Is Priscilla Brice?

Priscilla Brice is a recognized leader and advocate in the mental health sector. As CEO of the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance, Brice emphasizes systemic reform and equity in mental health. Her leadership is informed by her own lived experience with mental health challenges, as well as her background as the CEO of BEING Mental Health Consumers in New South Wales. She is also the founder of All Together Now, an organization dedicated to racial equity in Australia, where she spent over 12 years leading social change initiatives.

In addition to her leadership roles, Brice is a Churchill Fellow and holds an MBA in social impact from the University of New South Wales. She identifies as queer and neurodivergent, and her work consistently highlights the importance of diversity in decision-making spaces.

Acknowledging Indigenous Contributions

Brice began her keynote by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land. She highlighted that any effort to reform mental health systems must honor the knowledge and care systems of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. These systems, rooted in kinship, land, culture, and spirituality, existed long before established mental health frameworks and remain vital resources today.

She further emphasized that any true healing and justice in mental health systems must be grounded in truth-telling and respect for Indigenous ways of “knowing, being, and doing.” The National Mental Health Consumer Alliance actively collaborates with the Indigenous Australian Lived Experience Center to ensure cultural safety and self-determination guide their work.

The Evolution of the Consumer Movement

A significant portion of her speech focused on the history of the mental health consumer movement in Australia. Brice traced its origins from grassroots advocacy to the establishment of national and state peak bodies.

In the 1970s, individuals began speaking out against institutionalization and advocating for rights-based, community-focused care. Milestones such as the Richmond and Burdekin Reports of the 1980s to early 1990s confirmed the urgent need for systemic change. These efforts also gave rise to prominent organizations such as the Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC) and BEING, helping to cement lived experience as central to advocacy.

The establishment of the National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum in 2002 marked another significant milestone. Though prior attempts to create a national peak body faltered due to various challenges, the foundation of the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance 18 months ago represents a culmination of decades of advocacy.

Brice noted, “This milestone marks a shift from consultation to collaboration and, increasingly, to leadership.”

The Power of Lived Expertise

A central theme of Brice’s address was the distinction between “lived experience” and “lived expertise.” Lived experience refers to the personal journey of navigating mental health challenges, while lived expertise builds on this by incorporating systemic knowledge and collective advocacy.

“Lived expertise,” she stated, “is more than our individual stories. It is a collective body of knowledge built from decades of shared struggle and resistance. This expertise must be recognized at decision-making tables as valid professional and political leadership.”

She highlighted how the Alliance harnesses lived expertise to advocate for systemic reforms that prioritize human rights. According to recent national surveys conducted by the Alliance, many Australian mental health consumers still face discriminatory treatment, limited service options, and fear of coercion. For example:

• Over 50% of respondents reported disrespectful treatment by health professionals.
• More than a quarter consented to treatment out of fear of involuntary measures.
• 38% avoided mental health services due to concerns about coercion.

These findings underscore the urgency of systemic reform and demonstrate the value of lived expertise in shaping mental health policy.

The Role of Lived Experience Leadership

Brice introduced the concept of “lived experience leadership,” which involves leveraging personal and collective insights to challenge entrenched norms and drive change. This leadership is not tied to formal positions but reflects activism, advocacy, and the courage to “speak truth to power.”

However, Brice acknowledged that lived experience leadership often comes at a personal cost. Advocates may face resistance from traditional structures and institutions. Nevertheless, she urged her audience to persist, noting that the current generation has inherited the “legacy” of past movement leaders and must continue their work.

The Path Forward

Looking ahead, Brice emphasized the need to move beyond tokenistic consultation toward genuine collaboration in designing and governing mental health systems. The Alliance aims to ensure mental health systems reflect the diversity of the communities they serve and uphold the human rights of all consumers.

To achieve these goals, the Alliance calls for more investment in consumer advocacy, tailored mental health services that reflect individual identities, and the inclusion of lived expertise in all levels of decision-making. Brice encouraged audience members—and indeed, all Australians—to join consumer organizations to build a collective voice for change.

Why This Matters

Brice’s keynote underscores an essential shift happening in mental healthcare—placing lived experience and lived expertise at the forefront of policy and leadership. For decades, mental health systems have prioritized clinical perspectives rooted in deficit-based frameworks. By reimagining these systems around the people they serve, the consumer movement is not only advocating for equity but for a redefinition of what mental healthcare can look like in practice.

The journey ahead will undoubtedly involve resistance and challenges, but as Brice reminded her audience, “We stand on the shoulders of giants. Their legacy lives on in us.”