Mental Health Month is underway across Australia, with October campaigns highlighting the role of wellbeing.
Mental Health Month runs nationally throughout October, with World Mental Health Day on 10th October. While individual states and territories use different campaign names, dates and themes, connection and belonging are recurring themes across much of the 2026 programme.
Mental Health Australia, which coordinates the national campaign, has chosen ‘Together We Thrive’ as its 2026 theme. The campaign encourages people to start conversations, share their experiences and strengthen connections at home, work, school, online and in their communities.
Mental Health Australia has released new research highlighting Australians’ concerns about social connection and its relationship with mental wellbeing. The research shows that 64% of Australians believe people are becoming more disconnected from each other. Only 21% said they feel very connected to friends, family, neighbours or their community, while 65% said feeling disconnected can negatively affect their mental health.
The research also found that 64% of respondents believe connection and a sense of belonging have a positive impact on their mental health, while 57% said feeling included and part of something bigger than themselves helps them cope during stressful periods.
State and territory campaigns
In Tasmania, Mental Health Week runs from 3rd–11th October under the theme ‘Appreciate the little things’. The Mental Health Council of Tasmania is encouraging people to recognise everyday moments that contribute to wellbeing, from spending time in nature and gardening to social activities and simply connecting with others.
The Tasmanian Government is supporting community activities through a Small Grants program, with the state’s programme including walks, workshops, exhibitions, picnics, creative activities and family events. A number of activities combine mental wellbeing with recreation, including paddleboarding, yoga, qigong, cold-water activities, community walks and outdoor art.
In Queensland, Mental Health Week also runs from 3rd–11th October, with the theme ‘Build Community, Build Wellbeing’. The Queensland Mental Health Commission says the campaign recognises the relationship between connection, belonging and wellbeing, and encourages participation in community events, sporting clubs, workplaces, cultural activities and local groups.
Queensland is supporting the programme through $150,000 in Community Events Grants and a further $150,000 in Mental Health First Aid Training Grants.
In New South Wales, Mental Health Month runs throughout October under the theme ‘A Little Connection Goes a Long Way’. The campaign focuses on everyday interactions, including spending time with family and friends, volunteering, talking to neighbours, interacting with support services and participating in community life.
South Australia’s Mental Health Month theme is ‘Find Your Way to Wellbeing’, encouraging people to recognise their capacity, honour their limits and find approaches to wellbeing that suit them. The programme includes art exhibitions, comedy, family activities, workshops and community events, with regional grants also supporting local initiatives.
In Western Australia, Mental Health Week runs from 4th–11th October, with the campaign focused on taking greater control of wellbeing and building a mentally healthy future. The programme includes community activities such as a Walk & Talk, guided breath meditation and wellbeing sessions, alongside the WA Mental Health Awards.
The WA Government is also using Mental Health Month to highlight the importance of connection and belonging, noting that mental health is influenced by relationships, communities, workplaces and everyday experiences.
In the Australian Capital Territory, Mental Health Week runs from 4th–10th October under the theme ‘Together We Thrive’. The programme includes free and low-cost community events, with activities ranging from creative and cultural activities to exercise and community connection. The ACT Mental Health Awards will be held at Belconnen Arts Centre on 8th October.
The Northern Territory Mental Health Coalition is also preparing a 2026 Mental Health Week programme, with activities designed to promote community participation and wellbeing across the Territory.
In Victoria, mental health and wellbeing activity is being supported through the state’s longer-term Wellbeing Strategy, which places prevention, community connection and the social, physical, economic and environmental conditions that influence wellbeing alongside mental health services. The Victorian Government’s 2026 reform progress report also highlights continued work towards a more accessible and community-based mental health system.
The role of accessible, inclusive opportunities
The range of activities being promoted during Mental Health Month reflects an increasingly broad understanding of the environments that contribute to wellbeing.
Walking groups, sport and recreation, creative activities, volunteering, community events, nature-based activities and informal social gatherings feature across state programmes. In Tasmania, for example, the Mental Health Week programme includes community walks, paddleboarding, yoga, qigong, outdoor art and family activities, while Queensland’s campaign specifically identifies sporting clubs, neighbourhoods and community groups as settings that can influence wellbeing.
The campaigns provide another reminder of the role that accessible, inclusive opportunities to can play alongside formal mental health services.
The national campaign’s emphasis on connection also comes at a time when concerns about social isolation and belonging are receiving greater attention. Mental Health Australia’s research found that only 47% of Australians believe people in their community look out for one another, while just 29% would feel comfortable telling their employer they were struggling with their mental health, compared with 67% who would feel comfortable telling friends.
The official global theme for World Mental Health Day 2026, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is ‘Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change’, placing the experiences of people who have lived with mental health conditions at the centre of the connection Health Mental Month puts
