Award-winning social worker and national advisor Michael Elwan reflects on receiving the WA Mental Health Award 2025 for Lived Experience Impact & Inspiration, supported by the WA Mental Health Commission.

Today , I had the privilege of standing alongside 30 other people with lived and living experience of suicide to co-sign an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, calling for urgent suicide prevention funding in Australia . This moment was a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when those with firsthand experience speak with clarity, courage, and collective intent. This letter is more than a statement - it is a plea. A plea from those who have los