Michael Elwan Appointed to the Multicultural Mental Health Expert Panel Australia

I’m honoured to share that I’ve been appointed as the Western Australian representative of the Multicultural Mental Health Expert Panel, a national initiative co-led by the National Mental Health Consumer Alliance (NMHCA) and the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA).

This group brings together people with lived experience from across Australia to offer strategic advice on national multicultural mental health policy. The intention is clear: to ensure that the mental health needs, perspectives, and priorities of migrants, refugees, and people of colour are not just acknowledged but embedded in national decision-making. For too long, our experiences have sat on the margins of policy and service design. This appointment represents one small step toward changing that.

As someone born in Egypt, who came to Australia after profound personal loss and systemic struggle, I carry with me stories that are deeply personal, but not unique. They reflect the experiences of many in our multicultural communities - navigating stigma, silence, language barriers, intergenerational expectations, and systems that were never built with us in mind.

Being part of the Multicultural Mental Health Expert Panel is not just an advisory role; it’s a commitment to truth-telling and change-making in Australia. It is about lifting the voices of those who are often unheard in national policy debates. It’s about shifting the frame - from viewing culture as a 'barrier' to recognising it as a rich and vital context that shapes how distress is experienced, expressed, and understood.

I take this role seriously, but also tenderly. Because for many of us, this work is not theoretical - it is a reflection of our families, our communities, and our own survival. And because every time we speak up, we open space for someone else to step forward too.

In my role as the Western Australian representative in the Multicultural Mental Health Expert Panel, I’ll be contributing to NMHCA’s National Policy Council and working alongside lived experience advocates from across the country. Together, we will provide guidance on the systemic changes needed to ensure that multicultural mental health consumers are not left behind. This includes improving access to culturally responsive care, informing inclusive service design, and challenging deficit-based narratives that reduce culture to risk.

I invite you to walk with me in this work, knowing that real transformation happens not only in policy rooms - but in community, in courage, and in the conversations we dare to have.

Based in Perth, WA, LEXs provides telehealth counselling across Australia for individuals, couples, and NDIS participants. Services extend to Social Work supervision, Peer Work supervision, training, and keynote speaking on men’s mental health, CaLD community wellbeing, and culturally responsive suicide prevention; helping people and organisations make mental-health care more compassionate, inclusive, and effective. LEXs provides services across Australia, supporting clients in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and beyond. To learn more about our work across Australia, visit LEXs' services page.