How can services better support young people? How does stigma shape the way youth and families experience mental health and AOD care? And what happens when lived experience moves from the margins into service design?

In this episode, Hamilton Centre Relationship and Partnership Lead Annie Williams is joined by Nathan Abaloz, Youth Advisor and member of The CREW at Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS), and Donna Ortiz, parent advocate and member of the YSAS Family Reference Group.

They explore how youth voice and family perspectives are shaping more responsive mental health and AOD services.

Nathan shares insights from his work with the YSAS Youth Advisory Committee (The CREW), including harm reduction, media literacy and amplifying young people’s voices through a range of initiatives.

Donna reflects on her journey as a parent supporting a young person through complex challenges, the isolation carers can face and the power of hope and peer connection.

This episode discusses what it takes to embed genuine partnership with young people and families.

Guests:

Nathan Abaloz is a Youth Advisor with YSAS who is passionate about supporting and advocating for young people to have the best possible future, especially those who are marginalised. He works with the YSAS Youth Advisory Committee, known as The CREW, which consists of a diverse group of young people sharing their lived and living experience and expertise to help shape and improve services and policy. Nathan's areas of interest include harm reduction, destigmatisation, youth justice and reforms.

Donna Ortiz is a parent and carer with lived experience supporting young people through mental health and substance use challenges. Donna became involved with YSAS in 2021 when her youngest son engaged with their services during COVID. Donna now contributes to the YSAS Family Reference Group, a small team of parent carers and staff working to provide feedback and improve services for families. She is passionate about giving back and helping shape how YSAS supports young people and their families.

In this episode, we explore the critical role of workforce investment in driving meaningful, system-wide change.

This panel discussion was recorded on 11 December 2025 at an in-person event that brought together leaders and workers from Victoria’s mental health and alcohol and other drug (AOD) sectors. The event was hosted by the Hamilton Centre in partnership with Mental Health Victoria and the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing.

The panel unpacks what it takes to translate investment in people into real-world impact. They discuss emerging models that embed lasting change, persistent barriers to progress and how we can strengthen the link between capability building and better outcomes for individuals, services and systems.

Guests

A/Prof Ravi Bhat AM

Associate Professor Ravi Bhat is Clinical Director at Goulburn Valley Mental Health and Wellbeing service and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Department of Rural Health at The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Medical School. He was recently recognised by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) as a Rural Champion for 2025, for his leadership of mental health services in rural and regional settings.

Ms Madeleine Harradence

Ms Maddy Harradence is the branch secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) and is a registered nurse with extensive emergency department experience. Maddy has previously held the AOD portfolio with the ANMF and led the Branch’s education and advocacy work in AOD nurse and midwife training.

A/Prof Lee Allen

Associate Professor Lee Allen is a Deputy Chief Psychiatrist at the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist at Safer Care Victoria. She has chaired the RANZCP Victorian Branch training committee for psychiatry trainees for over a decade. She has an interest in wellbeing and curriculum design, sexual safety, mental health workforce, collaboration with primary mental health care and the voice of lived and living expertise in the community.

Moderator

Professor Dan Lubman AM

Executive Clinical Director at Turning Point and Professor of Addiction Studies and Services at Monash University.

Professor Lubman has worked across mental health and drug treatment settings in the UK and Australia. His research is wide-ranging and includes investigating the harms associated with alcohol, drugs and gambling, the impact of alcohol and drug use on brain function, the relationship between substance use, gambling and mental disorder, as well as the development of targeted telephone, online and face-to-face intervention programs within school, primary care, mental health and drug treatment settings.

In this special episode, we celebrate the two-year anniversary of the Hamilton Centre with two leaders at the forefront of integrated mental health and AOD care: Professor Margaret Hamilton AO, the inspiration behind the Centre’s name, and our Clinical Director Associate Professor Shalini Arunogiri.

They discuss the evolution of care models, the importance of addressing stigma and the future of integrated healthcare in Australia. Prof Margaret reflects on her long-standing career, including her foundational work at Turning Point, and the shifts in public attitudes towards addiction and co-occurring disorders. A/ Prof Shalini shares her insights into the challenges and opportunities within the sector, as well as the critical role the Hamilton Centre plays in driving system change.

This episode explores collaboration, policy change and advice for clinicians on the frontlines of mental health and addiction care. Tune in for a thoughtful conversation and a look ahead at how comprehensive care can transform the landscape of mental health and AOD services.

Our guests:

Professor Margaret Hamilton has over 50 years of experience in the drug and alcohol field. With a background in social work and public health, she has worked across a wide range of research, including epidemiology and policy. She has held several notable roles: Executive Member of the Australian National Council on Drugs, President of the Cancer Council Victoria, Board Member of VicHealth, Patron of DANA (Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australasia), and Life Governor of the Australian Drug Foundation. Margaret was also the founding Director of Turning Point in Victoria.

Associate Professor Shalini Arunogiri is the Clinical Director at both the Hamilton Centre and Turning Point, as well as a clinical researcher at Monash University. Her research focuses on co-occurring mental health and addiction disorders. As an educator, Shalini is passionate about inspiring the next generation of medical professionals and actively promotes addiction psychiatry as a career to the medical students and junior doctors she mentors.