In a 21-points reform plan aimed at tackling mental illness, Reverend Keith Garner, the Superintendent of Wesley Mission, said that mental illness remained a taboo for many people even though it affected so many.
Reverend Garner went further, indicating from the Wesley Mission's Report that eight in ten Australians (85 percent) had either experienced mental illness or been exposed to it through family and friends. He said that a stigma is still attached to the sufferers who were being questioned by the community.
"Despite much public discussion and the advocacy of high profile figures sharing their personal experiences in the public domain, there is still a clear reluctance in the community to trust individuals with a mental illness in decision-making roles or in roles where reliability is paramount," he said.
In the report's recommendations, it has called for an end to discrimination in the workplace, more flexible employment opportunities and increased funding for community based care. Reverend Garner, in his speech delivered to launch the report, called on the government to tackle the issue through legislation such as introducing 'positive discrimination.'
"Wesley Mission believes the issue of stigma in the workplace needs urgent attention and recommends amending existing employment legislation to include sufferers of certain mental illnesses," he said.
"Active measures should be taken to bring people with certain mental illnesses into the workplace, potentially including positive discrimination."
Living with Mental Illness: Attitudes, Experiences and Challenges looked at awareness of and exposure to mental illness in Australia and community attitudes to people with a mental illness involving more than 600 participants.