MHCA PATRONS
Senator the Hon. Helen Coonan
Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
The inaugural patron of the MHCA is Senator the Hon. Helen Coonan, Minister for Communication, Information Technology and the Arts.
Senator Coonan has demonstrated commitment to promoting mental health reform and improving community awareness. She has initiated a Parliamentary forum and support group to assist Parliamentarians and the community more broadly to understand perceptions about mental illness.
Senator Coonan has supported the MHCA through her previous portfolio responsibility for insurance reform to better meet the needs of mental health consumers. A barrister by profession, Senator Coonan was elected as a Liberal Senator for New South Wales in 1996. As Leader of the Coalition Senate ticket in New South Wales, Senator Coonan was re-elected in 2001 for a second term.
In July 2004 Senator Coonan was made Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.
In November 2001 Senator Coonan was given portfolio responsibility for taxation, including design of taxation laws, business tax reform, administrative matters relating to the ATO and compliance, taxation policy and administration relating to superannuation and prudential regulation and financial institutions.
She had portfolio oversight of the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). Senator Coonan was the first woman to hold a Treasury portfolio in the history of Federation.
Under Senator Coonan's leadership, sweeping changes in the areas of superannuation and insurance reform have been implemented and she has been the key driver of the Government's business tax reform agenda.
In the area of superannuation, Senator Coonan has helped increase the safety of superannuation and achieved the passage of a $1.3 billion package including a superannuation co-contribution payment for low-income workers and a reduction in the superannuation surcharge.
Senator Coonan was the architect of a national program of law reforms aimed at addressing the cost and availability of liability classes of insurance.
She was also a member of the Medical Indemnity Taskforce that provided a comprehensive framework to stabilise the medical indemnity industry in Australia restoring the confidence of doctors and protecting the needs of patients.
Since her appointment, Senator Coonan has continued the Government's rollout of business tax reform and appointed the inaugural Inspector-General of Taxation to act as an advocate for taxpayers and address systemic issues in Australia's taxation system.
Senator Coonan was voted the most influential person in financial services by Money Management magazine in 2003.
Senator Coonan will use her time as Patron of the MHCA to support the MHCA's work and promote greater awareness and commitment to Mental Health issues from Government, Members of Parliament and the community.