Lived experience workers are more united and more fierce than ever before, Clare Davies told the 2025 Lived and Living Experience Workforce (LLEW) Forum in Melbourne on Thursday.
In a rousing keynote speech, she urged LLE workers across the alcohol and other drug and mental health sectors to stay connected and open to each other’s wisdom.
“Together we rise and we will create something beautiful for the people who come after us.”
The forum was hosted by SHARC and the Victorian Department of Health in collaboration with Tandem, VMIAC, Harm Reduction Victoria, CMHL and Mental Health Victoria.
The sold-out event brought together 300 LLE consumer and family/carer workers, with a further 100 attending via livestream. It was the largest-ever gathering of LLE workers in Victoria, reflecting the growth of the workforce in recent years.
In a pre-recorded opening address, Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt acknowledged the important work of the Centre for Mental Health Learning (CMHL) ahead of its core functions transferring to the Victorian Collaborative Centre (VCC) from July.
Attendees considered issues impacting LLE workers, reflected on achievements across the LLE sector and explored next steps as a workforce.
Highlights included the launch of five LLEW discipline frameworks, the culmination of years of cross-sector collaboration, and the announcement of more early career opportunities via the Lived Experience Career Compass.
Sessions ranged from the evolution of the family/carer LE workforce to applying the consumer perspective to leadership, pressures faced by migrant and refugee communities, and peer-led online harm reduction for young people.
Presenters included VMIAC CEO, Vrinda Edan, Carer Lived Experience Workforce (CLEW) leader, Anna Epifanio, and manager of SHARC’s Lived and Living Experience At Heart (LLEAH) Program, Matthew Corbett.
Themed Distinct Disciplines – Collectively Leading Change, the free event was designed as an opportunity for discussion, connection, and celebration.
