The State of Multicultural Mental Health in Australia

In Australia’s rapidly changing demographic and social landscape, ensuring equitable access to timely high-quality mental health care for culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) communities, a significant proportion of our population, is a shared responsibility. In 2024, 31.5% Australians were born overseas and over half (51.5%) had a parent born overseas. At the 2021 Census, Australians reported having 320 different ancestries, speaking 429 languages (including 183 First Nations languages) and identifying with over 30 religions. Despite repeated calls to improve knowledge and mental health systems for multicultural Australia, the mental health status of CaLD communities, and their mental health service and support needs, remained relatively unknown. This research report was designed to provide a contemporary overview of multicultural mental health in Australia, specifically addressing two questions: What is currently known about the state of multicultural mental health in Australia? What are the current and emerging good practices for supporting the mental health of multicultural communities? The research had three components: A secondary analysis of the 2020–2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHW), with a focus on the prevalence of 12-month anxiety and affective disorders, associated socio-demographic and health characteristics, and mental health service use. A rapid literature review of Australian studies from 2012 to 2025 that have focused on community-based mental health interventions for and with CaLD populations, to identify examples of good and emerging practices, as well as barriers and enablers to access. A series of national stakeholder consultations with multicultural community members and health and community service providers using the nominal group technique, designed to elicit consensus on the most effective strategies for supporting multicultural mental health.