Menang woman Megan Krakouer named 2023 Australian Mental Health Prize winner

Fremante-based advocate Megan Krakouer has received a 2023 Australian Mental Health Prize.

But the proud Menang woman who has spent her years tirelessly advocating to reduce disproportionate rates of suicide within First Nations communities says her accolade does not belong to her.

“The achievement belongs to the people,” she said.

“I will never lose contact with the people that I work with, people that are forgotten right across the country.”

The winners of the national prize were announced on September 25 in Sydney. The awards have been running since 2016.

Ms Krakouer received the award for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander category.

She is behind the National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project, which offers psychosocial counselling and mental health interventions that reaches more than 25,000 people across the country.

The entirely volunteer-backed project was developed alongside advocate Gerry Georgatos.

Ms Krakouer said she was floored by the impact the helpline had had since its inception.

“It was a fully-fledged volunteer effort,” she said.

“It’s been absolutely remarkable to me — in terms of traction right across the country, I am deeply humbled.”

Ms Krakouer was also recognised for her work launching a class action against the State Government over the treatment of Banksia Hill detainees.

She worked to collect hundreds of testimonies to support the case, which is currently before the Federal Court.

“I’ve seen poverty at its best, I’ve seen the validation of people wanting to tell their story for the first time about the entrenchment of discrimination,” she said.

“It was very much a learning curve in terms of human rights violations and abuses.”

Ms Krakouer said she would continue to push for the urgent need for support systems.

“I’ve seen too many life support machines turned off for young ones before their time,” she said.

“We are not put on this earth to bury our children.”

The winners of the 2023 Australian Mental Health Prize were announced at UNSW and included Dr Geoffrey Toogood for his commitment to lived experience, Professor Maree Toombs in the professional category and Ali Farraj in the community hero category.

Ms Krakouer was the sole WA winner.