S4:E14 Graham Ashton: Responding to our First Responders

Pebble in the Pond

While praised for their resilience, frontline workers are faced with amassing circumstances placing them at high risk of mental health issues.

A national survey of COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers found more than half reported mental health symptoms during last year’s pandemic second wave – yet less than one in 10 accessed formal support programs

Joining us this week to shine a light on the importance of first responder mental health is Graham Ashton, Former Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police & Deputy Commissioner of Australian Federal Police.

Graham has led several significant international investigations and counter-terrorism operations, including the Australian investigation into the 2002 Bali bombings for the joint Australian/Indonesian Taskforce.

He was also at the helm of setting up the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Co-operation in Semarang, Java, a $50 million facility and first of its type. An Australian first, Graham also led the establishment of the Victoria Police Family Violence Training Centre.

Graham has an international reputation as an advisor on matters of sports integrity, addressing national and international audiences about sports integrity and corruption. As Commissioner, he established the world’s first ‘Sports Integrity Police Intelligence Unit’ in Victoria, Australia.

Keynote speaker at the 2022 Frontline Mental Health Conference and now here to join us today, Graham will discuss the importance of integrating mental health plans into the workforce, relaying his knowledge of first responder needs, as well as his lived experience of mental health challenges.