WA Peer Work Timeline

Peer Work draws from the long history of people drawing from their own lived experience to support others going through similar situations or from similar backgrounds. This has been a part of human connection forever, but over the years we have worked towards professionalising those skills to develop what we now call Peer Work.

Peer Work is an overarching term for all forms of work that draws from Lived Experience perspectives and workers and not all Peer Workers call themselves Peer Workers or have traditionally identified with this term. This is especially true as the term Peer Work is quite new only coming into popularity in Australia over the last 10-20 years and many lived experience organisations and operations have been operating in Australia for far longer.

WAPSN’s Peer Work methodology has grown from the lived experience mental health space but has continued to grow by being more readily involved with other lived experience organisations working in areas such as disability, alcohol and other drugs, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander work, Homelessness, LGBTQIA+, Migrants Communities, and more.

Below is a small collection of key dates within the WA Peer Workforce.
This is only a brief summary as the Peer History in WA is so vast that we cannot possibly capture it all.
Special thanks to the Mental Health Commission and the Lived Experience (Peer) Workforces Framework for being a key resource in this document.

History of Peer Work in WA.

Peer work in some capacity has always existed in what is now WA but the start of modern Peer Work has roots in the early to mid 20th century.

1947: First WA Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting.

1947: Establishment of the Coolbaroo League by the Noongar community in response restrictions on where they can travel. Starting as a social outlet it evolved into a collective advocating for Aboriginal rights. (Source)

1949: The Pindan Cooperative movement is formed by Aboriginal workers who took part in the Pindan pastoral strikers

1950’s – 1980’s
This period saw increased progression of civil right movements in Australia that championed the voices of marginalised communities.
This period marked the start of many communities calling for Aboriginal rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, Disability voices inclusion, anti-psychiatry movements, and more.

1967: First Grow Meeting 

1974: Creation of the phone-based support service the Homosexual Counselling Service (the precursor to QLife and Living Proud) 

1975: Holyoake established and first paid Lived Experience (Peer) worker at Grow WA 

1976: The Association of Relatives and Friends of the Mentally Ill (ARAFMI) first public meeting (now known as HelpingMinds ) 

1977: Luma is established as a health service for women by women 

1978: World Health Organisation Declaration of Alma Ata – “The people have the right and duty to participate individually and collectively in the planning and implementation of their health care.” 

1981: Cyrenian House established 

1981: People With Disabilities (PWdWA) is founded 

1984: Even Keel Bipolar Support Association Founded 

1985: The WA AIDS Council is founded by the local gay community 

1988: Start of the Noongar Alcohol and Substance Abuse Service (now known as Wungening Aboriginal Corporation) 

1989: Peer Support programs at Fremantle Prison established 

Late 80’s early 90’s: WA Substance Users’ Association established 

1990’s - 2010’s
This is where we see the rise of early Peer Work programs in WA and the beginning of organisations becoming established and part of the more formalised support work landscape.

1990: Schizophrenia Fellowship (now known as MIFWA) incorporated 

1991: first funded Sex Worker Peer workforce in WA and Australia as part of the LASH Study 

Health Consumers Council Advocacy Project ran from 1995 – 2003 

1992: Australia’s First National Mental Health Plan released 

1992: Ishar, the Multicultural Women’s Health Service begins delivering services to support and empower women from multicultural, migrant, and refugee backgrounds. 

1996: Carers WA is established 

1996: Peer Based Harm Reduction WA is established by people who use drugs 

2004: first LE (Peer) worker at a public community mental health service 

2004: first ‘consumer consultants’ employed at public health service 

2005: Consumers of Mental Health WA (CoMHWA ) becomes incorporated 

2005: Hearing Voices Network established in WA 

2007: first Statewide Lived Experience (Peer) Work Coordinator employed 

2008: Graylands Hospital employ Peer Staff  

2008: first Lived Experience (Peer) Academic at The University of Western Australia engaged 

2010:  Mental Health Matters 2 was founded by individuals and families 

2010-2011: Mental Health Commission established and establishes a Consumer Advisor position 

2011: CoMHWA Funded as a Peak Lived Experience Mental Health Body 

2011: Allies in Change program started 

2012: Peer Work Qualification established as an accredited course 

2014: WAPSN is established by CoMHWA to support the growth of the wider WA Peer Workforce

2015: Scholarship Program for Peer Work Qualification established 

2015: Establishment of the Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work, a nationally recognised qualification for Peer Workers
2015: Perth Children’s Hospital Peer Program established 

2015: Broome Recovery College opened 

2015: Youth Disability Advocacy Network (YDAN) established as the peak body for young people with disability 

2016: Establishment of the CERT IV scholarship program in partnership with TAFE, CoMHWA and the MHC

2016: Outcare Peer Program starts 

2016: Valuing Lived Experience Program at Curtin Uni initiated 

2017: Choices Post-Discharge Program begins operating in mental health services 

2018: WA Country Health Service Peer Program initiated 

2018: Alcohol and Other Drugs Consumer and Community Coalition established 

2018: Lived Experience (Peer) run Wellness Initiative established 

2019: WA Recovery College opened 

Present

Peer Work has become and established part of the mainstream mental health sector and has increasing importance throughout all levels of support work. Progress is still ongoing and only time will tell the future impact of present programs.

2021: Safe Haven opened as an alternative to emergency department’s 

2021: Consumers of Mental Health WA’s Peer Pathways, a peer navigation service started 

2021: National Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Development Guidelines released 

2022: Momentum QP opened for young people, employing Lived Experience (Peer) workers 

2022: the WA Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Framework released

2024: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander: Lived Experience-led Peer Workforce Guide released