Submission to the Therapeutic Goods Administration - Survey on Digital Mental Health Tools

The Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative (the Collaborative) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) Digital Mental Health Tools User Survey. As the national peak body on multicultural health, we work to ensure that Australia’s health and wellbeing systems deliver equity and inclusion for people of all cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital mental health tools (DMHTs) are reshaping mental healthcare in Australia. While these tools have the potential to expand access, especially for multicultural communities who face longstanding barriers to care, they also risk entrenching inequities if developed without meaningful consultation and inclusion.

The Australian mental health system has historically evolved with a view of Australian society being culturally homogenous. This has produced systemic gaps in access, cultural safety and data representation. Without strong guardrails and an equity-first approach, digital tools may replicate or amplify these inequities through biased data, inappropriate assessment frameworks, and culturally unsafe care pathways.

DMHTs must be designed, evaluated, and regulated in ways that protect the safety and wellbeing of multicultural communities. With multicultural communities experiencing higher rates of mental ill-health and longstanding barriers to support, ensuring equitable access to mental health care is critical to improving outcomes for all Australians