Transcript: Mental health promotion officer FAQs
What does gross salary mean?
Gross salary, sometimes called gross pay or gross income, is the total amount of money that you earn as an employee before taxes and other deductions are taken out. This may include things like income tax or a 2% contribution to Medicare (which are required by the government). Other deductions may include any benefits that you’ve chosen to package into your salary (see below). Your payslip will generally include details of deductions made from your pay.
What is leave loading and salary packaging?
If an employer offers leave loading, it means you will get an extra payment on top of your normal holiday pay. It’s intended to help you pay for extra expenses while on leave.
Salary packaging is when employers take money from your salary to pay for other benefits you receive before your money is taxed. Everyone pays tax on the money they earn, but by salary packaging, you pay less tax on your income and still receive the goods or services that you want or need. It’s commonly used for things like superannuation, vehicles, electronic devices, and insurance.
For example, if you package a salary of $100,000 so that you receive:
- $80,000 as income
- and a $20,000 car allowance
you will only pay tax on the 80k income instead of $100k – meaning you will be able to put more of your income in the bank. Without salary packaging, you would pay tax on the 100k and still need to spend money on a car.
What is mental health literacy?
Having mental health literacy skills means having a solid knowledge and understanding of what mental health is, and what it means to obtain and maintain good mental health. An understanding of mental health can enable people to employ positive and healthy coping behaviours. It also allows people to identify when others are struggling, so that they can offer the help and support they may need.
What is mental health promotion?
Mental health promotion means helping people understand and improve their mental health. One way to do this is by helping individuals to identify and take control of the factors in their life that may be impacting their mental wellbeing, and to reduce the risks that may lead to them developing a mental disorder or illness. Mental health promotion also involves helping to create and foster healthy living conditions and environments that support the mental health of individuals and enable them to lead a healthy lifestyle.
What are some examples of state or national support foundations?
There are a lot of different foundations and organisations, both state-wide and nationally, that serve different causes. In this context, an example might be Embrace Multicultural Mental Health, a national organisation run by Mental Health Australia. Also known as the Embrace Project, this organisation enables multicultural communities to access resources, services and information. Another example is Victorian Transcultural Mental Health, which works with various sectors like public health, education, human service and more to deliver mental health support to Victorian communities.
Sources:
Embrace Multicultural Mental Health (n.d.), About us, Embrace Multicultural Mental Health, accessed 25 January 2023. https://embracementalhealth.org.au/about-us
Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (n.d.), Our Purpose, Victorian Transcultural Mental Health website, accessed 25 January 2023. https://vtmh.org.au/about/our-purpose/
What are external stakeholders?
An external stakeholder is a person, business, or group who has an interest in what you are working on but is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the program or initiative. They are usually people who will be affected by the work, or will benefit from its success, and their input and assistance could be very useful. In this role, external stakeholders may include the local council or state government, other refugee organisations, hospitals, and charities, just to name a few.
What does it mean to have interpersonal and cross-communication skills?
Interpersonal skills, also known as people skills, refer to the ability to build good relationships with others and communicate effectively. Some examples of interpersonal skills include things like active listening, teamwork, empathy, and flexibility. These skills are valuable not only in the workplace but also in day-to-day life, as they can help you navigate different social situations.
Someone with cross-cultural communication skills is good at interacting with other people from different cultural backgrounds. Like interpersonal skills, cross-cultural communication skills are useful in any context, as they help build positive connections with others. Part of communicating effectively across cultures is having the ability to recognise the differences and similarities among different cultural groups and using that understanding to engage with people in the appropriate way. It could involve overcoming a language barrier, or addressing other differences or similarities in race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, societal beliefs, or styles of working and/or living.
What is a Working with Children Check?
If you are interested in work that involves interacting with children and young adults, you will need to obtain a Working with Children Check (WWCC). This screening program uses information from police and background checks to make sure you are a suitable candidate for working with minors. Each state and territory in Australia runs their own WWCC program, so even if you have a valid WWCC, you will need to undergo a new screening if you move to a different state. The WWCC is valid for a limited time and must be renewed. There are also different registration categories for paid and voluntary work. You can learn more by visiting the WWCC website for your state or territory.
