Zurich Australia hosts third Mental Health Roundtable

Zurich Financial Services Australia (Zurich) has hosted its third bi-annual Mental Health Roundtable, attended by key academic, clinical and civil society representatives to discuss trends surrounding mental health diagnosis, treatment and resilience.

Attendees discussed new analysis conducted by Zurich which quantifies the health resilience of Australian communities, including specific measures of mental health diagnosis prevalence and access to care.

Representatives from Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) presented academic research and the results of a recent clinical trial on the use of emotional regulation and mental health tools for the management of chronic pain.

The forum also explored key mental health trends and correlations within Zurich’s claims data, including challenges and opportunities relating to claims management and product design, with a view to improve customer outcomes.

Justin Delaney, Chief Executive Officer, Zurich said: “We are witnessing a profound increase in the diagnosis and severity of mental illness in Australia. At Zurich, mental health makes up almost a third of claims for some life products and almost half of all Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) claims mention mental health as an associated struggle or secondary issue to the primary claimed condition.”

“Zurich’s Mental Health Roundtables provide an important opportunity for the broader mental health ecosystem to collaborate, exchange views and share data to drive continued progress in addressing some of the significant trends we are seeing.”

“It is also a critical avenue for facilitating the meaningful and ongoing evolution of Zurich’s products and services, ensuring we can continue to protect Australians and play a more active role in prevention and early intervention into the future,” Mr Delaney said.

Since its last Mental Health Roundtable in February 2025, Zurich has:

• Piloted three new mental health support programmes for claimants which focus on improving resilience factors such as nutrition and exercise; 
• Rolled out new vulnerable customer and empathy training for all claims employees; and
• Added additional mental health specialists to support its claims and underwriting teams.

Chris Gambian, Executive Director, Australians for Mental Health said: “The mental health challenges Australia faces will require us to come together and find solutions in ways we have never done before. I appreciate Zurich’s recognition that openness to new thinking, willingness to listen to diverse perspectives, and creation of spaces for discussion such as this Roundtable, are critical for an effective way forward.”

Nieves Murray, Chief Executive Officer, Suicide Prevention Australia said: “I found the Roundtable provided valuable insights to changes in community behaviour. It was particularly interesting to learn about the increasing prevalence of mental health impacting the ability of people to live a contributing life. As colleagues working in the mental health and suicide prevention sector, the data presented a different and thought-provoking perspective.”

Rheza Tan, Clinical Director, MindSpot said: “Addressing the growing burden of mental ill-health requires genuine collaboration across sectors. Partnerships between insurance, health, and research organisations are essential to driving innovation and delivering meaningful change for Australians.”

Professor Sylvia Gustin, Co-Director, Centre for Pain IMPACT, NeuRA and UNSW said: “Mental health and chronic pain are deeply interconnected and represent a significant global health challenge. In Australia alone, chronic pain affects around 20 to 30 per cent of the population, with many also experiencing co-occurring mental health concerns. Roundtables like this provide an invaluable platform to share diverse scientific, clinical and lived perspectives and to work together towards evidence-based solutions that improve wellbeing and quality of life for those affected.”

Dr Nell Norman-Nott, Clinical Research Fellow, NeuRA and UNSW said: “We appreciated the opportunity to share the successful results of our recent clinical trial on Pain and Emotion Therapy, a new evidence-based approach that focuses on the emotional experience of chronic pain. This Roundtable was an important forum to discuss how this innovative therapy can be translated into clinical practice and made more widely accessible, which we see as the next critical step in improving care for people living with chronic pain.”

The third Zurich Mental Health Roundtable, held in November 2025, was attended by representatives from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, R U OK?, Lifeline Australia, SANE Australia, MindSpot, Suicide Prevention Australia, Australians for Mental Health, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

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