The Mental Health Act 1959 (No. 6605) brought into being the Mental Health Authority (the successor to the Mental Hygiene Authority). It consolidated and amended the law relating to the treatment and care of people described in the legislation as 'the mentally ill and the intellectually defective'.
The Mental Health Act 1959 was passed on 15 December 1959 and commenced on 1 November 1962. It was repealed by the Mental Health Act 1986 (No.59/1986) on 1 October 1987.
1929 - 1959 Lunacy Act 1928
1939 - 1959 Mental Deficiency Act 1939
1959 - 1962 Mental Hygiene Act 1958
1959 - 1962 Mental Deficiency Act 1958
1962 - 1987 Mental Health Act 1959
1987 - Mental Health Act 1986
Sources used to compile this entry: Law Research Service, Melbourne Law School, Law Library, The University of Melbourne. 'Find and Connect Project - Victorian Legislation', 1 February 2013, held in the project files at the University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre.
Prepared by: Cate O'Neill
Created: 4 August 2010, Last modified: 22 December 2015