CEO Update: Mental health must be a budget priority
6 February 2025
CEO Message
Mental health must be a budget priority
Mental health is clearly a community priority.
The majority (81%) of Australian voters say they are concerned about mental health, and 75% believe government needs to do more to address this issue. We also know over half of people in Australia (57% of a representative sample) – report cost of living increases have negatively affected their mental health over the past year.
Federal Budgets are a fundamental opportunity for the Australian Government to reflect community priorities – and show what they value.
Last week, Mental Health Australia was pleased to provide our 2025-26 Pre-Budget submission to the Australian Government, outlining how we think they should address community concerns around mental health in the next Budget.
We know we need whole of government action – including across finance, housing, employment and education, to address the cost of living crisis and other social determinants impacting on our mental health. Such broader changes are fundamental to reversing the current trajectory of mental ill-health in Australia.
This must be done in tandem with measures to bolster the mental health system, which remains critically underfunded and unable to meet the level of demand. While mental health and substance use conditions are responsible for 15% of the total “burden of disease” in Australia, only 7% of government health expenditure is on mental health.
Increased investment in mental health in the next Federal Budget is urgently needed to address this disparity, meet the scale of the problem, and meet the community’s expectations.
Mental Health Australia has outlined budget recommendations across three key areas - strengthening system foundations; reforming funding models; and addressing support gaps.
Firstly, Australia needs strong government action to address the systemic challenges and fragmentation in our mental health system, to strengthen the foundations of our system. This must include further embedding lived experience leadership across the system, increasing funding for prevention and research, and making it easier for people to navigate the mental health system to find supports that are right for them.
Building and sustaining the mental health workforce is a cornerstone to improving access to quality mental health care, and a fundamental system foundation. Mental Health Australia is calling for funding to progress priority actions of the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy, beginning with access to training through subsidies, placements and traineeships.
Secondly, we need the Australian Government to reform funding models, by fixing funding duration and indexation issues. For the community to have continued access to services, providers must have funding certainty. Mental Health Australia is also recommending improvements to region-based funding models, to enable more equitable access to mental health supports across Australia.
Thirdly, we are calling on the Government to address gaps in mental health support. This means addressing gaps in access to culturally appropriate care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples through delivering the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration Implementation Plan. It means reviewing and expanding supports for families and carers supporting people experiencing mental health challenges.
It also requires setting aside funding to act urgently in response to a review of youth mental health models, and in light of the social media age restriction, ensuring digital literacy education and alternate pathways to credible online mental health support for young people. We also need targeted investment to address gaps in support for children through workforce measures, and increasing existing supports including across schools and communities.
Our pre-budget submission also outlines the next steps to addressing the unmet need for psychosocial support outside the NDIS, through an uplift to existing services and investment in future capability.
Through these budget investments, the Australian Government can deliver the urgent action needed to improve mental health in Australia, and better meet the community’s expectations and needs.
Thank you to our members for your contributions to shape these priorities.
Carolyn Nikoloski
CEO, Mental Health Australia
The diary next week
- Today I am meeting with the Embrace Alliance partners, the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) and the National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA).
- On Friday, I will be attending Mental Health Australia's Governance Committee meeting.
- On Monday, I will be meeting with the Department of Health and Aged Care and the Australian Government's Chief Psychiatrist.
- On Tuesday, Mental Health Australia Chair, Dr Peggy Brown AO and I will meet with the Hon. Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care, and the Hon. Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.
- On Wednesday, I am meeting with Mental Health Australia member organisation, the Gidget Foundation.
Invitation to Mental Health Australia members to join our child and youth mental health webinar
This webinar is an opportunity for Mental Health Australia members to provide input to inform Mental Health Australia’s advice to governments on child and youth mental health ahead of the next Health and Mental Health Ministers meeting.
Date: Monday 17th February 2025
Time: 1.00pm-2.30pm AEDT
Location: Online via Zoom
Please register by Monday 10th February 2025 at the button below.
Mental health news
Australian Government launches review to strengthen mental health system
The Australian Government has tasked the Productivity Commission with a review into the mental health and suicide prevention system to deliver better mental health care and support for Australians. The National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement is due to expire in 2026.
Australian Government building Australia's future with more money for public hospital reform
The Australian Government is delivering an additional $1.7 billion to fund public hospitals and health services next year under a new Agreement between the Albanese Government and all state and territory governments. At the National Cabinet meeting in December 2023, First Ministers agreed the Commonwealth and state and territory governments would work together to deliver system-wide structural health reform and also work to secure the future of the NDIS. All jurisdictions remain committed to the existing collaborative process on NDIS rules and work on foundational supports.
Joint statement on Australian state, territory and local government response to the launch of the updated Australia’s Disability Strategy
The Australian Federal Government, all state and territory governments and the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), reaffirmed their commitment to building a more inclusive Australia, where all people with disability can participate on an equal basis, through the release of the updated Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031.
National Disability Insurance Agency and National Disability Insurance Scheme News
NDIS data update
The NDIA regularly releases data about the NDIS, part of transparency under the Participant Service Charter. The data is useful to anyone seeking to understand the NDIS in more detail, and can be searched by area of interest, such as participant numbers, plan budgets, providers, markets and plan utilisation.
The Agency recently released new data, current as at 30th September 2024. It includes the following:
Subscribe to the NDIS' data and insights newsletter to receive the latest releases.
Mental Health Opportunities and Resources
Let's get behind Mental Health Nurses' Day 2025: Campaign resources now available!
Mental Health Nurses’ Day 2025 is fast approaching, falling on 21st February this year.
The Australian College of Mental Health Nurses invites organisations to help promote this year's event, which aims to spread awareness about the vital role mental health nurses play in our community and thank them for their kindness, courage, inclusion, and commitment.
Promoting the event is an opportunity to recognise the 25,000 mental health nurses in Australia who remain undervalued in the healthcare system and showcase your support and commitment to improving mental health care.
More information and downloadable campaign resources are available at the button below.
Masterclass workshop: Trauma's Impact Endures – Effects, Disorders and Treatments
The Australian Society for Psychological Medicines invites health professionals to this workshop with trauma and dissociation specialist Bethany Brand.
Date: Sunday 23rd February 2025
When: 9:00am-1:00pm AEDT
Location: Online via Zoom
Registration is essential.
Webinar: Trauma or Treatment – 24th February 2025
The National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum (NMHCCF) presents this webinar about the impact of trauma from a survivor’s perspective. NMHCCF representatives will explore trauma, its impact, and mental health implications, while taking a deeper look at the impacts of services and systems on survivors.
Date: Monday 24th February 2025
When: 3:00pm AEDT
Location: Online via Zoom
Please register at the button below.
Listening Together Research Project
Researchers at the Australian National University are studying how young people with disability and young carers define good listening, and whether they feel listened to by the organisations and services in their lives. The project is co-designed with a group of young people with disability and young carers.
Young people with disability and young carers are invited to take part in the research by doing an online survey. The survey is open until June 20th 2025.
National Care and Support Sector Conference, 25th July 2025, Perth
This year's conference brings the Disability, Aged Care, Mental Health, Early Childhood Education and Care and Veterans' Care sectors together to discuss shared challenges and opportunities for providers at a time of rapid reform.
Australian Government consultation: Measuring the contribution of unpaid care in Australia
The Australian Bureau of Statistics' consultation on the best approach to measuring the labour contribution of unpaid carers is open until 28th February 2025.
Australian Government grant opportunity forecast: Mental Health Program, Medicare Mental Health Centres
The service will create a pool of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists to support the clinical capacity of Medicare Mental Health Centres as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Australian Government grant opportunity forecast: Mental Health Program, Postgraduate Psychology Incentive Program Round 2
The grant is intended to support higher education providers who have created additional postgraduate psychology places in courses which lead to general registration and relevant areas of practice endorsement.
Featured Members
Mental Health First Aid Australia
Mental Health First Aid Australia is a national not for profit provider of skills-based mental health first aid education. We deliver practical training within a professional, evidence-based model, guided by the voices of lived experience. Our range of training courses are delivered nationally by more than 2,000 accredited instructors in communities, workplaces and schools nation-wide. Mental Health First AidTM training is internationally renowned and rigorously evaluated.
Mental Health First AidTM courses provide participants with the skills, knowledge and confidence to recognise and respond to someone experiencing a mental health problem or a mental health crisis until appropriate professional help is received or the crisis resolves.
Spiritual Health Association is the peak body for spiritual care in the health sector. Our focus is on advocacy for and promotion of compassionate, person-centred spiritual care in health services. Since 1974 we have been collaborating with health services, faith communities and other key partners and stakeholders, to expand the availability and accessibility of spiritual care as an integral part of quality healthcare. We are informed by a growing body of evidence for the value and contribution of spiritual care and involved with international colleagues in the move towards professionalisation of the sector. We are committed to ensuring patients, carers and staff receive high-quality and safe spiritual care that is responsive to their spiritual needs.
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