CEO Update: Productivity Commission review – It's time for a truly national mental health and suicide prevention system
17 April 2025CEO Message
Productivity Commission review: It's time for a truly national mental health and suicide prevention system
Last Friday the Productivity Commission hosted a webinar to share what they have heard so far in their review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement. The review is assessing the impact of programs delivered under the Agreement, and it will be making recommendations to enhance the effectiveness, accessibility, affordability and safety of the mental health and suicide prevention system.
The Commissioners shared that, while some progress has been made against the Agreement, it has not yet supported meaningful improvements for people with lived experience and their carers and families. They identified that there are significant opportunities to improve the next Agreement, particularly by:
- centering the voices of people with lived experience of mental health challenges and suicidality, their carers and families;
- strengthening governance and accountability; and
- ensuring commitments in the Agreement have a clear link to the objectives of the Agreement.
The findings to date reflect many of the key issues raised in Mental Health Australia’s submission to the Productivity Commission.
In our submission we noted that the Agreement has made a good start in establishing the architecture for the system, and facilitated much-needed investment in mental health services. However, the existing arrangements fall short in delivering a genuinely national mental health and suicide prevention system – one that both provides the supports people in Australia need, and has robust governance structures in place to ensure transparency and accountability for implementation.
Significant challenges to mental health and suicide prevention remain. These include funding challenges – the “bits and pieces” approach reflected in the bilateral agreements does not align to the vision for a national support system; missing investments in prevention and early intervention, psychosocial services, and employment supports integrated with mental health services; and the lack of a comprehensive child and youth mental health response.
Our submission provides 23 recommendations supporting cohesive action, collaborative reform and transformational change.
They focus on better funding models, clarifying roles and responsibilities, strengthening the mental health workforce and the quality and safety of services, supporting innovation, and continuously improving data, evidence and evaluation along with far greater transparency, accountability and monitoring of the system.
Most critically, we call for the views and expertise of people with lived experience, and those who love and care for them, to be properly embedded into the service and system design, implementation and evaluation.
The next National Agreement is an opportunity for governments to move Australia towards the integrated, seamless national mental health and suicide prevention system we need, that upholds the human rights of people experiencing mental health challenges, their families and supporters.
We look forward to the release of the Productivity Commission’s interim report in June, and further engaging with the Commission throughout the review process. We will continue to advocate for a better system that both prevents mental health conditions in the first place, and provides affordable, accessible supports for all people in Australia.
Carolyn Nikoloski
CEO, Mental Health Australia
Save the date: Mental Health Australia Members Policy Forum – 25th June 2025
Mental Health Australia members are invited to mark their calendars for the next Members Policy Forum on Wednesday 25th June 2025 in Canberra.
The forum is an opportunity to reflect on the outcomes and implications of the Federal Election, and shape future sector priorities together.
Further details, including speakers, topics, and registration information, will be shared soon. See highlights from our last forum, held in November 2024, here.
Mental Health News
2025 Federal Election
Campaign launch transcripts:
- Prime Minister's address to Australian Labor Party launch
- Opposition Leader's address to Liberal Party launch
Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care:
Media release: Free mental health support for Australian parents
New and expectant Australian parents will get free, personalised mental health support thanks to a $16.7 million investment by a re-elected Albanese Labor Government to open another eight Perinatal Mental Health Centres around the country.
Media release: $10 million to strengthen Medicare for the LGBTIQA+ community
A re-elected Albanese Labor Government will invest $10 million to strengthen Medicare for LGBTIQA+ Australians by improving their access to inclusive, culturally safe primary care. This election commitment will support primary healthcare providers to improve their skills and knowledge to deliver inclusive LGBTIQA+ healthcare.
Opposition Leader and Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care:
Media release: The Coalition will restore crucial funding for suicide prevention research
An elected Dutton Coalition Government will continue our proud legacy of supporting life saving research into suicide prevention by investing $15 million to continue the National Suicide Prevention Research Fund. Disappointingly, the Albanese Labor Government has cut funding for this crucial Research Fund, throwing ongoing research efforts into complete uncertainty. The Coalition will restore funding for the Suicide Prevention Research Fund because we are fully committed to working towards zero suicides. The National Suicide Prevention Research Fund, led by Suicide Prevention Australia, was proudly established by the Coalition in 2016 and then extended in 2022 by the former Coalition Government. It has led to important research developments that are making a meaningful difference to save lives.
Announcement: Smiling Mind launches Our Kids Count campaign and open letter to Australia's political leaders
Smiling Mind has re-launched the Our Kids Count campaign to drive awareness about the need for greater focus and investment in children's mental health and wellbeing during the election campaign period. Our Kids Count aims to amplify the voices of families as they speak up about the challenges they face in accessing appropriate and timely mental health support for their children and the need to prioritise prevention. Smiling Mind is calling for sector support to amplify the campaign.
Media release: Election commitments welcome but it's time for systemic long-term reform
The Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC) has welcomed investment in additional Medicare Mental Health Centres, youth-focused services like headspace and training for peer workers, but said a truly effective response requires a systemic, coordinated approach that unites efforts across all states and territories to build a cohesive mental health system.
Media release: Time to deliver election commitments needed for LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing
LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (LHA) has launched its policy priorities for the 2025 federal election, calling for concrete commitments and actions to improve the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQ+ people.
Media release: Accessible and tailored mental health support needed for small business
Small business owners are facing concerning rates of mental ill-health, prompting calls for greater investment in tailored mental health supports. The Wellbeing and Prevention Coalition in Mental Health together with the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA), has released its latest policy brief Promoting Small Business Owner Mental Health.
Media release: We need back to basics priorities for people with disability in the election
Advocacy for Inclusion has called for a dedicated national disability investment pipeline for improvements to health, housing, education and social infrastructure to deliver disability strategies and improvements outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Other News
Media release: No form of immigration detention is safe for children: research findings
A first-of-its-kind review into the psychological impact of immigration detention has shown there are no safe forms of detention for children. Led by psychologists at the University of Sydney, the study reveals alarming levels of mental health issues, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among children held in all forms of immigration detention.
Media release: Third Tasmanian suicide register report released
The third Report to the Tasmanian Government on Suicide in Tasmania 2012-2020 has been released, providing analysis of 693 deaths by suicide reported to and investigated by Tasmanian coroners between 2012 until 2020.
Media release: NSW Government launches updated strategy to support veterans and their families
The NSW Veterans Strategy 2025-2030 sets out a whole-of-government approach to support the wellbeing of veterans and their families and acknowledge their vital contribution to NSW. It takes a greater focus on women veterans, and the spouses and children of veterans, and considers the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide and the Commonwealth Government’s response.
Mental Health Opportunities and Resources
Webinar recording now available: Supporting culturally responsive mental health services
Mental Health Australia’s Embrace Multicultural Mental Health's recent webinar, Delivering Safe, Quality and Culturally Responsive Mental Health Services, is now available for viewing.
Designed for mental health service providers and practitioners, the webinar is a deep dive into Module 2 of the Framework for Mental Health in Multicultural Australia and the principles of Equitable Access and Service Delivery. Guest speaker Maria Cassaniti, Centre Manager of the Transcultural Mental Health Centre (NSW), also shared her expertise and insights and discussed the service principles in action.
Subscribe to Embrace's newsletter and follow them on LinkedIn for upcoming webinars, news and events.
Australian Government Request for Expression of Interest: National Early Intervention Service
The National Early Intervention Service (NEIS) will provide free, evidence-based mental health support to people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, mild mental ill-health or transient distress.
Expressions of interest close at 4:00pm (AEST) Tuesday 6th May 2025.
Closing tomorrow: Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care consultation opportunity
Emerging Mental Health Curriculum Framework for Undergraduate Health Degrees
The Department of Health and Aged Care is seeking feedback to support the development of a mental health curriculum framework for undergraduate degrees. Deloitte has been commissioned to provide recommendations to support the development and implementation of the framework, which aims to provide consistency and a shared understanding of the mental health-related knowledge, skills, and capabilities the broader health workforce should learn throughout their undergraduate training.
The consultation closes at 5:00pm (AEST) Friday 18th April 2025.
2025 Woodcock Lecture hosted by Wellways: Dignity by Design – Humanity in the Mental Health System
The 23rd Annual Woodcock Lecture, hosted by Wellways, explores human rights in the mental health system. Dignity by Design: Humanity in the Mental Health System is a crucial exploration into how human rights-based approaches can transform our mental health support systems. Led by a panel of experts, including those with lived and living experience, we will examine why current systems often fall short of centering humanity and dignity in care.
The keynote speaker is Giancarlo de Vera, CEO of BEING – Mental Health Consumers, and a respected advocate for disability, racial justice and LGBTIQA+ human rights.
Research opportunity: Psychologists’ attitudes toward, and use of, Artificial Intelligence tools in their work
The Black Dog Institute and Australian Psychological Society are conducting a study to help shape resources, policy, and training for Australian psychologists across a range of workplace settings.
Spread the word: Carers Australia's Carer Wellbeing Survey 2025
Carers across Australia are invited to share their lived experiences in Carer's Australia's annual carer wellbeing survey and share the survey with networks. The survey is open until April 30th, 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
Neami National
Neami supports people to achieve the wellbeing and mental health outcomes that matter to them. We provide more than 70 services across Australia supporting mental health and wellbeing, housing and homelessness, and suicide prevention.
We’re big believers in everyone having the opportunity to live a full life – and we give our all to support people to achieve the wellbeing and mental health outcomes that matter to them.
For some people, this means having a stronger sense of self. For others, it may mean nurturing relationships or building the confidence to tackle tomorrow. Everyone has different life goals, and at Neami, we walk alongside people to help improve their quality of life on their terms. We are proud to support 38,000 people living with mental health challenges.
Breakthru
breakthru is a national for purpose company that has worked with thousands of Australians over the past 25 years to access the services they need to live their best life. Through the provision of high-quality person-centric programs, we enable people to address mental health, employment, disability, homelessness and training needs. At breakthru we deliver a range of mental health services that provide support to people to assist with mental health concerns to maintain the best possible social and emotional outcomes, and meet personal recovery goals.
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