CEO Update: Sustainable funding for the mental health sector – an urgent national priority
6 March 2025CEO Message
I am currently on a short period of leave. I am delighted that Michelle Possingham, Mental Health Australia's Director of Programs, has stepped in to the role of Acting CEO while I am away.
Carolyn Nikoloski
CEO, Mental Health Australia
Sustainable funding for the mental health sector – an urgent national priority
We are pleased to have released Mental Health Australia’s platform for the 2025 Federal Election in full, in anticipation of the calling of the upcoming election.
Together, the three components of our platform set out an ambitious vision for the next term of Government, one that will pave a new path for mental health reform in Australia in 2025 and beyond.
The second component of our platform, Mental Health Australia’s Sector Sustainability Statement, outlines seven simple changes aimed at improving the efficiency and sustainability of Australian Government mental health spending through improved administrative arrangements, including:
- Increase the duration of service agreements up to five years
- Introduce six-month notice period for contract changes
- Introduce minimum notification periods for funding decisions
- Explore new procurement approaches
- Include adequate indexation in service agreements
- Fund mandated employment requirements in service agreements
- Simplify and standardise contract reporting.
Mental Health Australia has developed these priorities through consultation with our members, who have reported ongoing challenges in relation to the management of mental health funding, tenders and contracts. A survey conducted with our members revealed that 76% of our member organisations funded by the Australian Government had experienced delays in the communication of funding decisions; 71% received funding that did not account for mandated wage increases; 65% received funding that did not include adequate indexation, and a similar percentage were awarded contracts that were inappropriately short-term.
These issues significantly impact the ability of organisations to maintain staff and ensure access to timely, quality mental health supports for the community. Unfortunately, these issues are not confined to mental health, and many non-government and community sector organisations outside the health portfolio experience similar difficulties. The Community Sector Grants Engagement Framework released this week provides an avenue for coordinated change across government portfolios.
The changes we’re calling for through our Sector Sustainability Statement are largely cost-neutral to Government, and will ensure more efficient and effective use of public funding. This will give mental health service providers the certainty they need to continue to deliver outcomes for the Australian community.
To drive commitment to these changes, we’re calling on all Federal Election parties and candidates to pledge their support for the seven critical actions in our Sector Sustainability Statement and to work to deliver these changes in the next term of Parliament, if elected.
We encourage you to share the Statement with your local Federal candidates, and ask them to sign the Sector Sustainability Statement Pledge and share their support with a photo on social media.
We look forward to working with the 48th Parliament of Australia to improve the sustainability of funding for mental health services as an urgent national priority.
Michelle Possingham
Acting CEO, Mental Health Australia
Initial submissions closing soon: Productivity Commission Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement Review
Initial submissions to the Commission's final review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement are due by next Wednesday 12 March 2025.
The Commission has developed guidance to assist the preparation of submissions, which sets out some of the issues and questions identified as relevant at this early stage of the inquiry. Participants are asked to provide evidence to support their views, including data and specific examples where possible.
Learn more at the Commission's website.
Share your experience of mental health and suicide prevention services
Consumers, carers, workers and volunteers with experience using mental health and suicide prevention services over the past 3 years are invited to provide feedback in a survey, part of the Productivity Commission's review.
Learn more at the button below.
Mental Health News
Press conference transcript: Minister for Health and Aged Care and Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Rural and Regional Health, Central Coast NSW, 4th March 2025
The Hon. Mark Butler MP and the Hon. Emma McBride MP discussed issues including Medicare Mental Health Centres. Minister Butler said he has put a range of changes to the CEOs of private hospitals and private health insurers, the AMA and some patient groups over recent months, particularly to maternity services and mental health, that he would like to be considered as a matter of urgency. Assistant Minister McBride said she is confident that the Primary Health Network working with Beam Health will be able to meet service demands in communities through Medicare Mental Health Centres.
Press conference transcript: Minister for Finance and Minister for Women's comments at Gidget House, Tuggeranong announcement, Friday 28th February 2025
Minister for Finance and Women, Senator the Hon. Katy Gallagher, discussed perinatal mental health, the Government's focus on ensuring good supports for mental health, previous election commitment to extra investment in perinatal health services and focus on women's health.
Media release: New headspace for young people in Hamilton
Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Rural and Regional Health, the Hon. Emma McBride MP, said young people in Western Victoria now have greater access to free mental health care and support, following the opening of a new youth mental health service in Hamilton.
Media release: Work and study improves young people's mental health
New research from headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation has revealed that while families are concerned about the impact of work and study stress on their young people, tailored work and study support can actually enhance mental health. headspace's recent National Family Mental Health Survey found that stress from work or studying was in the top five perceived negative influences on young people's mental health and wellbeing, but new evidence shows young people receiving tailored work or study support alongside mental health care experience even greater improvement in their mental health and wellbeing than those who receive standard care.
Media release: Funding now available to support veteran advocacy
Ex-service organisations can now apply for a share in over $4.8 million through the Albanese Government's Building Excellence in Support and Training (BEST) Grants Program. This funding will help ESOs to advocate for veterans and their families as well as assist with their entitlements and compensation claims and is part of the Government's commitment to ensuring veterans have easy access to qualified advocates who can work with them to navigate the claims process, and receive the support they need faster.
Media release: Labor delivers on commitment to build a stronger community sector
Following close consultation with the community sector, the Government announced Australia's first Community Sector Grants Engagement Framework to drive a whole of government administrative and cultural change to how agencies design and manage community services grants to help the sector better plan for the future. The framework aims to improve community sector grant design and processes to provide more flexibility and certainty of funding, and reduce administrative burden, for grantees.
Media release: Red faced Albo's 11th hour backflip on mental health charity cuts
Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care and Shadow Minister for Sport, Senator the Hon. Anne Ruston, said the Albanese Labor Government had been left red faced after a full list of their cuts to important community mental health organisations was exposed. Senate Estimates documents revealed 95 measures that had been cut by theGovernment, including funding for at least 13 mental health organisations, including Black Dog Institute, Karitane, Raising Children's Network and Roses in the Ocean, and reduced funding for headspace and Reachout Australia.
Media release: Greens will add Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and autism assessments to Medicare, saving people thousands in out-of-pocket costs
Adam Bandt said the Australian Greens launched a plan to add Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism assessments to Medicare, in a bid to save people seeking a diagnosis thousands in out-of-pocket costs. Making ADHD and autism assessments available through Medicare is the latest in the Greens' series of "Robin Hood" reforms aimed at easing the skyrocketing cost-of-living. Under the Parliamentary Budget Office-costed plan, ADHD and autism assessments would be added to Medicare and could be billed by a paediatrician, psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse practitioner or general practitioner.
News from the National Disability Insurance Scheme
Changes to National Disability Insurance Scheme rules
Management of funding rules – 44(3) and 74(6)
These rules are about who manages a participant’s plan. They commenced on 4th March 2025.
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants can ask for their plan to be managed by a particular person or in a particular way. This is called a plan management request. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) must accept a participant’s plan management request unless the NDIS Act or rules give them a reason not to.
The NDIS Act sets out things the NDIA needs to consider when deciding whether to accept a plan management request, including if it would create an unreasonable risk to the participant. The new management of funding rules add details to support the NDIA’s decision making.
These rules also bring all rules about plan management together.
Variation and reassessment rules – 47A and 48(5)
These rules are about when the NDIA should do a plan variation or reassessment. They also commenced on 4th March 2025.
NDIS participants can ask for a variation or reassessment at any time. The NDIA can decide to vary or reassess a plan at any time.
Variations are when changes to a participant’s NDIS plan can be made without replacing the plan.
Reassessments are when the NDIA creates a whole new plan with a participant that has a new end date.
The NDIA may only change a participant’s plan if the NDIS Act allows the variation, and if the variation meets any conditions set out in NDIS rules.
The variation and reassessment rules set out when the NDIA can change a participant’s plan through a variation. They also set out things the NDIA must consider when deciding whether to vary or reassess a plan.
Rules for variations and reassessments already apply to how NDIS plans are made. Later in 2025 we will consider rules about how variations and reassessments are made in the new approach to planning.
Mental Health Opportunities and Resources
Webinar: Culturally Responsive Mental Health Services
The Embrace Multicultural Mental Health team invites mental health service professionals and individual practitioners seeking practical skills and insights to working with clients from refugee and multicultural backgrounds to join their upcoming webinar: Delivering Safe, Quality, and Culturally Responsive Mental Health Services.
The session will include a deep dive into Module 2 of the Framework for Mental Health in Multicultural Australia, ensuring cultural responsiveness in service access and delivery, the principles of Equitable Access and Service Delivery and a case study to demonstrate these principles in action. Manager of the NSW Transcultural Mental Health Centre, Maria Cassaniti, will share her clinical expertise and real-world insights into culturally responsive care.
If you have any questions, or require further information, please contact the Embrace team at multicultural@mhaustralia.org.
Date: Wednesday 26th March 2025
Time: 1:00-2:00pm (AEDT)
Location: Online via Zoom
Expressions of interest invited for the National Suicide Prevention Office Lived Experience Partnership Group
The National Suicide Prevention Office (NSPO) is calling for expressions of interest from people with lived and living experience of suicide to join its new Lived Experience Partnership Group.
The NSPO has established the group to ensure people with a lived and living experience of suicide oversee the work of the NSPO, how it engages with people with lived and living experience and the advice it provides Government.
The group meets with the NSPO monthly and also contributes to the work of the NSPO on an ad-hoc basis.
Before applying, candidates should review the readiness to be involved in suicide prevention resource created by Roses in the Ocean.
The expression of interest opportunity is open until midnight 13th April 2025.
What do you want from your national mental health consumer peak body?
The National Mental Health Consumer Alliance (NHMCA) became the national peak body for mental health consumers in July 2024.
Led by mental health consumers for mental health consumers, the NHMCA has developed a survey to help develop its strategy over the next two years, and is seeking input from consumers on its future priorities and areas of focus.
The survey closes Sunday, March 16th at 5:00PM.
Introductory webinars for mental health consumers and allies
The NMHCA is hosting introductory webinars for mental health consumers and allies, discussing the Alliance's achievements over the past seven months and areas of focus this year. The webinars will include a Q&A session.
For people who have lived experience using mental health services:
Date: Thursday 6th March 2025
Time: 12:00-1:00pm (AEDT)
Location: Online via Microsoft Teams
For mental health allies:
Date: Thursday 13th March 2025
Time: 12:00-1:00pm (AEDT)
Location: Online via Microsoft Teams
New zine from the ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation
The ALIVE National Centre has just launched the newest issue of Lost in Translation Summer 2025, a zine for Australian Mental Health Research Translation, featuring the latest in mental health research.
Applications are open for the Australian Government’s Youth Steering Committee
Young people aged 12 to 24 are invited to apply to join the Government’s Youth Steering Committee, to work with the Minister for Youth and the Australian Government to advise on policies and programs that affect young people.
Applications are sought from young people with a range of backgrounds and experiences including First Nations young people, young people with a disability, young people with lived experience of mental ill health and young people from rural, regional and remote Australia.
No experience working with government is required for the two-year positions.
Survey closing soon! Lived experience perspectives on social work registration
The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) is advocating for social workers to be included in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS), and seeking views from people with lived experience about their direct experience with social workers through a short survey.
Responses are invited until 9:00AM, Tuesday 11th March 2025. Access the survey at the QR code or button below.
Webinar: You Can't Deny it – Gender Euphoria Saves Lives
MindOut develops and delivers national suicide prevention initiatives for the mental health and suicide prevention sectors to help them meet the needs of LGBTIQ+ populations.
MindOut's next webinar will run adjacent to Trans Day of Visibility on 31st March, as a timely opportunity to discuss topics such as the importance of life-saving gender euphoria and gender affirming care.
Date: Tuesday 1st April 2025
Time: 1:00-2:00pm (AEDT)
Location: Online via Zoom
Register at the button below.
Listening Together Research Project
Young people with disability and young carers are invited to take part in Australian National University research studying how they 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 and includes an online survey, which is open until 20th June.
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.
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.
Featured Members
Mental Health Victoria (MHV) Ltd is the peak body for organisations that work within or intersect with the mental health system in Victoria. Our members include consumer and carer groups, community health and mental health services, hospitals, medical associations and colleges, police and emergency services associations, unions, local governments, and other bodies across the health, housing and justice sectors.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia is the national peak organisation representing community pharmacy. It supports community pharmacy in its role of delivering quality health outcomes for all Australians. It strives to promote, maintain and support community pharmacies as the appropriate providers of primary health care to the community through optimum therapeutic use of medicines, medicines management and related services.
Share your news, job vacancies, or upcoming events to more than 5,000 people in the mental health sector each week.
Mental Health Australia members are invited to send us news, announcements, job vacancies, events or other notices for inclusion in the Weekly CEO Update newsletter. To do so, simply fill out this form by COB each Monday for your notice to appear in the newsletter.
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