CEO Update: We need collective action from governments to improve mental health
5 June 2025
CEO Message
We need collective action from governments to improve mental health
Next week, Australia’s health and mental health ministers will meet for the first time since August 2024. This is a crucial opportunity for the Australian, state and territory governments to come together and secure national agreement on key priorities – including both psychosocial supports and child and youth mental health.
Last week, Mental Health Australia and state and territory mental health peaks penned an open joint letter to Health and Mental Health Ministers, calling for decisive joint action at their upcoming meeting to address the gap in psychosocial support outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Our letter urges Health and Mental Health Ministers to:
- recommend National Cabinet agree to a funding envelope for a 50:50 cost share arrangement to increase investment in psychosocial supports over a five-year period; and
- commit to a public consultation process to design future psychosocial support arrangements.
These are critical next steps for governments to respond to the Analysis of unmet need for psychosocial supports outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which found that 493,600 Australians living with moderate or severe mental illness do not have access to the psychosocial supports they need.
Ministers have also agreed to discuss child and youth mental health at their meeting. With children and young people in Australia experiencing mental ill-health at never-before-seen levels, it is critical that Australian governments come together to change this trajectory.
Mental Health Australia has provided ministers a Statement on National Child and Youth Mental Health Priorities, which we developed in consultation with our members.
Our statement outlines the next steps ministers can take to improve child and youth mental health. This includes:
- ensuring universal delivery of a coordinated and comprehensive approach to mental health in education;
- expanding the network of Kids Hubs;
- boosting digital mental health supports for children and young people;
- incentivising existing workforces to undertake training in child and family mental health;
- agreeing to harmonise age ranges for all youth mental health services nationally; and
- committing to develop national targets to reduce wait times for infant, child and youth mental health services.
To fundamentally fix the gap in psychosocial supports and improve child and youth mental health, it’s important that the Australian, state and territory governments all come together to progress reform. The solutions we need are inherently interjurisdictional, and our sector stands ready to work with governments to improve mental health across the country.
Carolyn Nikoloski
CEO, Mental Health Australia
Mental Health Australia Members Policy Forum: Minister for Health confirmed – RSVP extended
We are pleased to confirm that the Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing, the Hon. Mark Butler MP, will be attending and speaking at our upcoming Members Policy Forum on Wednesday 25th June in Canberra.
In light of this exciting update, we have extended the RSVP deadline to this Friday, 6th June. No in-person registrations will be available after this time.
The Members Policy Forum is a timely opportunity to come together following the recent Federal Election to consider the next steps for our sector and identify shared priorities for mental health reform in the new term of government.
Attendees will also hear from:
- The Hon Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (via video)
- The Productivity Commission, presenting on the interim report of the Review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement
- Mental Health Australia's Chair, Dr Peggy Brown AO
- The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
- The National Mental Health Commission
- The National Mental Health Consumer Alliance
- Mental Health Carers Australia
More than 100 sector leaders have already registered. Please note that venue capacity is limited – we encourage you to register as soon as possible to avoid missing out.
Members can register to attend in person at the button below. To watch presentations throughout the day via Zoom, please register here.
We look forward to welcoming members on Wednesday 25th June 2025.
Member (in-person) registration
Mental Health News
Interview transcript: Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Disability and the NDIS
The Hon. Mark Butler MP said negotiations on foundational supports haven't been finalised, and the Government is working to ensure that negotiations are wrapped up before the end of this year.
Media release: Bathurst Medicare Mental Health Centre now open
Central Tablelands residents now have access to free, walk-in mental health support and care at the new Medicare Mental Health Centre in Bathurst. The centre offers free mental health support and care for people in distress, without the need for an appointment, referral or mental health treatment plan. Staffed by a multidisciplinary care team, including mental health clinicians and peer workers, care is tailored to the needs of each person who visits the centre.
Interview transcript: Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and Rural and Regional Health
The Hon. Emma McBride MP discussed the opening of the new Medicare Mental Health Centre in Bathurst this week, which will be operated by Stride in partnership with Clarity (Health Care) and Wellways. The minister said the Medicare Mental Health Centres program is ongoing with a four-year funding cycle under the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, with centre locations carefully decided in consultation with the states and territories.
Media release: Greens Leader announces portfolios for the 48th Parliament, will make women's safety a priority of leadership
Leader of the Australian Greens Senator Larissa Waters has announced the party’s new portfolio allocations ahead of parliament returning in July. As Leader of the Greens, Senator Larissa Waters has announced she will prioritise women’s safety as a leader-level issue in the next parliament, as shocking new longitudinal data reveals men’s violence against women is increasing. Senator Waters will continue as the Greens spokesperson for women and will prioritise women’s policy across various areas of policy, including health, housing and workplace relations.
Media release: New data reveals people are highly distressed when seeking support
One in five people in Australia are experiencing significant impacts from mental health issues and a growing number are turning to people they know for support. A new report from Beyond Blue’s landmark Australia’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Check reveals the functional impacts of mental health issues in Australia. Trends in Mental Health and Support Seeking shows that almost one in three Australian adults are experiencing a social and emotional issue that is negatively impacting their daily activities.
Media release: New data shows Australia’s charity sector grows, consistent with greater demand for services
New Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) data shows a rise in charity sector revenue and staff, consistent with greater community demand for services. The ACNC has published the 11th edition of the Australian Charities Report. Commissioner Sue Woodward AM said the report demonstrates the significant contribution charities make.
Media release: More psychiatrists will help, but we can’t treat our way out of the mental health crisis (NSW)
Australians for Mental Health is urgently calling for an overhaul of how mental health is approached in New South Wales, after the ABC’s Four Corners program revealed a mental health workforce in crisis. Last night’s program revealed wards and facilities are under-resourced in New South Wales, becoming increasingly unsafe for staff and patients.
Media release: Crisis management is not the answer to fixing a mental health system at breaking point (NSW)
Fixing the NSW mental health system at breaking point requires more than confronting
images of emergency departments and stigmatising portrayals of people experiencing
mental health challenges in distress – it demands investment in the community-based
mental health services that prevent crisis in the first place. The ABC’s Four Corners program, ‘Emergency’, overlooks the most effective and underfunded part of the
solution that Mental Health Coordinating Council has reiterated repeatedly - that unless we
invest in community-based mental health care, a continued over-reliance on emergency and acute services will perpetuate a system in constant crisis.
Media release: Grants open to help save lives (NT)
Applications for the 2025 Northern Territory Suicide Prevention Community Grants are now open. Community members and non-government organisation can apply for grants ranging from $500 to $10,000 to support community-led projects that raise awareness and contribute to suicide prevention across the Territory.
Media release: Successful community mental health program to expand to all of Adelaide (SA)
The Malinauskas Labor Government is expanding a mental health support program to improve outcomes for people in distress, reduce the number of presentations to hospital emergency departments and free up more SA Police for frontline duties. The 2025-26 State Budget provides $13.9 million over five years to continue and expand the Mental Health Co-Responder Program right across Adelaide.
Media release: Successful mental health ambulance co-response service expands (WA)
Western Australia's Ambulance Mental Health Co-Response service has expanded to provide coverage to East, North and South Metropolitan Health Service catchment areas with a tripling of the fleet of fit-for-purpose vehicles. The service provides crisis intervention, clinical care and health system navigation support to people
experiencing a mental health emergency.
Mental Health Opportunities and Resources
Upcoming webinar – "Psychosocial Disability" and "Complex Mental Health": A Co-Design Perspective – 11th June
Join the NMHCCF for an engaging and insightful webinar exploring the growing significance of the psychosocial disability sector in addressing the gaps left by the mental health system.
Date: Wednesday 11th June 2025
Time: 12:30-1:30pm (AEST)
Location: Online via Zoom
2025 Australian Mental Health Prize nominations are now open
You probably know someone who has made a big difference in the field of mental health, or you’ve been impressed by a mental health advocate who deserves recognition. The 2025 Australian Mental Health Prize recognises outstanding contributions to either the promotion of mental health, or the prevention and treatment of mental illness across Australia.
Over the past decade, the prize has spotlighted leading clinicians, researchers, advocates, peer workers, educators and community leaders, many of whom have influenced national mental health policy, shaped new models of care, and driven cultural change within their own communities.
Visit the prize website for more information, including category information.
Tenth Rural and Remote Health Scientific Symposium, Alice Springs, 8th-9th October 2025
Under the theme “Research from the heart – shaping rural and remote health futures”, this landmark event brings together researchers, practitioners, and community leaders to share insights and ideas that will shape the future of rural and remote health in Australia.
Early registration is highly recommended.
2025 Rural Mental Health Conference, Hobart, 5th-7th November 2025
This year’s Rural Mental Health Conference is taking place in Hobart 5th-7th November 2025, centred on the theme: Rural Mental Health for the Future: Innovations, Collaboration, and Inclusive Approaches.
Registrations are open. Mental Health Australia CEO Update readers are eligible for a 20% discount by using the code MHA20.
Featured Members
Prevention United
Prevention United is a registered health promotion charity that have an exclusive focus on promoting mental wellbeing and preventing mental health conditions – across the entire spectrum of conditions, across the lifespan. They were established in 2018 to promote the prevention of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety conditions, behavioural disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other conditions. They believe that the promotion of mental wellbeing and the prevention of mental health conditions is becoming increasingly within our reach and that by committing increased time, effort and resources on this ambition, a world without mental health conditions may not be too far away.
Connections
Connections is a not-for-profit community service organisation that provides individual support, training, programs and advocacy in the support of mental health and wellbeing. Connections vision is to Improve Mental Health in the Community and achieves this by providing relevant evidence-based learning and life skill development programs that assist in the facilitation of recovery. Connections is committed to supporting people to be well resourced and make choices regarding all aspects of their individual support. We encourage the people we work with to make informed decisions about every day and long-term lifestyle issues, and to direct their own journey towards well being and recovery. Each person’s individual needs are identified, and the planning offered will be responsive to these needs. Connections acknowledges its responsibility to respond to the individual need of each participant, and ensures that the persons plan is guided by their individual goals and aspirations.
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