Leading mental health groups welcome the recent commitments at the Health and Mental Health Ministers’ meeting as a crucial step forward for mental health reform in Australia.
The NSW Mental Health Alliance commends the nation’s state and federal Health and Mental Health Ministers for meeting and aligning on a number of the sector’s key recommendations, while emphasising that continued, coordinated action is crucial to ensure these reforms make a real difference in the lives of Australians.
The following outcomes are recommended:
- Commitment to progressing the National Health Reform Agreement Addendum (NHRA) negotiations alongside disability reform. We look forward to ongoing collaboration to support government to finalise the agreement as soon as possible, with the NHRA Addendum to commence from 1 July 2025.
- Reaffirmed commitment to deliver the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement. We expect governments to work in partnership to improve ongoing coordination of care across the mental health sector.
- Twice-yearly meeting schedule to improve access to mental health services across Australia. We commend the Health and Mental Health Ministers for committing to meet and to include lived and living experience in these discussions as well as in the design and implementation of mental health and suicide prevention initiatives.
- Commitment to develop a plan for future psychosocial support arrangements following the public release of the Analysis of unmet need for psychosocial supports outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
- Undertake national data project to inform how to grow and retain the mental health and suicide prevention workforce. This is of particular importance to NSW as the state is experiencing a crisis in its mental health workforce, and both short and long-term strategies are needed to build and diversify the workforce.
- National framework to improve inter-jurisdictional information sharing. We welcome the commitment to develop a new national framework for the mutual recognition of mental health orders and improve access to care across state and territory borders.
While these commitments mark significant progress, the journey towards a robust mental health system demands timely and coordinated action from all levels of government to meet the demands of current and future populations.