A recent inquiry into the productivity commission has revealed a shocking reality. The landmark mental health agreement, signed by federal, state and territory governments three years ago, is failing to deliver the vital support that Australians living with psychosocial illness require. Health Minister Mark Butler is being put under more and more pressure to act on this very urgent matter. Around half a million people are languishing without access to specialist mental health care.
These findings were outlined in a report presented to the government on October 16 and made public on November 11. The commission was right to highlight the glaring holes in our national approach to mental health. Their recommended remedy was a wholesale rewiring of the current settlement. In the past, the commission has recommended extending the agreement’s expiration date beyond 2026. This amendment will make critical reforms easier and increase overall funding to nearly $1 billion per year.
Urgent Need for Reform
The report exposes that 40% of people aged 15 and older have postponed care at least one time. This problem largely arises due to cost barriers, which disproportionately affect low-income households. Even accounting for a 788% increase in per capita spending on mental health services—which with inflation amounts to about $12.6 billion per year—outcomes continue to worsen.
The commission’s final findings paint a grim and shocking picture—that mental health services are widely unavailable. At the same time, this shortfall contributes to around 3,000 deaths by suicide annually. Protecting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide rate has worsened to an extraordinary degree. These rates increased from just under 25 per 100,000 in 2021 to a little over 30 per 100,000 in 2023.
“In the three years since the [National Mental Health] Agreement was signed, little has improved for the people who access mental health and suicide prevention services, and their supporters, family, carers and kin,” – Productivity Commission
Call for Immediate Action
The Productivity Commission’s long overdue call for a tailored approach to the more than 500,000 Australians who are expected to live without access to specialist mental health care is applauded. This problem goes well beyond the NDIS. This need is considerable, as that gap can often leave the most vulnerable among us without critical support for chronic or complex mental health challenges.
We are appreciative that Minister Butler recognized the need for reform and hope that he is committed to addressing these issues. To that end, he announced that he would carry the report over to the next meeting. There, he hopes to engage state counterparts on amending the mental health consent decree.
“This is an opportunity to reset and get this right,” – Mark Butler
Butler emphasized the importance of bringing people with lived experience to the table moving forward. This implementation strategy will ensure a coordinated, transparent long-term plan to improve mental health outcomes and reduce suicide.
Economic Implications
The economic cost of mental health in Australia is overwhelming, exceeding $200 billion per year 16. This figure underscores the urgency of addressing mental health challenges not only from a humanitarian perspective but from an economic standpoint.
Critics of the current government response, such as Anne Ruston, argue that vulnerable Australians with more chronic or complex mental health challenges are being neglected by the system. Ruston did a great job of expressing their deep and urgent needs. The Albanese Government has failed to prioritize mental health in a meaningful way.
“Vulnerable Australians living with more chronic or complex mental health challenges are being failed by the system and yet the Albanese Government has refused to make mental health a priority,” – Anne Ruston
