CEO Update 2020 Federal Budget: We welcome tonight's Budget and the focus on mental health
We welcome tonight’s Budget and the focus on mental health
For the second year in a row, Treasurer the Hon Josh Frydenberg has used his Federal Budget speech to talk about mental health and suicide prevention as a national priority.
This year, amidst a global pandemic and a challenging economic context, new money and initiatives for mental health have been, and are, welcomed by the sector.
Extensions to telehealth services and doubling Better Access through Medicare from 10 to 20 sessions will continue to tackle the increased need as a result of COVID-19, as well as keep working to ease the existing and increased strain on our mental health ecosystem.
At Mental Health Australia we have recognised and welcomed the investments that have been made this year, and the further investments that have been outlined tonight.
They are investments that will target specific cohorts in our community and provide many people with hope, in what is a difficult time.
Hope for veterans and their families navigating their way forward. Hope for Australians dealing with the devastation of natural disasters. Hope for those families dealing with the trauma of stillbirth. Hope for those in aged care with a further 23,000 additional home care packages announced. And ultimately hope for those people, especially the young, looking to find and keep employment as our country continues to navigate this pandemic and the economic, health and social impacts.
As Minister for Health the Hon Greg Hunt said in his annual Budget video message to our members and stakeholders tonight, these times call for new supports and new ways to build and sustain hope and dignity:
“We have a nation that needs new support. And we know that for so many people the other great element of this budget, of job creation, of getting people back to work, isn’t just about economic support, it’s about mental health support. It’s about dignity, it’s about confidence, it’s about helping to reduce anxiety and to give people all of the hope which comes from employment or the prospect of employment.”
As always, we look forward to bringing you more on the mental health initiatives from tonight’s Budget in the days that follow. But we also look ahead to the impending release of the Final Report of the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Mental Health and the Government’s investment response in reform. Reform to ensure the increasing number of Australians who need mental health care will receive it in the right place, at the right time. Reform that innovates beyond established programs and builds accessibility for people not already connected to the system.
Kind regards.
Leanne Beagley
CEO
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