federal budget

The Mental Health Council of Australia hosted a forum for mental health consumers, carers, community workers, counsellors, doctors, nurses to provide input to the Coordinated Care measure announced in this year’s budget. The CEO of the Mental Health Council of Australia, Mr Frank Quinlan said, “Having achieved some pretty significant investments in the most recent Commonwealth budget, we are eager to ensure that the money is spent wisely and effectively. The best way to do that is to bring those making the policy together with those affected by the policy.”

The Gillard Government’s first budget has delivered on its commitment to mental health with a substantial funding investment and a roadmap for mental health reform in Australia. “This budget demonstrates that the Government has listened to these concerns, especially in providing funding for adults with severe and persist mental illness, funding for youth services and young children, and better accountability and governance measures”, said MHCA CEO Frank Quinlan.

The Minister for Mental Health, Mark Butler, announced a series of measures in the 2011-12 Federal Budget. These measures included new spending initiatives, the establishment of a mental health commission, and a ten-year roadmap.

The Rudd Government has claimed that this is a “good budget for mental health”. The Government is wrong. There is no significant increase in funding for mental health.

The Government called this a “no frills” Budget – but despite the increased expenditure in health care, mental health has been relegated to a very thin line of lace on the periphery of a substantive new investment mostly into hospital services. “Although the Government has now supported all these recommendations, there is limited funding and no implementation plan”, said CEO David Crosbie.