Media have reported the 2025 Federal Budget has offered only “crumbs” for mental health and it is hard to disagree with this assessment as we now head toward at May 3 Federal Election.
Across Australia there is soaring demand for mental health services that is mismatched with a one-size-fits-all 10-session psychology care limit for rebated services and an under-investment in post-graduate education that will build the next generation of practitioners.
In the 2025 budget, after years of advocacy and collaboration from the mental health workforce, we see a Medicare revival with generous spending on rebates for physical physicians, training investments for nurses and encouraging the workforce to rural and regional areas where demand is high. This is an important investment and shows a recommitment to Medicare.
Unfortunately, for mental health this budget is also a revisit to attitudes and priorities representing the worst of the past – where physical health reigned supreme and mental health was a stigmatised issue unworthy of real investment or attention. It is impossible in 2025 to consider Medicare a universal healthcare system when it fails to take mental health along for the ride.
The only concession to mental health in the budget were announcements around increasing digital mental health services. We know these services are low intensity and have varied staffing models so, while they address a gap for care for some people, they do not address the serious issues psychologists have been seeking to address, including removing the 10-session cap for patients with complex conditions or a history of trauma. Medicare is about a fair go for all – in the 2025 budget it has certainly not been a fair go for anyone needing or providing mental healthcare.
Please, encourage your contacts to sign our petition and let government know mental health matters to Australians. https://www.change.org/p/increase-the-psychology-10-session-medicare-cap?recruiter=1355038573&recruited_by_id=03e4de40-8a8c-11ef-957b-0355608ab18d&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard&utm_medium=copylink