Ministerial action urged to build a sustainable system
Thursday 29 May 2025
In an open letter to all federal and state government health and mental health ministers, the Western Australian Association for Mental Health has joined a national call to address a historical gap in Australia’s mental health system.
The letter draws attention to a widening gap in the system, which sees close to 50,000 Western Australians (and nearly 495,000 Australians in total) left without mental health support for moderate or severe mental health challenges, because they are ineligible for the NDIS.
This gap has been a focus of the association’s advocacy over many years, with calls for more funding for community-based mental health supports to fill the void and create a more sustainable mental health system.
This type of community-based, holistic support (such as help to remain in employment or secure stable housing, or counselling for alcohol and other drug use) is often referred to as psychosocial support, which has been proven to help prevent mental health challenges from becoming exacerbated to the point where urgent support is required in acute, clinical settings.
While avoiding this outcome is often best for the individual seeking support, it also helps to alleviate staffing and financial pressures from acute settings, such as hospital emergency departments.
The association’s CEO, Taryn Harvey, said now was the right time for health and mental health ministers to properly fund psychosocial supports, particularly given the immense strain and significant staffing shortages the current system was experiencing.
“There are many reasons why this gap in the mental health system needs urgent consideration, not the least of which because no Australians should be left without the support they need to recover from mental health challenges and remain mentally healthy,” Ms Harvey said.
“The current system, with its bio-medical focus, is not best placed to prevent rising levels of mental ill-health or to support individuals in long-term recovery.”
Describing this as an important opportunity for ministers to take decisive action, Ms Harvey said building a sustainable mental health system that could respond to the growing number of Australians requiring support had to be a priority.
The open letter, which was coordinated by Mental Health Australia and co-signed by all state and territory mental health peak bodies, recommends:
- a new funding arrangement be agreed between state and federal governments, to increase the level of investment in psychosocial supports over a five-year period;
- all federally funded psychosocial support services be immediately funded for a further two years beyond 30 June; and
- a public consultation process is completed to help design future psychosocial supports.
The letter has been issued in the lead up to the joint health and mental health ministers’ meeting next month.
Read the joint letter and associated statement in full below.