WAAMH outlines sector priorities ahead of new National Agreement

          
Thursday 12 February 2026

• WAAMH has been working with other peak bodies across the country to agree upon the community mental health sector’s priorities for reform.
• This work will inform discussions about the new National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement.
  
  

The WA Association for Mental Health has collaborated with mental health peak bodies from across the country, to outline the community mental health sector’s priorities, ahead of discussions about the next National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement.

The National Agreement sets out how state and federal governments will work together to improve Australians’ mental health and prevent deaths by suicide, including how initiatives or activities will be funded.

The next agreement, which was the focus of a Productivity Commission review late last year, is being discussed this week at the upcoming Health and Mental Health Ministers’ Meeting.

After extended engagement with members and collaboration with other peak bodies, the sector’s priorities for the next National Agreement have been identified as:

• A need to address the gap in psychosocial supports, which would allow services to meet community needs, while relieving pressure on hospitals and outpatient services.
• Increased investment in prevention and early intervention initiatives, to improve long‑term mental health outcomes for Australians.
• Improving the foundations of the mental health system, with a specific focus on commissioning practices and a national mechanism to measure the impact of non-government services.
• Strengthening and expanding the mental health workforce to address urgent shortfalls, improve workforce skills, and better utilise the range of mental health professionals available, including the community-based workforce.

While acknowledging that ministers may extend the current agreement to allow more time for negotiations, WAAMH has expressed concern about further delays to urgently needed reforms.

As the representative for WA’s community based mental health sector, WAAMH remains committed to collaborating with other peak bodies and working with government, to progress the new agreement, while learning from the limitations of the current arrangement.