The announcement formed the centrepiece of the Albanese government’s long-awaited response to an evaluation of the under-strain mental health system.
Struggling Australians will be able to pick up the phone to access a free new digital mental health service whenever they need help, under the federal government’s main response to years of demand for better mental health support.
It comes alongside $72 million more over four years for wraparound care from a team of nurses, social workers and counsellors, for people with complex needs to access through their primary health network in between GP visits and specialist appointments. But Labor’s $111 million yearly overall new investment in mental health – which is listed in the budget at a $888.1 million spend over eight years – will be a small fraction of the $112 billion annual health spend.
It means general patients will not pay more than $31.60 a script for another year, while pensioners and concession cardholders will be locked into a $7.70 payment that does not lift for five years.
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