Strengthen Australia's mental health and suicide prevention system.
The Government will provide $556.2 million over 5 years from 2022-23 (and $36.0 million ongoing) to strengthen Australia's mental health and suicide prevention system. Funding includes:
* $260.2 million over two years from 2023-24 to extend Commonwealth psychosocial supports for people with severe mental illness who are not in the National Disability Insurance Scheme
* $136.0 million over 4 years from 2023-24 (and $36.0 million ongoing) to support the mental health of survivors of torture and trauma before moving to Australia on humanitarian grounds, through the Program of Assistance for Survivors of Torture and Trauma, and other culturally and linguistically diverse communities
* $91.3 million over 5 years from 2022-23 for additional psychology placements, including 500 psychology post-graduate placements, 500 one-year internships, and 2,000 supervisor training sessions (1,000 of which will be refresher places), and a redesign of psychology higher education pathways
* $17.8 million over 5 years from 2022-23 to upskill the mental health capabilities of the broader health workforce through training, resources and professional development materials. This will include reviewing and improving undergraduate curricula for nursing, midwifery and allied health to ensure students are receiving contemporary training in mental health
* $14.4 million over two years from 2023-24 to support the continuation of postvention services nationally for people experiencing grief and distress as a result of suicide loss
* $8.7 million in 2023-24 to continue the current service capacity of digital mental health services and to maintain the Head-to-Health website
* $8.7 million over 3 years from 2023-24 to establish and operate 2 independent national mental health lived-experience peak bodies to advise on mental health policies and programs and to support lived-experience research
* $6.9 million over two years from 2023-24 to continue child and youth mental health supports, including supporting digital work and study and student mentoring
* $6.2 million in 2023-24 to support children to build and maintain a positive body image and reduce body dissatisfaction and appearance pressures
* $2.8 million in 2023-24 to extend mental health supports for Australians living with eating disorders and their families
* $2.1 million in 2023-24 to continue the National Workplace Initiative to provide a centralised repository of evidence-based interventions to support employers to support the mental health of employees in the workplace
* $0.9 million over two years from 2022-23 to support the continued operation of Head to Health services in Shepparton, Seymour, and Mildura. The Government will partially offset these costs by redirecting $46.8 million over 4 years from 2023-24 (and $10.2 million ongoing), achieved by reducing funding available under the 2018-19 Budget measure titled Prioritising Mental Health - Aftercare following a suicide attempt, and the 2021-22 Budget measure titled Mental Health. Universal aftercare will continue to be provided under the 2021-22 Budget measure titled Aftercare services for people discharged from hospital following a suicide attempt. This measure will be partially offset by redirecting funding from the 2023-24 Budget measure titled Reinvesting in Health and Aged Care Programs. The cost of this measure will also be partially met from within the existing resourcing of the Department of Health and Aged Care and the National Mental Health Commission. The Government has provisioned funding for future mental health priorities in response to the Better Access evaluation.