Flourish Australia welcomes an agreement by Australia’s health and mental health ministers to focus on mental health reform and improve access to services.
The Ministers met on August 16 and agreed to continue meeting twice a year to progress important reforms to meet growing community need for support, address workforce challenges, and improve data sharing.
Ministers also agreed to work with mental health organisations and people with lived experience to develop a plan for psychosocial support outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Flourish Australia CEO Mark Orr said the meeting provided an important path towards comprehensive mental health reform.
“Flourish Australia wholly supports efforts by all governments to address unmet community need for mental health support, particularly among people with complex mental health issues and children and young people,” he said.
“Having access to evidence-based psychosocial support helps people to lead their best possible lives, and can help people access supports at the earliest possible time if they become distressed or unwell.
“Hearing from organisations on the frontline, alongside people with lived and living experience of mental ill-health, is essential to inform a plan and develop supports that assist with long-term recovery.
“Improved data sharing across jurisdictions, and a plan to grow the mental health and suicide prevention workforce, is essential to achieve holistic reform of national mental health services.”
Read the communique from the Health Ministers Meeting here.
