3.6 Implementation of the 2011 Delivering National Mental Health Reform package

In the May 2011-12 Budget, the Australian Government announced a reform package for mental health services worth $1.5 billion over five years, focused on five key areas:

• Better care for people with severe and debilitating mental illness
• Strengthening primary mental health care services
• Prevention and early intervention for children and young people
• Encouraging economic and social participation, including jobs, for people with mental illness
• Improving quality, accountability and innovation in mental health services.

The package has a focus on reducing gaps in the provision of care and support and maximising social and economic participation by people with mental illness, and includes:

• $571.3 million for better coordinated services for people with mental illness
• $220.3 million to strengthen primary care and better target services to those most in need (this included additional funding for the ATAPS program, and funding to develop e-mental health services)
• $491.7 million to expand services for children and young people.

The reform package also focuses on improving coordination between state/territory governments and the Australian Government in providing services. This was formalised in August 2011 when the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to develop a new National Partnership Agreement on Mental Health.¹⁶ It also provided funding to establish the National Mental Health Commission, which, is charged with influencing reform within the suicide prevention sector as well as the mental health sector.¹⁷

¹⁶ The Hon Mark Butler MP, Mental Health Matters – Updates on reform from the Minister for Mental Health – October, DoHA, 2011, accessed 9 April 2013.
¹⁷ Department of Health and Ageing, National Mental Health Reform 2011-12: Highlights, DoHA, Canberra, 2011, accessed 9 April 2013.