‘A disgrace’: No action on key mental health report more than two years on
The state government is being criticised for failing to fund a crucial element of mental health support in its term, despite a report calling for investment more than two years ago. The Liberal Opposition labelled the lack of funding “a disgrace”.
The CEO of the Mental Health Coalition South Australia has questioned why preventative mental health services in the state have not been funded, more than two years on from a landmark report on the issue.
That report – commissioned by the former Marshall Liberal government in 2022 and completed under the Malinauskas Labor government in 2023 – found 19,000 South Australians can not get the assistance they needed.
The Unmet Needs Study found it would cost about $125 million per annum to fund these services, like carer programs, rehabilitation and home-based support.
In a letter sent to South Australian Labor Party president Josh Peak and seen by InDaily, MHCSA CEO Geoff Harris asked “Will the new government meet the unmet demand for mental health services?”. A similar letter was sent to Liberal Party secretary Alex Hyde.
“Sadly, we did not see that commitment in the mental health policies delivered by South Australia Labor at the last election,” Harris wrote.
“While there has been significant investment in mental health since then the problem of adequately funding psychosocial support has not been addressed.”
He said that investment in crisis services and hospitals had increased, but not in psychosocial supports that “help people stay well and reduce their need for crisis and hospital services”.
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“This is an unsustainable approach to the funding of mental health which is devastating for the 19,000 South Australians and their families who have to live with the consequences,” Harris wrote.
“The state and federal governments’ own reports did not ask for more beds – they recommended community psychological support.”
Harris also pointed to a recent Productivity Commission review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, which recommended urgent investment in psychosocial support.
Liberal spokesperson for health and wellbeing Heidi Girolamo said it was a “disgrace that two years after the unmet needs report, Labor has done so little to address this gap”.
“Those in our community dealing with mental illness deserve much more. A Liberal Government will focus on building a better health system, not just a bigger one, looking at supporting mental health patients throughout their health journey,” she said.
“Many of the policies we’ve already announced will support this, through improving access to GPs, and boosting our health workforce.
“We are looking forward to announcing further policies around mental health support as we continue our campaign to focus on the important things for South Australia.”
Speaking to InDaily, Harris said it was “frustrating that they haven’t managed to get this done”.
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“It’s frustrating that 19,000 South Australians who need this support are waiting and there’s no end in sight,” he said.
“Where that frustration comes out for people who need help around mental health is they go into crisis and then to the hospital system.
“That’s a signal potentially for the government to say ‘we need more money in the hospital system’, when it’s actually the investment needs to go earlier than the crisis; you reduce the demand and pressure on the hospital system and all the people who work in it.”
In a statement, Health and Wellness Minister Chris Picton said “addressing unmet psychosocial needs across the country is the priority for the next National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, currently being negotiated”.
On Monday, the Labor government committed to building three dedicated Mental Health Assessment Units next to the Royal Adelaide, Lyell McEwin and Noarlunga hospital emergency departments if it wins the state election.
The first $32 million unit would be built at the Royal Adelaide, and according to Health Minister Chris Picton and Premier Peter Malinauskas, would help people experiencing a mental health, drug or alcohol crisis.
“But the SA Government is not waiting. We are delivering a generational investment in mental health with $2.5 billion invested in mental health services in three years, 30 per cent more than the former government,” Picton said.
“We have turned around the cuts that previously happened to psychosocial services. These services were cut by 19 per cent by the former Liberal Government and in contrast Labor has increased funding for psychosocial services by 41 per cent.
“We now have new Medicare Mental Health Centres open across the state, more psychosocial support packages in the community, increased funding for community mental health and implemented the mental health co-responder model in the community.
“Our government will continue to invest in new mental health initiatives if re-elected, such as our commitment to build new Mental Health Assessment Units next to emergency departments for people in acute distress.”
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