Latest news with #SelwynButton
The Advertiser
14 hours ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
Nation's 'failing' mental health system needs overhaul
Australia's failing mental health and suicide prevention system needs reforms to fix problems including affordability and access, the government's independent advisory body says. The interim Productivity Commission report, released on Wednesday, found the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement was "not fit for purpose" and had made little progress since taking effect in 2022. A particular area of failure was the system's inability to deliver on a pledge to develop nationwide arrangements to provide psychosocial supports outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme, it said. It comprised "a raft of outputs and initiatives that aren't connected to each other or to an overarching strategy", a productivity commissioner says. "In its current form, it cannot deliver the systemic, co-ordinated change it promises," Selwyn Button said in a statement. "Consumers, carers and service providers we spoke with told us of ongoing challenges accessing and affording care and of unco-ordinated services that do not respond to need." Treasurer Jim Chalmers commissioned the review in January, looking into the agreement signed between the federal government and states and territories, due to expire in 2026. The Albanese government, which has spent more than $2.4 billion on the area since taking office in May 2022, says the review is part of keeping services effective and affordable. National Mental Health Consumer Alliance CEO Priscilla Brice said the agreement had failed to meet expectations as it was not developed "hand in hand with people with lived experience of mental health challenges". "We were not included in the development or negotiations for the agreement, nor the ongoing governance or measurement of the agreement," Ms Brice told AAP. "People with lived expertise need to be involved in the next agreement at both the national level and the state and territory level. "This would ensure that the people who know the systems best - the people who use mental health services - are at the heart of decision-making." She urged extra funding for mental health services and advocacy bodies as well as stricter accountability to bolster the system. Some 22 per cent of Australians have experienced a mental illness in the past 12 months, while 43 per cent will have a mental illness during their lifetime, Australian Bureau of Statistics research shows. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Australia's failing mental health and suicide prevention system needs reforms to fix problems including affordability and access, the government's independent advisory body says. The interim Productivity Commission report, released on Wednesday, found the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement was "not fit for purpose" and had made little progress since taking effect in 2022. A particular area of failure was the system's inability to deliver on a pledge to develop nationwide arrangements to provide psychosocial supports outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme, it said. It comprised "a raft of outputs and initiatives that aren't connected to each other or to an overarching strategy", a productivity commissioner says. "In its current form, it cannot deliver the systemic, co-ordinated change it promises," Selwyn Button said in a statement. "Consumers, carers and service providers we spoke with told us of ongoing challenges accessing and affording care and of unco-ordinated services that do not respond to need." Treasurer Jim Chalmers commissioned the review in January, looking into the agreement signed between the federal government and states and territories, due to expire in 2026. The Albanese government, which has spent more than $2.4 billion on the area since taking office in May 2022, says the review is part of keeping services effective and affordable. National Mental Health Consumer Alliance CEO Priscilla Brice said the agreement had failed to meet expectations as it was not developed "hand in hand with people with lived experience of mental health challenges". "We were not included in the development or negotiations for the agreement, nor the ongoing governance or measurement of the agreement," Ms Brice told AAP. "People with lived expertise need to be involved in the next agreement at both the national level and the state and territory level. "This would ensure that the people who know the systems best - the people who use mental health services - are at the heart of decision-making." She urged extra funding for mental health services and advocacy bodies as well as stricter accountability to bolster the system. Some 22 per cent of Australians have experienced a mental illness in the past 12 months, while 43 per cent will have a mental illness during their lifetime, Australian Bureau of Statistics research shows. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Australia's failing mental health and suicide prevention system needs reforms to fix problems including affordability and access, the government's independent advisory body says. The interim Productivity Commission report, released on Wednesday, found the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement was "not fit for purpose" and had made little progress since taking effect in 2022. A particular area of failure was the system's inability to deliver on a pledge to develop nationwide arrangements to provide psychosocial supports outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme, it said. It comprised "a raft of outputs and initiatives that aren't connected to each other or to an overarching strategy", a productivity commissioner says. "In its current form, it cannot deliver the systemic, co-ordinated change it promises," Selwyn Button said in a statement. "Consumers, carers and service providers we spoke with told us of ongoing challenges accessing and affording care and of unco-ordinated services that do not respond to need." Treasurer Jim Chalmers commissioned the review in January, looking into the agreement signed between the federal government and states and territories, due to expire in 2026. The Albanese government, which has spent more than $2.4 billion on the area since taking office in May 2022, says the review is part of keeping services effective and affordable. National Mental Health Consumer Alliance CEO Priscilla Brice said the agreement had failed to meet expectations as it was not developed "hand in hand with people with lived experience of mental health challenges". "We were not included in the development or negotiations for the agreement, nor the ongoing governance or measurement of the agreement," Ms Brice told AAP. "People with lived expertise need to be involved in the next agreement at both the national level and the state and territory level. "This would ensure that the people who know the systems best - the people who use mental health services - are at the heart of decision-making." She urged extra funding for mental health services and advocacy bodies as well as stricter accountability to bolster the system. Some 22 per cent of Australians have experienced a mental illness in the past 12 months, while 43 per cent will have a mental illness during their lifetime, Australian Bureau of Statistics research shows. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Australia's failing mental health and suicide prevention system needs reforms to fix problems including affordability and access, the government's independent advisory body says. The interim Productivity Commission report, released on Wednesday, found the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement was "not fit for purpose" and had made little progress since taking effect in 2022. A particular area of failure was the system's inability to deliver on a pledge to develop nationwide arrangements to provide psychosocial supports outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme, it said. It comprised "a raft of outputs and initiatives that aren't connected to each other or to an overarching strategy", a productivity commissioner says. "In its current form, it cannot deliver the systemic, co-ordinated change it promises," Selwyn Button said in a statement. "Consumers, carers and service providers we spoke with told us of ongoing challenges accessing and affording care and of unco-ordinated services that do not respond to need." Treasurer Jim Chalmers commissioned the review in January, looking into the agreement signed between the federal government and states and territories, due to expire in 2026. The Albanese government, which has spent more than $2.4 billion on the area since taking office in May 2022, says the review is part of keeping services effective and affordable. National Mental Health Consumer Alliance CEO Priscilla Brice said the agreement had failed to meet expectations as it was not developed "hand in hand with people with lived experience of mental health challenges". "We were not included in the development or negotiations for the agreement, nor the ongoing governance or measurement of the agreement," Ms Brice told AAP. "People with lived expertise need to be involved in the next agreement at both the national level and the state and territory level. "This would ensure that the people who know the systems best - the people who use mental health services - are at the heart of decision-making." She urged extra funding for mental health services and advocacy bodies as well as stricter accountability to bolster the system. Some 22 per cent of Australians have experienced a mental illness in the past 12 months, while 43 per cent will have a mental illness during their lifetime, Australian Bureau of Statistics research shows. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Perth Now
15 hours ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Nation's 'failing' mental health system needs overhaul
Australia's failing mental health and suicide prevention system needs reforms to fix problems including affordability and access, the government's independent advisory body says. The interim Productivity Commission report, released on Wednesday, found the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement was "not fit for purpose" and had made little progress since taking effect in 2022. A particular area of failure was the system's inability to deliver on a pledge to develop nationwide arrangements to provide psychosocial supports outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme, it said. It comprised "a raft of outputs and initiatives that aren't connected to each other or to an overarching strategy", a productivity commissioner says. "In its current form, it cannot deliver the systemic, co-ordinated change it promises," Selwyn Button said in a statement. "Consumers, carers and service providers we spoke with told us of ongoing challenges accessing and affording care and of unco-ordinated services that do not respond to need." Treasurer Jim Chalmers commissioned the review in January, looking into the agreement signed between the federal government and states and territories, due to expire in 2026. The Albanese government, which has spent more than $2.4 billion on the area since taking office in May 2022, says the review is part of keeping services effective and affordable. National Mental Health Consumer Alliance CEO Priscilla Brice said the agreement had failed to meet expectations as it was not developed "hand in hand with people with lived experience of mental health challenges". "We were not included in the development or negotiations for the agreement, nor the ongoing governance or measurement of the agreement," Ms Brice told AAP. "People with lived expertise need to be involved in the next agreement at both the national level and the state and territory level. "This would ensure that the people who know the systems best - the people who use mental health services - are at the heart of decision-making." She urged extra funding for mental health services and advocacy bodies as well as stricter accountability to bolster the system. Some 22 per cent of Australians have experienced a mental illness in the past 12 months, while 43 per cent will have a mental illness during their lifetime, Australian Bureau of Statistics research shows. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
West Australian
15 hours ago
- Health
- West Australian
Nation's 'failing' mental health system needs overhaul
Australia's failing mental health and suicide prevention system needs reforms to fix problems including affordability and access, the government's independent advisory body says. The interim Productivity Commission report, released on Wednesday, found the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement was "not fit for purpose" and had made little progress since taking effect in 2022. A particular area of failure was the system's inability to deliver on a pledge to develop nationwide arrangements to provide psychosocial supports outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme, it said. It comprised "a raft of outputs and initiatives that aren't connected to each other or to an overarching strategy", a productivity commissioner says. "In its current form, it cannot deliver the systemic, co-ordinated change it promises," Selwyn Button said in a statement. "Consumers, carers and service providers we spoke with told us of ongoing challenges accessing and affording care and of unco-ordinated services that do not respond to need." Treasurer Jim Chalmers commissioned the review in January, looking into the agreement signed between the federal government and states and territories, due to expire in 2026. The Albanese government, which has spent more than $2.4 billion on the area since taking office in May 2022, says the review is part of keeping services effective and affordable. National Mental Health Consumer Alliance CEO Priscilla Brice said the agreement had failed to meet expectations as it was not developed "hand in hand with people with lived experience of mental health challenges". "We were not included in the development or negotiations for the agreement, nor the ongoing governance or measurement of the agreement," Ms Brice told AAP. "People with lived expertise need to be involved in the next agreement at both the national level and the state and territory level. "This would ensure that the people who know the systems best - the people who use mental health services - are at the heart of decision-making." She urged extra funding for mental health services and advocacy bodies as well as stricter accountability to bolster the system. Some 22 per cent of Australians have experienced a mental illness in the past 12 months, while 43 per cent will have a mental illness during their lifetime, Australian Bureau of Statistics research shows. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
ABC News
19 hours ago
- Health
- ABC News
Australia's mental health plan 'not fit for purpose' and must be re-designed, new report finds
Australia's national plan to improve mental health and prevent suicide is "not fit for purpose" and needs to be re-written, according to a new report by the Productivity Commission. The commission has been reviewing the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement which sets out the shared commitments between the federal government and state and territory governments to improve the mental health of Australians. The commission has now released an interim report which revealed the national agreement was "fundamentally flawed" and made no real improvements to the mental health system since it was signed in 2022. The agreement aims to: It aims to meet these objective by funding services such as: Commissioner Angela Jackson said major change would be impossible under the current agreement as its outcomes, such as "reforming the mental health system" were too broad and not easily measurable. Australia is facing a mental health crisis as more people need care for more complex conditions but can't get the help they need due to workforce shortages and a lack of mental health beds in hospitals. Measures of mental health and suicide rates have not improved in recent years, according to the report. More troubling, the suicide rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people worsened between 2018 and 2023. Co-commissioner and Gungarri man Selwyn Button said there were a raft of initiatives that weren't connected to each other, thus creating a fragmented system, and early intervention to prevent suicide needed improving. "There is still stigma attached with respect to having conversations with a clinician about suicide," he said. The commission said the agreement made certain commitments but didn't dedicate funding to achieve those aims. For example, it sets out a strategy to close the health gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people but there was no specific funding allocated to do this. "This really needs to be prioritised … and we have the expertise, we just need to get the right people at the table," Mr Button said. Dr Clinton Schultz, a Gamilaroi man and director of First Nations strategy at the Black Dog Institute said any national agreement needed to link research to the real world. "We're generating strong evidence around what works – particularly in novel treatments — but there's still no mechanism to bring that innovation into the public system. Until we bridge these gaps, we'll keep seeing missed opportunities to support our mob in meaningful ways." Ms Jackson said another key priority was getting funding for psychosocial support for people who don't qualify for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Psychosocial support is non-clinical help including connecting people with the right services and building daily living skills. Funding for that was withdrawn after the NDIS was introduced, which left around 500,000 people without support. "Obviously the NDIS has led to significant change for people with disability but for those outside the scheme there's been a real reduction in supports and this is a matter of urgency," Ms Jackson said. The commission recommended the current agreement, which is due to expire in July 2026, be extended to 2027 to give the government time to create a new agreement that is co-designed with consumers, carers and service providers. "The new agreement must have measurable outcomes and greater accountability … it's really important everyone understands what's improving and what's not," Ms Jackson said. Health Minister Mark Butler said the review highlighted structural issues with the agreement and it was "essential we get this right". "That is why the treasurer, and I commissioned this review in the first place, to get independent advice to inform our next agreement," he said. Mr Butler said two weeks ago the state and territory health ministers agreed that psychosocial, workforce and youth mental health would be priorities in the next national agreement. The Productivity Commission is now accepting more public submissions before preparing a final report later this year.
The Guardian
12-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Rate of Indigenous people in jail has risen by 20% since 2019, Closing the Gap data shows
The rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people imprisoned increased by 12% in a year and was up 20% since 2019 – despite state and federal governments agreeing to reduce rates of incarnation by 15% by 2031 in June 2020. Indigenous organisations have urged greater action from all governments to improve the lives of Indigenous people after new Closing the Gap data revealed child protection, Indigenous incarceration and suicide rates were getting worse. Overall, the data showed four targets were on track to be met. Six targets showed improvement but were not on track to be met. Four targets were worsening while a further four targets were not able to be assessed. The rate of Indigenous incarceration in 2024 was 2,304 per 100,000, compared with 1,906 per 100,000 in 2019 and 2,042 in 2023. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email First Nation children in out-of-home care increased from 47.3 per 1,000 in 2019 to 50.3 per 1,000 in 2024. The rate of suicide among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people reached 30.8 per 100,000 in 2023, the highest recorded since 2018, though researchers said there were caveats due to changes in population data. The most recent population data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded a 25% increase in the Indigenous population between 2017 and 2021, while the Northern Territory recorded a decline in population. Productivity commissioner Selwyn Button said the Closing the Gap data showed 'the importance of governments taking their commitments to the national agreement seriously, and taking meaningful actions to fully implement the priority reforms'. 'Governments need to get better at sharing power and decision-making with community control organisations – being able to sit at the table to plan, design and implement strategies, sitting alongside community and community controlled organisations,' Button said. The commissioner said some caution of the data is needed, such as with suicide rates and the NT which showed many targets are going backwards such as worsening female life expectancy, birth weight, Indigenous early childhood education and child development, youth engagement, employment, and child and adult imprisonment rates. The latest update pointed to an increase in Aboriginal people's access to internet, with nine in 10 or just over 88% of Indigenous people aged 15 and over using the web daily. It also showed gains in native title and land rights, with just under 4.5m sq km of Australia's land mass and more than 110,000 sq km of Australia's sea country being under Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's rights or interests. 'Native title determinations are happening more frequently, and land hand backs to traditional owner groups from state governments are happening more as well which is contributing to that data.' Justice advocacy group Change the Record's national director, Blake Cansdale, said he was concerned some jurisdictions' 'tough on crime' approach was contributing to more interactions between law enforcement and First Nations people. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'The gross overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody is unequivocal evidence of successive governments failing our people across the nation,' Candsale said. 'This serves the interests of nobody other than politicians that espouse such positions; we need to focus on primary health-based and social supports that address the underlying sociocultural, emotional and economic causes of offending behaviour,' the Anaiwan man said. Lead convenor of the Coalition of Peaks, Pat Turner, who negotiated the national agreement on Closing the Gap with the Morrison government and states and territories, welcomed progress in key reforms but said there was still a long way to go. 'The growing recognition of our land and sea rights and increased digital access show what is possible when the right policies and investments are made,' Turner said. But in critical areas such as incarceration, child protection and suicide prevention Turner said there were clear 'setbacks' and urged a 'deeper understanding' between Australian governments and Aboriginal-controlled organisations working with community. 'Governments must step up and fully implement the priority reforms of the Closing the Gap agreement. 'If we are to achieve lasting change, the solutions must be led by us, not imposed upon us.'
