Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee [Part 2], , 3:03:08 to 3:07:20
Analysis of the unmet need for psychosocial support services across Australia and the current level of Commonwealth funding compared to sector assessments of service shortfalls.
Topics: Health, Social services
Speakers: Gavin Matthews, Senator Anne Ruston, Senator Ellie Whiteaker, Unknown Speaker
>> Yeah. So um in February 2026 the minister's meeting at that time acknowledged the calls to improve access to psychosocial supports across the country. I'm just wondering um what work had been done in the eight months since or nine months since eight months since February to improve access to those supports.
>> So Senator, so there was also a couple of things have probably happened over that period. So there as as part of that discus decision there was uh a thing where that all of the ministers from the jurisdictions agreed also to ensure the continuation of existing funding. So there was an effort that put in place by all jurisdictions including the commonwealth to ensure that nothing went backwards because there obviously there's a range of programs with uh you know from both the state and the commonwealth. There is a a range of different services run by jurisdictions and the commonwealth as I'm sure you know >> um to ensure and that was something the sector had been calling for to ensure that there you know was funding certainty for those services. So that has been uh something that ministers committed to and um you know effectively confirmed earlier in the year and then there has been a work under the you know as part of the I guess the the work to develop a new agreement. There's been quite a lot of discussion between the Commonwealth and the jurisdictions about psychosocial supports and what that might look like if there was to be um some further action on that and obviously quite some extensive consultation with many of the lived experience peaks and sector on that. But that's all subject to decisions of governments might go.
>> So to your knowledge has there been any discussion on the funding for social support through that agreement process?
>> Uh I don't think so. Again, I it probably gets a bit too into the nitty-gritty of the negotiations. I'm not sure we could probably really comment too far on that at this stage, Senator, in terms of funding discussions. Um I mean there is certainly discussions about um you know around what psychosocial supports are, what the you know relevant Commonwealth is doing in relation compared to the jurisdictions, how they work, uh what are the sort of common features. There's obviously been quite a few um of the sector bodies have put out statements on what they think uh you know future of psychosocial sport should be and there's been discussions with those stakeholders about their views as well with the
jurisdictions. So since the um the acknowledgement of the calls to improve access, has there been any additional um Australians that have received support subsequent to the acknowledgement in February 2026 that um there needs to be an improvement across the country with these supports?
>> Well, that probably depends on what you mean by additional, Senator. I mean obviously the Commonwealth um I mean we obviously run the Commonwealth psychosocial program that provide support to about 20,000 people um in a given year and that obviously means that some people there would be new people that are accessing services underneath that program. Um the funding obviously was extended for two years uh about a year or so ago. So that program you know remains in place and sort of has that uh that length of funding and so yes there would be new people accessing services under under that existing program as there would be in the state programs as
>> Sure. Um mental health Australia argued that more than 80% of required psychosocial support hours are currently unavailable unfunded. Um [clears throat] does the department agree with that assessment that we have a shortfall of services of 80%.
Uh I think the I mean well Senator I mean the I'm not sure we would the 80% of whether that statistically it's hard to say. I mean there obviously I think that there most of the claims from uh around this really relate to the unmet need survey that was done a period of time ago which is you know sort of I think public and around that and that obviously shows a fairly significant figure of um of need of unmet need. Uh but it you know it is also that's it's an epidemiological study not a you know it's not a kind of count of people that have you know gone to a service and asked to receive a service and have not. It's a it's a you know it's a derived um number from modeling.
>> Sure. Um on the
>> to wrap you up and share the call in a moment. Do you have