Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister for the opportunity to say a few words about this. As I am sure the member for Lindsay knows, the availability of the 10 additional sessions was a COVID measure introduced at the height of the lockdowns and decided by the former government to expire on 31 December.

I will also say that the decision not to extend the additional sessions was taken after serious consideration and in light of the evaluation of Better Access I published in December. I will just run through a few conclusions from that evaluation. While the evaluation said that Better Access was largely a program that delivered positive outcomes, it also found that it was a highly inequitable program. The evaluation said this:

Those on the lowest incomes are least likely to access services.

And it said:

All of these indicators have worsened over time.

It pointed out that poorer Australians in the poorest quintile of the community have more than twice the levels of high or very high mental distress but have the poorest access to this program. It said that location of provider services was a significant factor contributing to that. It also said that poorer Australians, because of their inequitable access to this program, are far more likely to be medicated.

The critical conclusion of the evaluation in response to the member for Lindsay's question, though, is this. It found that the addition of 10 sessions didn't make access better; it made access worse. It cut tens and tens of thousands of Australians out of any access to services whatsoever. The number of new entrants to the program actually reduced by seven per cent and, overwhelmingly, all of the additional services went to the wealthier parts of the community, while poorer Australians actually went backwards in their access to services.

I and the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention held a forum with about 80 different groups for mental health early last week. I can say this: other than the two associations representing private psychologists, not a single group urged the government to reintroduce the additional sessions. That's because they recognise what the evaluation said: although there is a need for additional services for complex mental health, this program was not delivering it.

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