Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

The Australian government is committed to building a world-class mental health system that delivers appropriate services to support people experiencing mental ill health and to their families. It was the Howard coalition government that first recognised the need to do more to support people living with a mental illness, to better support their families and carers and to invest more in mental health research. The Commonwealth spends more than $2.5 billion on mental health programs. The National Mental Health Commission is currently undertaking a review of mental health and suicide prevention programs. The review is looking at whether services are being properly targeted, that services are not being duplicated and that programs are not being unnecessarily burdened by red tape.

The review is important to ensure that services are being properly targeted and that funding is going to programs that have proven most effective. Future decisions on how the Australian government should fund mental health and suicide prevention and post intervention programs will be informed by the National Mental Health Commission's review. It is due to report to government at the end of November.

Question agreed to.