Minister Welcomes Commitment to Mental Health
The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler has welcomed the Australian Government’s renewed commitment to Mental Health with the release of the Mid-Year Economic Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO).
View by date:
Previous MinistersPDF printable version of Minister Welcomes Commitment to Mental Health (PDF 15 KB)
9 November 2010
The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler today welcomed the Gillard Labor Government’s renewed commitment to Mental Health with the release of the Mid-Year Economic Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO).
Prime Minister Gillard identified mental health as a priority in the second term of her Government, which is demonstrated by the appointment of the first ever dedicated Commonwealth Minister for Mental Health, as well as Labor’s $274.0 million investment over four years in the suicide prevention package Taking action to tackle suicide.
“The Gillard Labor Government recognises that there is more to do in mental health and we are committed to reform,” Mr Butler said.
The comprehensive suicide prevention package – announced by the Prime Minister during the election campaign - includes $115.0 million to provide more frontline services in the community for people with severe mental illness who are at risk of suicide.
The package also commits $74.5 million in direct suicide prevention and crisis intervention services, and will also provide more services and support for men.
“We know that men are over-represented in suicide statistics, and that nearly three quarters of men do not seek help for mental health problems,” Mr Butler said.
“That’s why the Gillard Labor Government has invested $23.2 million in providing more services and programs targeted at men, with initiatives commencing at the start of next year.”
The Government has also committed $1.6 billion in the 2010-11 Budget for 1,300 more sub-acute beds, including more mental health sub-acute beds, and is investing significantly in promoting good mental health in young people.
“The greatest number of people with a mental illness are in the 18-24 year age group, and we are committed to early intervention to prevent this,” Mr Butler said.
“Prime Minister Gillard has kept her promise to deliver $61.3 million to provide more services for children with mental health problems, and to promote resilience and good mental health in young people.”
This investment builds on Labor’s recent investments into mental health, including funding up to 30 additional headspace services for young people, and providing more care for people with a serious mental illness.
“The Gillard Labor Government is keeping its election promise to take action to tackle suicide and invest in the good mental health of all Australians,” Mr Butler said.\
For more information, please contact the Minister’s Office on 02 6277 7280
Help with accessing large documents
When accessing large documents (over 500 KB in size), it is recommended that the following procedure be used:
- Click the link with the RIGHT mouse button
- Choose "Save Target As.../Save Link As..." depending on your browser
- Select an appropriate folder on a local drive to place the downloaded file
Attempting to open large documents within the browser window (by left-clicking)
may inhibit your ability to continue browsing while the document is
opening and/or lead to system problems.
Help with accessing PDF documents
To view PDF (Portable Document Format) documents, you will need to have a PDF reader installed on your computer. A number of PDF readers are available through the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) Web Guide website.