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Home > Ministers > The Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Mental Health Reform, Minister for Housing and Homelessness > Media Hub > $26 Million Boost for Mental Health in Western Australia

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PDF printable version of $26 Million Boost for Mental Health in Western Australia (PDF 352 KB)

14 June 2012

Western Australia will receive funding from the Australian Government for two new mental health projects under the National Partnership Agreement on Mental Health.

Federal Minister for Mental Health, Mark Butler said the agreement between the Commonwealth and WA will mean more services and support for people with a mental illness — through better detection, better targeting and better coordination.

“Our agreement with the WA Government will help address service gaps and assist more Australians living with mental illness to secure and maintain stable accommodation and support that they need to stay well and break the hospital cycle,” Mr Butler said.

“These two projects are targeted at children and people with severe mental health conditions.”

Mental Health Assertive Community Intervention Initiative

• $13.5 million for a new 24/7 acute response team and family support service in metropolitan Perth which together will provide care and support to children and their families who are experiencing mental health issues.
• The project will expand community intervention services that respond to the needs of children and their families to reduce emergency department admissions.
• A new service will be established with a 24/7 acute response team and a family support service in Perth, benefitting around 1400 children over four years.

“Unlike any chronic disease, mental illness affects people of all ages, with 25 per cent of people with a mental disorder experiencing their first episode before the age of 12,” Mr Butler said.

Individualised Community Living Initiative

• $12.6 million for 30 individualised support packages which will enable people with a severe mental illness to live a good life in the community and sustain successful, permanent and stable housing.
• The key objectives of this measure are to reduce the use of mental health inpatient beds for people with accommodation difficulties to enable people with mental illness to sustain successful, permanent and stable tenancies.

“People living with severe, disabling and persistent mental illness need a combination of clinical and non clinical support and stable accommodation as a cornerstone to keeping well and breaking the cycle of hospitalisation.

Mr Butler said the National Partnership was a key feature of the Government’s $2.2 billion mental health package.

“We’ve made the biggest ever investment by a Federal Government but states and territories play an integral role in providing acute care, housing and accommodation, education and social supports for people with a mental illness,” Mr Butler said.

“While some states have made significant improvements to their mental health care system, the range and type of services that are available across the country continues to vary.”

For more information, please contact the Minister’s Office on 02 6277 7280