The Albanese Government is investing in the future of Australia’s mental health workforce, with a grant round now open to support access to internships for trainee psychologists.
As part of our $1.1 billion commitment to mental health, $47.6 million will fund 1,500 one-year internships for provisional psychologists in the ‘5+1 training pathway’ – five years of accredited study followed by a one-year internship.
This investment will help address bottlenecks in the psychology training pipeline, making sure more students complete general registration and enter the workforce.
Currently, 9 in 10 undergraduate psychology students don’t complete postgraduate study and attain registration.
The internships will provide provisional psychologists with the supervision and practical experience they need to become fully registered, while boosting the availability of mental health services in communities across Australia.
Building on the success of the Supporting Provisional Psychologists to Practice Program (SPPP), which is already delivering more than 500 internships and more than 2,000 fully subsidised supervisor training places, this new round will further expand access and opportunity.
Importantly, half of the internships will be allocated to priority groups, including First Nations people, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and individuals in regional, rural and remote communities.
Incentive payments will also be available to reduce financial barriers and support participation.
The grant round is open now - eligible organisations interested in delivering the internship program are encouraged to apply via GrantConnect.
Applications close at 2pm AEDT on 19 December 2025.
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister McBride:
“Too many psychology students don’t progress to registration simply because there are/have been too few internships for trainee psychologists.
“By expanding access to internships, we’re supporting more provisional psychologists to complete their training and enter the workforce – strengthening mental health care across the country.
“This investment is making sure people who want to work in mental health can do so, and that communities have access to the care they need, when they need it.”