Mental health - time to make it tip

We are at a tipping point for mental health reform in Australia. We now have the opportunity, capacity and momentum to deliver genuine change. The need to act is easily demonstrated. While 90 per cent of people with physical illness in Australia gain ready access to quality care, only 35 per cent of those with mental ill-health access any treatment.

Our mental health system generally offers late intervention within a severely under-resourced acute health system that is poorly linked to primary care. People are left to endure preventable suffering at precisely the times they should be getting the most help. Our nation loses great talent, productivity and resources as a result. 

We now have an unprecedented opportunity to build a much better mental health system. If we take this opportunity, the outcome will be an Australia in which people have a better understanding of mental health issues and where locally based services respond early, expertly and effectively. This is the time for bold action to achieve change.

This website is a resource for concerned Australians, policy-makers and people who work in mental health services who wish to work together to achieve mental health reform. I have no doubt that by working together, we can achieve a new deal on mental health that expresses all that is best about Australia.