What is the Better Access initiative?
The Better Access initiative (‘Better Access’) is an Australian Government program that provides subsidised mental health care to Australian residents, through Medicare.
Better Access has enabled millions of Australians with diagnosed mental health disorders to access effective and high-quality psychological treatment. This initiative gives Medicare rebates to eligible people, so they can access the mental health services they need.
Support is available from psychologists, as well as eligible general practitioners (GPs) and other medical practitioners, social workers and occupational therapists.
Those who live in rural and remote areas have had access to these services via telehealth since 2017. In 2020, telehealth access to Better Access services was opened up to all eligible people and is now a permanent feature of the Better Access program.
To access mental health services under Better Access, speak to your GP.
Advocacting to improve the Better Access Initiative
While the Better Access initiative has enabled millions of Australians to access effective and high-quality psychological treatment, more needs to be done to provide a sustainable and equitable model for both patients and psychologists. Numerous reviews and reports have shown the need for psychological services has never been greater.
There are many vulnerable groups and cohorts who require more support through the Better Access initiative. Both the continuation of existing measures, and the introduction of simple improvements to Better Access would support and advance mental health care for all Australians.
The APS has strongly advocated to Government to strengthen Better Access with the following initiatives:
- Permanently reinstate the 10 additional Better Access sessions, allowing access to a total of 20 sessions per year.
- Introduce a ‘youth mental health safety net’ (i.e., higher Medicare rebates to subsidise Better Access sessions for young people and reduce out-of-pocket expenses) to ensure all Australians aged 16 to 24 can access the psychological care they need without financial hardship for themselves or their families.
- Extend the MBS to cover psychologists to provide services to victim-survivors of family and domestic violence (FDV) without the need for a GP referral.
- Extend the MBS to cover perinatal mental health treatment by a psychologist without the need for a GP referral.
- Allow up to three sessions of psychological treatment under the Better Access initiative without a GP referral or Mental Health Treatment Plan to remove a potential barrier to ensure ease of access and increase affordability.
- Shift the requirement for GP Mental Health reviews to follow 10 sessions rather than 6 sessions, irrespective of how many total sessions are available under Better Access.
- Introduce bulk billing and other rural and remote practice incentives for psychologists, equivalent to those provided for GPs.
- Increase Chronic Disease Management (CDM) sessions for psychologists and align rebates with Better Access items to enable psychologists to address issues associated with chronic conditions.
Recent Pre-Budget submissions to the Federal Government
Continuing our advocacy for Better Access, the APS proposed that funding be allocated in a number of ways, as detailed more thoroughly in our pre-Budget submissions to government.
2023-24
Access 2023-24 submission
2022-23
Access the 2022-23 submission
2021-22
Access the 2021-22 submission