Our advocacy wins and future goals

Dear members, 

As we enter spring and the final quarter of the year now is a good time to let you know how we have been advocating to government, the media and the community on your behalf this year and our plans for the future.  

Our members are our reason for being, and your tireless work this year amidst continued record patient demand is nothing short of inspirational, and we are committed to ensuring your lifesaving work is given the acknowledgment and support from government it deserves.  

KEY ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS 

Throughout the course of the year our message to stakeholders has been clear: 

• We must grow our workforce to meet demand and provide long overdue relief to members 
• Members should be properly compensated for their work 
• Government should reduce administration requirements on psychologists, giving you more time for yourself or your patients, and 
• Patients must have more accessible and affordable care, no matter their background or where they live.  

In consultation with members the APS has provided detailed submissions to the Federal Government, States and Territories. Our federal pre-budget submission, federal election statement and getting psychologists in schools are some of the resources that go into these themes in more detail. A full list of all policy submissions and position statements can be found here and here.  

As your President I and CEO Dr Zena Burgess along with the executive are in regular conversation with many state and federal ministers ranging from mental health, health and education to early childhood, crime prevention, attorneys-general and more to provide policy advice and work with them to solve some of the problems we and our communities face.  

OUTCOMES SO FAR 

While there have been some positive changes including

• Getting federal funding of $15.1 million over 4 years from 2022-23 to introduce a case conferencing item on the MBS 
• $6.6 million towards more placements and psychologists 
• The creation and expansion of the 20 Medicare subsidised sessions
• $200 million in additional mental health funding for Victorian schools including 300 additional public psychologists and
• 89 additional mental health beds in South Australia

More needs to be done, and the APS makes no apologies for bringing public awareness and pressure to government to get what you deserve.  

MEDIA IMPACT 

With your support through surveys, member feedback and media interviews, this year we have had nearly one thousand media appearances across the country and have got our message out to a cumulative potential audience of more than 30 million, which is an incredible result.  

Key stories: 

• Urgent call to extend cheap psych scheme 
• Keeping 10 additional Medicare sessions key to youth mental health 
• “Fantastic” psychologists turned away during crisis 
• Australia experiencing an ‘impending and significant’ health crisis, survey finds 
• ‘Our mental health is collectively breaking’: One in five Australians had mental disorder in pandemic 
• Universities lose Commonwealth funding for postgraduate degrees needed to boost psychologist numbers amid 'mental health crisis' 
• 1 in 3 psychologists forced to turn people away, shocking survey reveals  
• Help hard to find amid mental health pinch 
• One in three psychologists have closed their books and children are being left behind 
• Anxious nation: Eco-grief takes hold as ‘code red for humanity’ hits home 
• ‘Urgent national priority’: Pandemic’s staggering mental toll on young Australians 

Stories like these are some of the many that are making an impact and starting conversations across the country, all which would not have been possible with the input and support of you. Importantly, it shows that there is an awareness and appetite for change, and we will continue to make our case publicly and privately.  

In the coming months, making the 20 subsidised sessions permanent, growing our workforce and making treatment more accessible and climate change are some of the key things we will be focussing on, and we will provide more information about how you get can get involved soon. 

Yours sincerely,  

Tamara Cavenett