The Federal Government has announced two changes to GP referrals for mental health treatment plans (MHTPs) under Better Access, commencing from 1 November 2025.
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Patient referrals to Better Access will be required to be made by the person’s ‘usual GP’ or their MyMedicare registered practice, and
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GPs will no longer need to use the specific item number to review a MHTP(eg. item 2712).
Despite this week’s Federal Budget rhetoric about improving access to mental health care, the APS believes these changes, which were included in subsequent Budget announcements, may restrict access to psychologists by making it harder for people to get a mental health treatment plan from a GP.
We are deeply concerned by this and urgently seeking clarification from the Federal Department of Health.
Read on for more information about each of these announcements.
- Patient access to MHTPs under Better Access will be linked to the patient’s enrolment in ‘MyMedicare’ from November 2025
The Department of Health says:
“To support continuity of care, referrals to Better Access will be required to be made by a GP at:
• a person’s MyMedicare-registered practice
• their usual GP if they aren’t registered for MyMedicare.”
APS has previously advocated against this, saying a policy of this nature would make access to psychology services harder for some people.
The idea that all people do, or even can have a ‘usual GP’ is simply unrealistic, particularly for more vulnerable groups in our community, such as young people, itinerant people and those living in rural and remote areas.
We know that these are people who already typically experience higher rates of mental ill health, and this measure means they will face yet another barrier to accessing care.
We also know not all people want to see their usual GP for a mental health treatment plan, for a variety of reasons.
There is no clarity about what a “usual GP” is, and APS is concerned that this might lead to some GPs being reluctant to refer their patient to a psychologist for fear of compliance action against them.
We believe this change will make client access harder. Ultimately this is a loss of patient choice in an environment where finding a GP is already difficult.
The APS position is that:
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The review requirements should be completely removed
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People should have access up to three (3) Better Access sessions without a GP referral
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MBS case conferencing requirements should be streamlined so that a psychologist and GP can have a discussion together about a patient’s care - which in many cases would be preferable than a standard review letter and appointment.
These measures would have led to considerable cost savings for the government and would have benefited patients, as APS has previously advocated.
We have been in discussions with the Department of Health this week and will continue to advocate on this issue.
- Removal of item numbers for GP review of a mental health treatment plan, from November 2025
Despite the removal of the GP review item number, it does not appear the government is scrapping the requirement for a GP mental health treatment plan review.
The government says the specific GP item numbers attached to reviews will be deleted and GPs will use regular time-based items. Our understanding is that this means the review will still be required.
We are hoping this might make it easier for some psychology clients to be reviewed in a timelier way and reduce delays to treatment that currently occur due to time restrictions around when a GP can undertake a mental health review under Item 2712.
While we do not yet know how this will affect the way GPs work, we will monitor this issue closely.
The APS believes that with these announcements, the government is not prioritising reform measures that will lead to meaningful change. The overall result is likely nil net improvement unless the government starts to address systemic issues, i.e., all parts of the mental health system.
These are band-aid measures when there is no incentive to improve access to psychology services for people with mental health problems. Psychologists need financial support from the government to bulk bill, to work in rural and remote settings, as well as higher rebates than currently offered.
We will continue our conversations with the Federal Government about these announcements, and keep members informed.
In a major APS advocacy win, the Federal Government has now softened its proposed changes to Better Access referrals. As shared with APS members in a recent Insights, we took immediate action to speak with media, the Federal Government and the Department of Health to strongly urge these proposed changes be cancelled in the interests of psychologists and their clients.