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2025

Accessible mental health and wellbeing: A psychological blueprint for Australia’s 2025-26 Budget - APS Pre-Budget Submission 2025-26

The cost of living crisis and other social challenges, such as domestic and family violence (DFV), contribute to Australians continuing to experience a high mental health burden. In turn, this has resulted in increased demands on our healthcare system and the psychology workforce. The 2025–26 Budget is an opportunity for the Government to deliver significant reform initiatives to address violence against women and children and to improve access to appropriate mental health care for all Australians. Analysis suggests that each of the ten initiatives below results in significant positive economic return on government investment in addition to the meaningful benefits to the mental health and wellbeing of the Australian community.

This Pre-Budget Submission provides reform solutions through innovative and future-facing investments and is based on three overarching objectives: (1) Empower victim-survivors of domestic and family violence by providing high quality psychology services, (2) Strengthen the psychology workforce to address Australia’s critical mental health and wellbeing needs, and (3) Deliver accessible and affordable psychology services to the whole Australian community. Specifically, the APS is calling on the Government to fund 10 initiatives designed to support effective mental health services in Australia through: 

  1. Free online training for health professionals to support women and children facing violence
  2. Direct access to psychology services for victim-survivors of DFV
  3. An APS-led DFV Professional Support Network
  4. Extending Commonwealth Prac Payments to postgraduate psychology students 
  5. Developing an evidence-based National Psychology Workforce Strategy 
  6. Improving access to psychology services 
  7. Bulk Billing Incentives for psychologists 
  8. Psychologist-determined support in Better Access 
  9. Streamlining GP Mental Health Reviews, and
  10. Improving youth access to psychology services.

Representing one of the most trusted professions for mental health services, evidence-based research and practice, the APS looks forward to working with the Government to deliver these initiatives.     

 

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The Government is still legislating announced changes and the specific details of many stimulus packages are still being developed. You can learn more about the various stimulus packages for COVID-19 on the Australian Government’s Treasury webpage Economic Response to the Coronavirus.

At this point we suggest psychologists talk to their accountants to determine if they meet the criteria for a small business grant under the COVID-19 economic measures. There is information about coronavirus support for businesses on the Australian Government website. Psychologists may also be eligible for rent and loan relief measures as well as payments to retain employed staff.

When the pandemic first began, we raised with PsyBA the possibility of CPD requirements for 2020 being relaxed to ensure no disadvantage to psychologists due to events being cancelled. Ahpra and National Boards have confirmed that they encourage practitioners to continue CPD relevant to their practice where possible. However, they do not want CPD requirements to take practitioners away from clinical care or cause additional concerns to practitioners already under extra pressure due to COVID-19.

If a practitioner can't meet the CPD standard because of the COVID-19 pandemic, then generally National Boards won't take any action for the registration period during which the COVID-19 emergency is in force. However, if the COVID-19 emergency resolves more quickly than expected, National Boards may issue updated guidance about what CPD they would expect practitioners to complete within the current registration period.

State and Territory Governments have legislated public health orders to ensure protection of the Australian public. These orders cover a range of measures including directing when people must quarantine or self-isolate.

Quarantine

The quarantine orders allow people to be detained when they enter a State or Territory - For example, see Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation and Maritime Quarantine) Amendment Order (No 2).

Self-isolation

Self-isolation orders direct that a person diagnosed with COVID-19 must self-isolate in their residence until medically cleared. These orders also extend to a person who has been identified by an authorised contact tracer as a close contact of a COVID-19 case, requiring that person to self-isolate for the period of time determined by the authorised contact tracer. See Public Health (COVID-19 Self-Isolation) Order (No 3) 2020.

Depending on your workplace and location, employers may be required to have a COVID Safe Plan in place to help mitigate the introduction and spread of COVID-19. The APS has developed a template  to help you focus on safety, prevention and response and prepare a COVID Safe Plan. This template has been developed to address the strictest requirements that may be in place in any State and Territory. It is important that in tailoring this Plan to your workplace you check your State Government’s website and workplace authorities for specific guidance and information.

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