Australians for Mental Health welcomes free virtual counselling initiative

Australians for Mental Health welcomes free virtual counselling initiative

Australians for Mental Health has welcomed the Albanese Government’s announcement to make online and over-the-phone counselling free for all Australians. 

The free digital mental health support service is set to be available under Medicare by next January. 

“Australia is suffering through a mental health crisis. Getting help can be hard to access and unaffordable. This will take pressure off a system struggling to meet the needs of Australians,” Australians for Mental Health Executive Director Chris Gambian said. 

“Making it easier for people, especially young people, to get support as early as possible and at no cost will be a game-changer,” Chris Gambian said. 

For Australians aged 16-24, nearly 40 per cent of them experienced a mental health disorder in the past year, up 50 per cent since 2007. And, suicide is also the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15 to 44

“This announcement for free support is a good measure, but we are also facing a major challenge in Australia and we will never be able to fund enough services to meet the growing demand for mental health support,” Chris Gambian said. 

Australians for Mental Health is calling for additional steps including establishing a Wellbeing Act and a dedicated Mental Health and Wellbeing Commissioner in the Australian Human Rights Commission to help keep governments accountable. 

The organisation is also advocating for more focus on the drivers of mental ill-health and reforms to systems and structures found in everyday life that cause needless mental harm. 

That includes a push to bolster workplace laws to ensure jobs are designed for good mental health, including ensuring managers undertake mandatory mental health training to protect workers, who spend a third of their lives at work. 

“If we are going to solve the mental health crisis, we also need to think about what’s causing mental ill-health. Providing services to help people is great, but we need to address why we get to the point where we need that help too,” Chris Gambian said. 

Media contact - Kathleen Ferguson - 0421 522 080