WEDNESDAY 18 MARCH 2026
Mental health crisis demands urgent action as voters highlight access gap
- 3 in 4 voters concerned about shortage of psychiatrists
- 7 in 10 voters say the mental health system does not meet their needs
- Majority say more must be done to improve access and affordability
- Psychiatrists call for targeted Federal Budget investment
Australians are sending a clear message ahead of the Federal Budget: access to mental health care is not meeting community need, and action cannot wait.
New national polling commissioned by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) shows widespread concern about the mental health system and strong support for urgent investment in the specialist workforce.
The nationally representative Essential Research survey found:
- 77% of Australians are concerned about the growing shortage of psychiatrists
- 71% say the mental health system is not meeting people’s needs
- 66% say mental health care is difficult to access, and 64% say it is unaffordable
- 56% believe more needs to be done by the Federal Government
These findings reflect a system under increasing pressure, where demand for care continues to rise.
Recent national data suggest that around 3.9 million Australians report a need for mental health care each year, yet a significant proportion report that their needs are only partially met or not met at all.
While Australia’s psychiatrist workforce per capita is broadly comparable to many OECD countries, national averages mask a critical reality: timely access to specialist care is not being achieved for large parts of the population.
Australia has approximately 4,300 practising psychiatrists, around 16 per 100,000 people, but workforce distribution is highly uneven, with persistent shortages in regional and rural communities.
At the same time, wait times for psychiatric care have increased significantly, with median waits for specialist services rising from around two weeks to nearly seven weeks over the past decade, reflecting growing pressure on the system.
RANZCP President Dr Astha Tomar said the results highlight a system under sustained strain and, in parts, no longer fit for purpose.
“On paper, Australia’s psychiatrist workforce may appear adequate. In practice, too many Australians are still waiting too long, travelling too far, or unable to access care at all,” Dr Tomar said.
“This is not just a workforce numbers issue, it is more an access issue, a distribution issue, and increasingly, a system design issue.”
Dr Tomar said psychiatrists are seeing the consequences of these pressures every day across both public and private sectors.
“We see it in emergency departments, where people in crisis can wait hours or even days for assessment. We see it in regional Australia, where access to a psychiatrist may mean travelling hundreds of kilometres. And we see it in young people, where delays in care allow conditions to escalate into crisis.”
“Across parts of the system, we are now operating in environments that are not consistently enabling safe, timely and effective care.”
Dr Tomar said these access problems are even more severe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, particularly in regional and remote areas where culturally safe specialist care is often limited or unavailable.
“For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, these barriers are even higher. Many people are trying to navigate a mental health system that isn’t designed with culture, Country or community in mind. In too many places there simply isn’t a psychiatrist available at all.”
“When care isn’t culturally safe or locally accessible, people delay seeking help or miss out altogether, deepening the inequities Australians are telling us they’re worried about.”
Dr Tomar said there is a growing gap between what psychiatrists are trained to provide and what the current system allows them to deliver.
“Psychiatrists are highly trained to provide comprehensive, evidence-based care for people with complex mental illness. Increasingly, they are working in systems that constrain that care, through limited time, fragmented pathways and insufficient resourcing.”
“This is leading to what is recognised in healthcare as moral distress, where clinicians know what care is needed but are unable to provide it within the system they are working in.”
“Over time, that has a profound impact. It contributes to burnout, to workforce attrition, and to clinicians questioning whether they can continue to work in a system that does not consistently support the care their patients need.”
“If we do not address this, we risk losing skilled psychiatrists from a system that is already under pressure.”
The RANZCP is calling on the Federal Government to use the 2026–27 Federal Budget to take targeted action to strengthen the psychiatry workforce and improve access to care.
Key measures include:
- Train more psychiatrists in regional Australia where shortages are worst, with $22,976,000 over two years to support up to 70 rural psychiatry posts, supervision, and digital infrastructure.
- Get more junior doctors into psychiatry to learn from those approaching retirement, with $2.14 million to extend the Psychiatry Interest Forum program to June 2028 to provide a critical linkage, build a sustainable workforce pipeline, and strengthen rural access to care.
- Address mental health early in young people with $6 million annually to embed psychiatrists in Medicare Mental Health Kids Hubs
- Make mental health care more accessible by expanding training into community clinics and private hospitals through the National Consistent Payments (NCP) and Approved Emergency Department (APED) frameworks
Workforce modelling indicates that without intervention, Australia faces a projected shortfall of around 20% in the psychiatry workforce over the coming decades.
Mental ill-health is one of Australia’s largest health and economic challenges, with the Productivity Commission estimating the broader cost at up to $220 billion annually.
“Investing in the psychiatry workforce is one of the most effective ways to improve access to care, reduce pressure on hospitals and support earlier intervention,” Dr Tomar said.
“But this is not just about training more psychiatrists. Instead, it is about building a system where they can practise effectively, sustainably, and in a way that delivers the care patients need.”
“Australians have made their expectations clear. The upcoming Federal Budget is an opportunity to respond with meaningful, system-level action.”
To view the RANZCP pre-budget submission please follow this link: RANZCP 2026 Pre Budget Submission
To arrange an interview call Raj Wakeling on 0420 414 724 or email [email protected]
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists is a membership organisation that prepares medical specialists in the field of psychiatry, supports and enhances clinical practice, advocates for people affected by mental illness and advises governments and other groups on mental health care. For information about our work, our members or our history, visit www.ranzcp.org.
In Australia: If you or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au or the Suicide Callback Service on 1300 659 467 or www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au.
In New Zealand: If you or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline NZ on 0800 543 354 or www.lifeline.org.nz or the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 828 865 or www.lifeline.org.nz/suicide-prevention.
Contact details:
Raj Wakeling
0420 414 724