Federal government announces mental health reform
"Our roadmap recognises that good mental health is a whole-of-life issue and that non-clinical support is just important as the clinical support we provide," Mr Butler told The Australian Online.
"Undertaking paid work and being able to participate in meaningful activity and make social connections can be critical to people's recovery from mental illness."
The 42-page draft roadmap is the result of a Council of Australian Governments agreement last August that tasked representatives from each state and territory to better focus the nation's mental health reform agenda.
It outlines five key directions for the sector including promoting good mental health and preventing suicide, early detection and intervention, support for consumers and carers, increased participation in society and addressing service access gaps.
The roadmap stated short and long-term actions for employment assistance including increased funding for support services required after a period of hospitalisation, incentives for employers looking hire someone with a mental illness and stigma reduction activities in workplaces.
According to the 2010 National Mental Health Report reduced productivity associated with mental illness in the employed workforce costs the nation $5.9 billion annually.
Mental health advocates have been long calling for increased support for mentally-ill people to return to, or remain in, paid work but until now there has been no clear measurable goal committed to by the government.
Former Australian of The Year and mental health campaigner Patrick McGorry said while the roadmap was a good start the government needed to ensure it had the funding to back it up.
"If you want to complete a journey as well as a roadmap you need modern sophisticated vehicles and you need fuel," Professor McGorry told The Australian Online.
"You've got to have a guarantee that the tank, or finances, is filled up repeatedly. That's where I think the big threat to achieving this goal comes from."
The opposition's mental health spokeswoman Concetta Ferravanti-Wells questioned the timing of the draft roadmap's release.
"The Gillard government claims to have mental health as a second term priority but it has released its 42-page draft version of its Roadmap and then given people only two weeks to comment," Senator Fierravanti-Wells said.
"In case they had not noticed, many people are still on annual leave or preparing to return their children to school. Is this really a consultation period or a gesture to trick people into thinking they have had a say?"
The draft is open for public consultation until February 1.
The 42-page draft roadmap is the result of a Council of Australian Governments agreement last August that tasked representatives from each state and territory to better focus the nation's mental health reform agenda.
It outlines five key directions for the sector including promoting good mental health and preventing suicide, early detection and intervention, support for consumers and carers, increased participation in society and addressing service access gaps.
The roadmap stated short and long-term actions for employment assistance including increased funding for support services required after a period of hospitalisation, incentives for employers looking hire someone with a mental illness and stigma reduction activities in workplaces.
According to the 2010 National Mental Health Report reduced productivity associated with mental illness in the employed workforce costs the nation $5.9 billion annually.
Mental health advocates have been long calling for increased support for mentally-ill people to return to, or remain in, paid work but until now there has been no clear measurable goal committed to by the government.
Former Australian of The Year and mental health campaigner Patrick McGorry said while the roadmap was a good start the government needed to ensure it had the funding to back it up.
"If you want to complete a journey as well as a roadmap you need modern sophisticated vehicles and you need fuel," Professor McGorry told The Australian Online.
"You've got to have a guarantee that the tank, or finances, is filled up repeatedly. That's where I think the big threat to achieving this goal comes from."
The opposition's mental health spokeswoman Concetta Ferravanti-Wells questioned the timing of the draft roadmap's release.
"The Gillard government claims to have mental health as a second term priority but it has released its 42-page draft version of its Roadmap and then given people only two weeks to comment," Senator Fierravanti-Wells said.
"In case they had not noticed, many people are still on annual leave or preparing to return their children to school. Is this really a consultation period or a gesture to trick people into thinking they have had a say?"
The draft is open for public consultation until February 1.
RESOURCE:http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/federal-government-announces-mental-health-reform/story-fn59niix-1226246532268
Category: Mental Health
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