In the marketplace of ideas, topics about mental health can be a bit of a hard-sell. Digital media promises more opportunities for open dialogue and debate, however that depends on what gets published and how engagement with the reader is structured and controlled. When it comes to mental health care, we need to make contrasting […]
Australian Mental Health Party (archives)
From 2014 to 2020 the Australian Mental Health Party (AMHP) provided political representation for optimal mental health
and well-being at the Federal level. The archives below provide a small snapshot of the party did across those years.
Reforms in Lock-down
Australia has done well to avoid the worst of the coronavirus. We move in fits and starts between times of lock-down, leaving people with a mix of relief and dread that we are all just one press conference away from putting our lives on hold again. Plans are shelved, some quietly forgotten about. Attention spans […]
Divisive Conversations
A few days ago I came across an article in The Conversation which contained a couple of errors and points worth clarifying. I’d hoped to put them in the comment thread, but found that I’d missed the 72 hour window. Seems a bit short to cut people off after that, but in any case I […]
What’s new about NewAccess?
A few days ago we heard that BeyondBlue is now calling for their NewAccess program to be rolled out nationally and funded by Medicare. We’ve talked about NewAccess a couple of times previously on our Facebook Group (in July 2013, in August 2013, in March 2016 (twice), and November 2018). A number of the concerns we […]
Better Access to Telepsychology
Accessing mental health care during a pandemic has presented some challenges. Medicare restrictions are making it much harder than it needs to be when delivering psychological care. In this short post, I’ll try to summarise the main problem areas and offer a few constructive solutions. Background context Australians are gradually coming around to the idea […]
Federal Election 2019
Archived from Australian Mental Health Party On behalf of the party, I’d like to express my gratitude to our party members and supporters who voted for us at the election a few weeks ago. What an amazing experience that was! Being the first time running for the senate at a proper federal election, we have […]
Similarities and differences
In the Medicare system, the Better Access to Mental Health Care refers patients with an eligible disorder to see a therapist for evidence-based psychological care. Depending on your choice of provider, you may receive as little back from Medicare as $74.80 or as much as $124.50 for a one hour appointment. Yet all eligible providers […]
MEDIA RELEASE 9 Apr 2019 (Federal Budget Reply)
Archived from Australian Mental Health Party This year’s pre-election federal budget came with an impressive-sounding $737 million allocated to mental health. As usual however, the fine-print tells a different story. On budget night, one of the oldest tricks in the book is to space out funding across several years. In this case, the $737 million […]
Environment in mind
MEDIA RELEASE 15 Mar 2019 Archived from Australian Mental Health Party One of the core values of the Australian Mental Health Party is connection. We believe that our connections to people and places around us shape who we are and what we become. This isn’t just about personal relationships with other people, but also our deeper sense of connection […]
A Caring Health System
Archived from Australian Mental Health Party When we connect to health care, it’s usually in a state of concern, discomfort, or distress. A well-designed health system would ideally respond in a sensitive way to people, adapting to reflect the needs of consumers. Right now, Australia needs a more caring approach to health care. There’s a […]