National mental health charity SANE Australia has welcomed the announcement by Federal Minister for Health, the Hon Sussan Ley MP that mental health services will have their funding renewed for another 12 months.
‘This is a welcome decision which will ensure continuity of services and programs for Australians who live with mental illness, and those who care for them,’ says SANE Australia CEO Jack Heath.
‘Having addressed the short term funding issue, we now need to focus on the long term plan for mental health in Australia – building the best mental health system in the world. SANE Australia looks forward to the release of the National Mental Health Commission’s National Review and the Government response to the review. It’s time now to begin the serious work on mental health reform,’ Heath adds.
‘SANE Australia and others in the mental health sector are committed to working constructively with Government to deliver reform that makes a significant and measurable difference in the lives of people affected by mental illness. It is essential that we build on the achievements of successive governments – we cannot afford to drop the ball on mental health,’ says Heath.
