AAPi's response to the Federal Budget was covered by News Corp newspapers, The Guardian and Croakey.
The Herald Sun (online) quoted Executive Director Tegan Carrison extensively, who said she was devastated mental health had been “abandoned”.
“My heart is breaking for all the families in crisis who had hoped that the government would hear their pleas for support and appropriate funding to get their mental health back on track,” she said.
“It seems the federal government has forgotten we are in the midst of an ongoing mental health crisis.
“The government claims that this is the largest investment in Medicare since its creation 41 years ago and continues to ignore one of the key aspects of health – mental health!
“Since when is mental health not considered part of Medicare?”
She said out-of-pocket costs were the highest ever for mental health due to systemic underfunding.
“I would like the federal government to explain to the 4.2 million people in this country who have experienced a mental health disorder in the past 12 months why they have been abandoned.
“We can only hope that in the government’s haste in preparing this budget, someone forgot to include any initiatives to address our crippling mental health crisis.”
Read the full story in The Guardian.
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