Australians For Mental Health (AFMH) representative Stuart Baker welcomed the appointment of Mr Hunt to lead the federal health ministry after the resignation of Farrer MP Sussan Ley.

Mr Baker said it was “refreshing” to see a politician who appeared to have genuine empathy and understanding of mental health issues.

Mr Hunt has highlighted mental health as a “critical part” of his role after opening up about his own experience of seeing his mother battle bipolar.

A report by The Age on January 18 revealed the last time Mr Hunt saw his mother before she died, she was in a mental health institution.

Mr Baker said that level of personal insight could prove invaluable in helping elevate mental health reform on the federal government’s agenda.

“It’s exciting to have Mr Hunt in the job because he seems passionate about the health system,” Mr Baker said.

“But he has a difficult period coming up with the implementation of the new primary health networks and how they will be rolled out.”

But the biggest challenge that Mr Hunt is set to face is in putting a case to the government to find more money for mental health, Mr Baker said.

“It is one of the most important and yet one of the most neglected areas of our health system,” he said.

Mr Baker and wife Annette were invited to join AFMH, launched in 2015, in recognition of their efforts to break down the stigma of suicide and mental illness on the Border.

Founder Professor Patrick McGorry said Australians living with mental ill health had been neglected by successive governments for too long.

“Seven Australians take their life each day and around half of all Australians experience some form of mental ill-health in their lifetimes,” he said.

“Incredibly less than 7 per cent of health expenditure is devoted to mental health.”