The Federal Government has focused on the "practical futures" of young people with this week's Budget announcements, youth mental health expert Patrick McGorry has said.
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The executive director of Orygen said young people were at the centre of the government's plan for economic and social recovery with a raft of initiatives to provide them with "critical" employment and education options including the $4 billion Job Maker scheme.
Professor McGorry welcomed the 2020-21 Budget's focus on young people, whom he said had been "disproportionately affected" by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's a major threat to your mental health if you don't have a job," the former Australian of the Year commented ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10.
He particularly noted the allocation of $45.7 million over four years to expand the Department of Social Services' Individual Placement and Support program for three more years and expand to a total of 50 headspace sites.
"This will assist more vulnerable young people with mental illness in more locations across the country to participate in the workforce," Professor McGorry said.
"Ultimately, this proven model needs to be in every headspace centre and every youth mental health service across Australia."
But while he welcomed efforts to ensure all Australians had improved access to mental health care during the crisis - including doubling the number of Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions from 10 to 20 per year - Professor McGorry said the government had "kicked the can down the road" on serious reform changes.
He is "taking on trust" there is more to come once the government considers the findings of the final Productivity Commission Report into Mental Health, the interim report into suicide prevention commissioned by the Prime Minister, and Victoria's Royal Commission recommendations.
"A major redesign and new investment in programs backed by scientific evidence is essential to transcend the piecemeal, fragmented and ineffective approaches of the past," he said.
"Orygen looks forward to working with the Australian Government on developing and implementing the next wave of investments and reform in mental health and youth mental health."
Other measures Orygen welcomed in the 2020-21 Budget include:
- $2.3 million over four years from 2020-21 to enhance the National headspace network by upgrading the Mount Barker service in South Australia to a full centre.
- The private health insurance changes which will enable health funds to cover treatment delivered outside hospitals, in the community and at home, starting with mental health and orthopaedics in April 2021 and also the changes to private health insurance that will increase the age of dependents - from 24 to 31 - to enable young people to remain on their family policy.
