Mental Health Services

In reply to the Hon. S.L. GAME ().28 September 2023).

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector): The Minister for Health and Wellbeing has advised:

The government released the report as soon as practical after its completion and following usual departmental and cabinet processes.

The report was commissioned following real cuts to funding that occurred to NGO psychosocial services under the former Marshall Liberal government.

Between 2018-19 and 2020-21, the funding for NGO commissioned mental health services by the SA government was cut by 19.2 per cent. The percentage of that cut would be even larger if accounting for inflation.

In contrast, the Malinauskas Labor government has increased funding for NGO commissioned mental health services by 11.8 per cent in just its first year.

The Unmet Needs report recommends that additional investment should only be progressed in the context of a shared framework between state and commonwealth governments. The commonwealth government has now commenced a national analysis of unmet need for psychosocial support, which when complete will help inform future planning and resourcing discussions across all jurisdictions.