June has been an exceptionally busy month for the mental health sector, marked by successive budgets and major reports across Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.

The annual budget season has ended, with Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT the last cabs off the rank to forecast spending for the year ahead.

While some jurisdictions had more to offer than others, the overall picture is bleak with investment in mental health services neither meeting the current need nor keeping pace with demand.

Of most concern, with some localised exceptions, is the lack of meaningful funding for workforce growth to ease the strain on our profession and the communities we serve. 

This situation was highlighted in recent days by the release of Australia’s Psychiatry Supply and Demand Study, which makes even more stark the contrast between what is now being funded and what will be required over the next 25 years.

The findings were alarming, but not surprising. The study estimated community demand for psychiatric services will far outstrip supply over the next 25 years, with a projected 20.7 per cent undersupply of psychiatrists by 2048.  

The College played an important role in helping the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing undertake and publish this study. As a result, the severe and worsening shortage of psychiatrists in Australia – which is all too familiar to us as clinicians – has now been laid bare. 

We can and we will use this publicly available data as a signpost for our advocacy to attract, train and retrain more psychiatrists.

Another significant report released in recent days was the Interim Review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Agreement by the Productivity Commission. The Commission found that Australia’s current plan to improve mental health and prevent suicide is not fit-for-purpose and has made no real improvements to the mental health system since it was signed in 2022. 

The Commission’s findings echoed what our members have been telling us for far too long – that despite three years since the current Agreement, our mental health system remains fragmented, under-resourced, and is failing the people who need it most. 

In our response and ongoing work with government stakeholders, we have urged and will continue to urge governments to enact the Commission's recommendations, including implementing the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy, with clear funding commitments and accountability structures.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, the Government released its Suicide Prevention Action Plan. While Tū Te Akaaka Roa, the New Zealand National Office welcomed this, we warned that without addressing critical gaps in access and workforce shortages, impact will be limited. The increase in youth suicide rates since the disestablishment of the suicide prevention office remains a major concern.

Te Hiringa Mara's wellbeing assessment released this month also found that people accessing mental health services have lower wellbeing, income and physical health, and face higher discrimination in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Equity remains central to our advocacy, particularly for mental health consumers. Māori, Pasifika and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and those in rural and remote areas, are all at greater risk of missing out on essential psychiatric care. Across both the countries, our systems need to do better to improve the mental health outcomes for the most vulnerable groups, so no one has to go without the help they need.

Recently, we have seen announcements in various states and territories and Aotearoa New Zealand relating to GPs diagnosing and treating ADHD. While the College welcomes enhanced training for GPs, a cautious approach is required due to the need for comprehensive assessments and care in prescribing, and the frequent complexities, comorbidities and potential for misdiagnosis when symptoms overlap with other mental health conditions.

We are engaging with governments and other specialist colleges, including the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and will continue to keep you updated on developments.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the work being done by the people who make up the College – the members, our staff, state and territory Branch Chairs and Chairs of the Faculties, Sections and Networks. So many of us are dedicated to keeping the College’s priorities front and centre in the minds of our governments, and I thank each and every one of you for your efforts.

While teams in each jurisdiction are expert at navigating their own unique environments, we recognise that there is scope to better harness shared issues and experiences in our advocacy. We are keen to listen, so if you have any feedback, please reach out to me or your local branch representatives.

The College has a renewed focus on using our collective knowledge and might to influence decision-makers at all levels of government for the benefit of our membership and our patients.

Dr Astha Tomar
RANZCP President