‘Just a name change’: Labor is launching 60 mental health hubs but not all of them are new

Labor spent millions of dollars to rebrand existing mental health centres into Medicare Mental Health Hubs. Now critics say its a ploy to boost the Medicare brand ahead of the election.

The Albanese government forked out millions of taxpayer dollars for what is being dubbed a “political ploy” after several Head to Health mental health sites were renamed to add Medicare into the title.

The government announced that they would be launching 61 Medicare Mental Health Centres at the cost of $29.9m — but the Sunday Telegraph can reveal a portion of the funding has gone into simply changing the look of existing centres launched by the former Coalition government.

Medicare has been added to the branding of existing mental health hubs. Picture: Lee Constable

“Head to Health centres are now called Medicare Mental Health, it’s just a name change,” peer worker Nalini says in one of the several ads about the new hubs.

“The services will remain the same,” another staff member said.

The Frequently Asked Questions section on the South Western Sydney Primary Healthcare Network says the rebranding includes changes to “ the signage, the look of the physical centres, and communication materials” and will be rolled out over coming months.

The Health Minister’s office did not answer how many of the 61 sites were existing centres but the Coalition had funded 40 Head to Health sites in its 2021-2022 budget.

Liberal Senator Anne Ruston. Picture: Dan Peled

Coalition health spokesman Anne Ruston said Labor had spent millions of dollars only to boost the Medicare brand ahead of the federal election.

“Instead of taking real action to improve this access for vulnerable Australians, they are taking credit for sites funded by the Coalition and spending millions of taxpayer dollars rebranding Head to Health centres purely for political reasons,” she said.

“Labor has slashed Medicare mental health funding in half, dissolved the National Mental Health Commission, and they were recently forced to backflip on cuts to at least 13 essential community mental health services.

“Labor has been pursuing another disgraceful and desperate Mediscare campaign to distract from their failures on health, and this situation is no different.”

Minister Mark Butler talks about Medicare Urgent Care Clinic. Picture: John Gass

With the federal polls due no later than May 17, Labor has ramped up its messaging on Medicare announcing just shy of $10bn on healthcare initiatives before an election is even called.

They have also brought back their Mediscare campaign against the Coalition, claiming Peter Dutton will make cuts to Medicare despite the opposition leader so far matching the government’s key Medicare policies.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the money was also going towards adding a new centralised tele-psychology and tele-psychiatry service.

“The name change to ‘Medicare Mental Health Centres’ aligns these services with other trusted, clinical services funded by the Australian Government that are free,” he said.

“It was apparent prior to the name change many people did not know these services were free.

“Importantly, Australians now know where to go to get free mental health support.”

Originally published as ‘Just a name change’: Labor is launching 60 mental health hubs but not all of them are new