Separating mental health from the NDIS wins cross-party support

The need to unpick the inclusion of mental health in the $22bn NDIS has won backing from across the political spectrum.

The urgent need to unpick the inclusion of mental health in the $22 billion National Disability Insurance Scheme has won backing from across the political spectrum, with Liberal senator Eric Abetz and a union echoing calls by Australia’s foremost expert for action.

The Australian yesterday reported Patrick McGorry, a former Australian of the Year, does not believe the two models fit together and a separate, better funded scheme for mental health should be established.

“The way this decision is playing out in practice will see a reduction in preventive mental health support,” Senator Abetz said.

“The overwhelming feedback I’ve received from the sector is that the funding levels for mental health are adequate but the money needs to be better spent, and including mental health in the NDIS is a retrograde step.

“Given Labor’s rushed decision to include mental health in the NDIS, it is understandable that state and territory governments would roll their existing funds into the NDIS — my issue is with the initial decision, which I believe should be revisited.”

Victoria’s Health and Community Services Union yesterday declared Professor McGorry “is right”.

Professor McGorry told The Australian the NDIS was a good concept that should not be dim­inished by efforts to properly fund mental health.

About $1.8bn was spent on federal, state and territory-funded community mental health programs in 2012 and the NDIS is ­expected to have a budget of about the same amount, to help a much smaller number of people.

Modelling shows at least 100,000 people with serious mental illnesses who could once ­access individually funded support will not be eligible for the NDIS, despite the latter scheme soaking up money from those programs.

“I’m certainly not knocking the NDIS but it was designed with a particular group of people in mind, and some people, maybe about 10 per cent of people with serious mental illness, fit that category but most people don’t,” he said.

“Those people who don’t fit the category are already in deep trouble because the community mental health system at the state government level is shrinking.

“Mental illness, you would have to say, would have to be a bigger ticket item than the ($22bn) NDIS if it is going to be done properly.

“That’s the challenge the government has, the realpolitik of it,” he said.