Mental Health Australia chair Matt Berriman says Anthony Albanese ‘doing nothing’ about mental health

The outgoing chair of Mental Health Australia Matt Berriman has accused Anthony Albanese of dismissing the crisis, revealing the Prime Minister refused to meet with him during his three-year tenure.

Mental Health Australia Chair Matt Berriman.

The outgoing chair of Mental Health Australia Matt Berriman has accused Anthony Albanese of “doing nothing” to address the nation’s mental health crisis, revealing the Prime Minister refused to meet with him during his three-year tenure at the organisation.

After announcing his decision to quit peak body on Wednesday, Mr Berriman said Mr Albanese had failed to grasp the seriousness of mental health and was ignoring more than five million people living with mental health issues in Australia.

Following the Bondi Junction tragedy which saw six people stabbed by mass murder Joel Cauchi, who had a history of mental illness, Mr Berriman said he had sought to distribute a bipartisan letter on behalf of Mental Health Australia as a symbolic recognition of mental health issues plaguing Australians.

Mr Berriman said Mr Albanese refused to sign the letter or meet with him, despite multiple attempts by the organisation, as he revealed Peter Dutton was always willing to meet with him whenever he requested a meeting.

“(Mr Albanese) takes meetings with people for domestic violence, he takes meetings with people with disabilities, which he absolutely should, but this country has got over five million people with mental challenges involving carers and their loved ones,” Mr Berriman told The Australian.

“I just don’t understand how the Prime Minister of the country doesn’t give it any time in his diary. It makes no sense. He’s out there going to Taylor Swift and going on Kyle and Jackie O like seriously, what are the priorities?”

Mr Berriman, who praised Health Minister Mark Butler’s commitment to the issue, said the Bondi stabbings were a missed opportunity for Mr Albanese, who should have shown leadership like John Howard did following the Port Arthur mass shooting in Tasmania.

“I wanted to have these conversations in a bipartisan way and it’s hard to be bipartisan when one party isn’t there at all,” Mr Berriman said.

“I think the former Coalition government put $1.8bn into bilateral agreements, are they perfect? No. But what’s Labor done since it got in? The overwhelming sentiment is he’s doing nothing.”

A government spokeswoman said Mr Butler had met with Mr Berriman “many times” during his tenure, and thanked him for his work and “deep commitment to advocating for those with lived experience”.

The government said it had not received a copy of the letter signed by Mr Dutton and that Mr Berriman had not requested a formal meeting with Mr Albanese since early 2023.

Opposition health and aged care spokeswoman Anne Ruston said Mr Albanese should feel “absolutely ashamed” that Labor’s “inaction on mental health has forced Matt Berriman to step down”.

“Mr Berriman has strongly advocated for mental health to be treated as a national priority, but the Prime Minister’s refusal to meet with him demonstrates just how little this government is prioritising mental health,” Senator Ruston said.

“The Coalition looks forward to continuing to work with all mental health advocates to ensure we have a mental health system in Australia that focuses on prevention and early intervention, while providing comprehensive support for patients with serious and complex conditions.”

Ahead of the May 14 budget, Mr Albanese is under growing pressure to boost funding to mental health with leading psychiatrist and former Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry warning the system was severely underfunded in every state.

Mr Butler cut back 20 Medicare rebated psychology sessions back to 10 in January, sparking criticism from psychologists and Labor MP Josh Burns, who urged the government to ­reconsider the decision.

In August 2020, the number of sessions available through the Better Access program was temporarily increased from 10 to 20 to help people suffering during the Covid pandemic. The Coalition has pledged to reinstate the full 20 Medicare rebated sessions if it wins office next year.

As part of its pre-budget submission, Mental Health Australia has urged the government to fundamentally reform the sector including embedding it into the national health reform agreement and implementing a national mental health workforce strategy.

The peak body said rates of young people experiencing mental health conditions have increased dramatically from 25 per cent in 2007 to 40 per cent in 2021.

However, mental health expenditure as a proportion of total health expenditure has decreased from 8 per cent in 2019-20 to 7 per cent in 2020-21.