The Andrews Government’s budget commits significant funding to mental health services in Victoria. The Victorian Psychologists Association welcomes this funding and believes it will provide a much needed boost to expand mental health services across Victoria.
In particular the Victorian Psychologists Association is pleased to see additional funding for the state’s mental health institutions and to increase access for those requiring urgent mental health assistance.
This budget will go a long way to setting Victoria up to better support the growing mental health needs in our community and to better address mental health issues in young people.
While this year’s budget could be dubbed the mental health budget the VPA is disappointed that the funding doesn’t include targeted funding for the employment of psychologists. The increase in funding will necessitate an increase in mental health workers as services are able to expand to meet the growing demand placed on mental health services.
The challenge now for the Andrews Government is ensuring that the initiatives contained in the budget mean more psychologists are available to support Victoria’s mental health needs.
