Mental health initiatives have been allocated just over $200 million in Budget 2022, but it will not be enough to relieve pressure on a system facing rising numbers of people in psychological distress, says the head of the Mental Health Foundation.
Shaun Robinson, the foundation’s chief executive, says any new investment is welcome in a sector that is short-staffed, underfunded and struggling to cope with growing demand.
But the new money announced by Finance Minister Grant Robertson on Thursday amounts to “small bikkies” compared to the scale of the challenges confronting mental health providers across the country, Robinson says. Read more