Using data to build a stronger mental health system

Someone once told me that good data is like a lighthouse. It doesn’t fix the storm around you, but it helps you see where you are and find a safer path forward. 

The 2026 Report on Government Services, released last week by the Productivity Commission, is one of those lights for our sector. It reminds us why strong data and monitoring matter, and how far we still have to go to shift the balance from hospital-based care to community-led supports.

This report shows that data is not just numbers on a page. It helps us spot trends, see gaps and understand where people are not getting the support they need.  

Some of the key findings are (Note: the report uses the most recent data sources so the year may vary):  

Cost-of-living pressures. One in five people delayed seeing a mental health professional in 2024–25 because of cost. While this is a small improvement from the year before, it is still far too many people missing out.

Access rates to care remain steady. In 2023–24, 10.6% of people received Medicare or DVA subsidised mental health care, and 1.8% accessed state and territory specialist services – similar to previous years.  

Outcomes from state services are mixed. In 2023–24, almost three quarters of people leaving hospital-based psychiatric care showed significant improvement. Yet only 60% of people who went to an emergency department for a mental health need were seen within clinically recommended times. Seclusion and restraint rates rose in four jurisdictions, although community follow-up after hospital discharge improved or held steady in most jurisdictions.

National spending is up, but still disproportionate. Total government spending on mental health reached $13.8 billion in 2023–24, up from $12.6 billion in 2022-23, but still only 8.6% of total health funding. This is despite mental health being our second largest ‘burden of disease’ in Australia behind cancer (14.8% of total disease burden). More than three-fifths of this funding is directed to State and Territory government mental health services. 

Workforce pressures continue. Data for the mental health workforce in 2024 is limited, but shows fairly high attrition in many parts of the sector, with ‘other allied health practitioners’ at 25.5%, nurses 22.6%, medical practitioners 15.3% and psychologists 5.6%.   

There is very limited public reporting on services delivered by the non-government sector, despite governments and the community relying heavily on these organisations.  

Mental Health Australia is pleased to be working with the National Mental Health Commission to improve this picture and look at how we can increase representation of the non-government sector in their National Report Card. Further information about this project and an online consultation is available here. 

Better data – together with the insights and experiences shared by people with lived experience of mental health challenges and their families, carers and kin – helps us build a fairer, more responsive system. We will keep shining a light to see where change is needed.

Carolyn Nikoloski, CEO
Mental Health Australia