AICAFMHA:
promoting mental health for young Australians
Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association Ltd
ABN 87 093 479 022
Back to AICAFMHA Homepage / News in Brief Index / Issue 16
Australia?s Mentally Ill Hardest Hit by Budget
While Australians analyse what the Federal budget means for them, one of the country?s most vulnerable groups ? people with a psychiatric disability ? are digesting changes that will see them worse off.
Mental health charity, SANE Australia, warns that Australians living with a mental illness are likely to be amongst the hardest hit by the budget. Changes to access of the Disability Support Pension and the cost of medications being the most concerning features.
?The Government clearly fails to understand mental illness, and what these changes will mean for those affected with a psychiatric disability,? said SANE?s Executive Director, Barbara Hocking.
The budget plan for the Disability Support Pension (DSP) is to move those assessed to be capable of 15 hours per week (previously 30 hours per week) onto unemployment benefits. Newstart allowance is less than DSP and does not cater for additional costs associated with their disability.
?The budget ignores the ?invisible? symptoms of mental illness and its episodic nature. It ignores the fact that people want to participate fully in society, but are impaired due to illness,? said Ms Hocking.
Proposed increases of 26 ? 30 percent to prescription medication costs are an added blow for those now facing reduced incomes, raising further concern.
?As if the changes to eligibility are not enough, now we have a budget that may discourage people from taking essential medications. For people on a pension, the mooted $ 52 increase is a significant sum.
?This short-sighted recipe for relapse will mean increased hardship for an already disadvantaged group and will continue to increase long term costs,? said Ms Hocking.
Back to AICAFMHA Homepage / News in Brief Index / Issue 16
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