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Were the budgetary reforms to the Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative appropriate? — No

Sebastian Rosenberg and Ian B Hickie
Med J Aust 2011; 194 (11): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2011.tb03112.x
Published online: 6 June 2011

Mental health policy expert Sebastian Rosenberg and psychiatrist Ian Hickie want more change

NO The Australian Government had little option but to reform the Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative in the federal Budget. The surprise is their timidity. The changes reduce some of the bureaucracy and waste while promoting more targeted services for those in greatest need.


  • Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.



Competing interests:

Ian Hickie is a board member of headspace: Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation and a member of the clinical reference group for the BUPA Australia group. He has also been a member of the National Advisory Council on Mental Health.

  • 1. Rosenberg S, Hickie I. How to tackle a giant: creating a genuine evaluation of the Better Access Program. Australas Psychiatry 2010; 18: 496-502.
  • 2. Hickie IB, Pirkis JE, Blashki GA, et al. General practitioners’ response to depression and anxiety in the Australian community: a preliminary analysis. Med J Aust 2004; 181 (7 Suppl): S15-S20. <MJA full text>
  • 3. Mental Health and Chronic Disease Section, Medical Benefits Division. Post-implementation review of the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the MBS Initiative: MBS items. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, May 2009. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/D7E9963F2C67A94ECA2576F500831403/$File/finalpirreport.pdf (accessed Mar 2011).
  • 4. Pirkis J, Harris M, Hall W, Ftanou M. Evaluation of the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Schedule initiative: summative evaluation. Melbourne: Centre for Health Policy, Programs and Economics, 2011. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/mental-ba-eval-sum (accessed May 2011).
  • 5. Hickie IB, Davenport TA, Naismith SL, Scott EM; SPHERE National Secretariat. SPHERE: A National Depression Project. Med J Aust 2001; 175 (2 Suppl): S4-S5.

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