Calls for redesign as review finds Australia’s Mental Health Plan “fundamentally flawed”

The Productivity Commission have released a damning assessment on The National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement.

The recent interim report has found it’s not ‘fit for purpose’ and is “fundamentally flawed.”

In a media release, Commissioner Selwyn Button says “the agreement comprises a raft of outputs and initiatives that aren’t connected to each other or to an overarching strategy.”

In 2022, Australian jurisdictions signed the agreement with the aim of strengthening collaboration and improving outcomes for people with lived experience of mental ill health and suicide, but the report reveals the opposite.

Executive Director of Australians for Mental Health Chris Gambian says the report highlights a scenario that has been evident for too long.

Image: UnSplash – Joice Kelly

Produced By: Emma Wotzke

Featured In Story: Chris Gambian – Executive Director of Australians for Mental Health , Dr Clinton Schultz – Director of First Nations strategy and partnership at Black Dog Institute and Associate professor with University NSW , and

First aired on The Wire, Thursday 3 July 2025