Deputy Speaker, I thank the member for Fowler for raising what is clearly a matter of public importance: that health care in this country should not be a postcode lottery.  

It is a proposition with which it is impossible to disagree.  

In Australia, we quite rightly pride ourselves on our worldclass healthcare system.  

We rank 

•  first among OECD countries for equity and healthcare outcomes, and  

• third for overall healthcare performance, behind only Norway and the Netherlands.1 

But like all systems, ensuring its ongoing success requires maintenance and vigilance. And healthcare equity – in other words, ensuring we do not succumb to a postcode lottery – requires not just funding, but funding where and when it is needed.  

In addressing that issue today, I want to focus on one part of the healthcare system in particular.  

That is mental health, and the inequity of service delivery around the country.  

According to government data, almost $14.5 billion was spent on mental health services in 2023-24, which is around 7% of the total government expenditure.2 That is an extraordinary amount of money – so it matters very much how and where that is allocated. 

We also know that 5 million people – 18% of the population – were dispensed a mental health-related prescription in the same period.  

So mental ill health is incredibly prevalent and widespread.  

But the delivery and accessibility of mental health services is inconsistent. 

 Let’s first have a look at variations between states and territories.  

The 2025 Report on Government Services identifies major differences in: 

• Per capita spending on mental health 

• access to state/territory specialised mental health services 

• rates of delayed or avoided care due to cost. 

For example, my home state of NSW recorded the lowest per capita expenditure on specialised mental health services among states. And despite the vast public spend on mental health services, 22.4% of people across Australia delayed or avoided obtaining care due to cost, with cost pressures differing between jurisdictions. 
 

These variations affect service quality, waiting times, and the ability of people to receive appropriate care at all.  

[As we’ve already heard here today,] national reporting also consistently shows that communities in regional and remote areas have fewer mental health professionals per capita. And that emergency departments in regional areas bear a disproportionate load, as community services are thinner. 

This leads to longer wait times for services, greater reliance on emergency departments and limited continuity of care after discharge.  

 
In short – the delivery of services in Australia’s mental health system is not uniform. There are clear and measurable differences in: 

• service availability 

• funding 

• waiting times 

• outcomes and 

• access to community vs hospital-based care 

These disparities exist between states, between urban and regional and remote areas, and between individual primary health networks. 

Pleasingly, the government is acting to address inequities in health outcomes.  

The Reducing Health Inequities Mission is investing $150 million over 10 years from 2027-28 for research to address inequities in health outcomes. This funding aims to improve access to quality health services by priority populations. 

But is it enough? And is the work going to be done quickly enough?  

So, as is the case in all areas of complex public policy, there is much work to be done, and there is always scope for improvement. 

Similarly, we could not lay claim to having a world class healthcare system without already having exceptional services, being operated by incredible healthcare professionals.  

That is certainly true in mental health services in my electorate of Bradfield.  

KYDS Youth Counselling offers free, confidential counselling for people aged 10 – 18 without the need for a Medicare card, GP referral or mental health plan. If you’re a young person at risk, KYDS makes the barrier to accessing services very low; ever so critical for young people who are often shy about asking for help. 

Lifeline Harbour to Hawkesbury has also provided vital services to my community for more than 56 years. 

And EPIC – Empowering Parents in Crisis – collaborates with schools, police, hospitals, family support organisations and the community to demystify pathways to support and create awareness regarding youth mental health.  

I thank them for the high quality and sustained service to our community and urge the government to continue to work to ensure that funding for mental health services like these in all our communities is equitable and not a postcode lottery.