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

Rosenberg, Sebastian; Hickie, Ian B

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2011.tb03112.x

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.

Correspondence: sebastian.rosenberg@sydney.edu.au

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.

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