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Experts and public opinion are welcoming the Coalition’s plan for mental health, committing themselves to a $1.5b scheme designed to eliminate bureaucracy and facilitate clinical mental health structures. Tony Abbott’s proposal involves supplying 800 additional hospital beds, as well as funding for 80 mental health treatment facilities of which 60 are targeted at young people. $440m will be allocated to the creation of 20 Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centres, and an additional $225m will fund the construction of 60 Headspace centres (treatment centres for young people, first introduced by the Howard government in 2006).

The announcement effectively increases uncertainty and lack of confidence in the Federal Government’s stance on mental health. The head of Kevin Rudd's National Advisory Council on Mental Health, John Mendoza, resigned from his position a fortnight ago, claiming that Labour’s lack of commitment to mental health schemes rendered his job powerless. Adding further pressure, Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry, an advocate for the early detection and treatment of youth mental health problems, has historically criticized the Government’s policies and actions in the field.

Ms Gillard has already indicated to Professor McGorry that she would like to consult with him on a Labour proposal to tackle mental health issues, demonstrating Labour’s characteristic focus on health. Health Minister Nicola Roxon warned that funding for Mr Abbott’s scheme would imply cuts across existing health services including a 24-hour GP telephone service and grants to 400 GPs to improve their services.

Mental health in Australia has for a long time been viewed as the neglected component of the national health system. Industry experts including Beyondblue, the Mental Health Council of Australia and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, therefore believe Mr Abbott’s proposed scheme will assist in lifting the issue out of the darkness. Professor McGorry called the plan a “game-changer” and expressed his hopes that Mr Abbott’s announcement would now induce Julia Gillard’s government to better prioritise the mental health industry in a road to a “bipartisan situation where both parties are getting behind mental health”.