frank quinlan - mental health council of australia - changes to the disability support pension
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Frank Quinlan delivered the presentation at the 2014 Future of Welfare Conference. The 2014 Future of Welfare Conference examined the welfare system and the policy and reform directions for welfare in Australia. The two day event looked at the concept of social welfare, the evolution of thinking worldwide around welfare, and also the current realities and policy directions in Australia. For more information about the event, please visit: http://bit.ly/futureofwelfare14TRANSCRIPT
Mentally healthy people,
mentally healthy communities mhaustralia.org
Mental Health and
the future of
welfare
The Future of Welfare Conference
Frank Quinlan, CEO, Melbourne, October 2014
@frankgquinlan #futureofwelfare
Today’s conversation…
• Current reforms (especially McClure) are
impacting mental health
• Key considerations for mental health
reform
• Some reasons to despair
• Some reasons to hope
mhaustralia.org
mhaustralia.org
Current reforms impacting mental health…
• 2014 Budget
• National Mental Health Commission
Review of Mental Health Programs and
Services
• NDIS roll out
• Federation Whitepaper
• McClure review of welfare
mhaustralia.org
2014 Budget…
• Mental health programs largely isolated
• Impacts on consumers
• Changes to DSP and NewStart
• Proposed GP co-payment
• Senate and policy “hair trigger”
• Ongoing fiscal constraint
mhaustralia.org
NMHC Review of programs and services…
• Scope
• Shared ownership
• Change management
• Fiscal constraint
mhaustralia.org
NDIS roll out…
• Early days of a staged rollout, with a
rushed beginning
• Captures many state and
Commonwealth programs in its net
• Bi-lateral agreements were negotiated
without input from NGO and other
relevant parties
• Continues to represent a fundamental
shift in our approach to services
mhaustralia.org
Federation whitepaper…
• Commonwealth state relations are at the
core of many service issues
• Mental health is a good example of
programs caught at the cusp
• Commonwealth state relations remain
unpredictable
• Commonwealth government will be
starting to build its pre-election platform
mhaustralia.org
McClure review of welfare…
• Inadequate payments, poverty traps,
perverse incentives make the review
welcome
• Identified factors other than payments –
supports, capacity, opportunity
• Links to other reviews and processes are
unclear
mhaustralia.org
McClure review of welfare…
• Yes, simplify the system, but…
• No, forget about “permanency”
• Pay adequate allowances
• Yes, but look more broadly than the youth
focussed NZ Investment Model
• Yes, but mutual obligation activities should
support recovery
• Yes, but focus job services on longer term
outcomes
• Yes, wrap services around people
• Yes, support employers
mhaustralia.org
7 Point Plan for Mental Health Reform
• Agree on what we want to achieve
• Be clear on who is responsible for what
• Increase consumer and carer participation and choice
• Match services to need
• Get the incentives right to drive better outcomes
• Invest at the right time to achieve greatest benefit
• Keep government and services accountable
Some reasons to despair…
• Characterisation of mental illness as an
episodic disorder
• The shift from a rights based approach to
an economic approach – including the
privatisation of support
• “Obsessive Hope Disorder”
• National leadership
• Commonwealth State relations
mhaustralia.org
Some reasons hope…
• Momentum for change
• Mental as…
mhaustralia.org
Some reasons hope…
mhaustralia.org
Footnote (if required)
Footnote (if required)
Footnote (if required)
Some reasons hope…
• Momentum for change
• Mental as…
• Recognition of the greater importance of
prevention and early intervention
• Recognition of the value of integration
• Recognition of the economic impact of
mental illness
mhaustralia.org
Mentally healthy people,
mentally healthy communities mhaustralia.org
Mental Health and
the future of
welfare
The Future of Welfare Conference
Frank Quinlan, CEO, Melbourne, October 2014
@frankgquinlan #futureofwelfare