Victoria’s Mental Health Tax Surplus Must Translate Into Community Impact
- Shane Warren
- May 24
- 2 min read
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
24 May 2025
The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association Australia (VMHPAA) acknowledges the concerns raised by recent scrutiny of Victoria’s mental health reform progress, following revelations that despite the collection of over $1.1 billion through the Mental Health and Wellbeing Payroll Levy, the availability of acute mental health beds remains grossly inadequate.
Almost five years since the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System tabled its final report, we are alarmed by the persistent delays, lack of transparency, and uncertainty around the rollout of critical reforms, especially those related to community-based support and acute care access.
While investment headlines suggest billions have been committed, what matters most to the Victorian public, and to our members, is whether this funding is translating into real-world care.
“If people can’t access a bed or speak to a trained professional when they are in distress, then the system is not working, no matter how impressive the budget figures look,” said VMHPAA Chair Shane Warren. “We need to stop measuring success by what’s been promised and start measuring it by what’s been delivered.”
The lack of clarity on how many new beds are operational, alongside regional reports of reduced availability and increased seclusion rates, undermines trust and raises serious equity concerns. Our members, who include community-based counsellors, peer support workers, and lived experience professionals, often work on the frontline of these gaps, holding the space for clients who are failed by the system.
“It’s not enough to build new wings in hospitals if there are no staff to open the doors. We urgently need transparent accounting of reform delivery, and inclusive investment across all levels of the workforce, not just clinical,” said Susan Sandy, VMHPAA Secretary and senior relationship counsellor. “Vocationally trained practitioners are critical to making sure community care is available when and where it’s needed.”
VMHPAA affirms that genuine reform must include:
Transparency: Clear, regular reporting on the implementation of all Royal Commission recommendations, including bed targets and workforce rollouts.
Equity: Reinvestment in regional services and community-based models that meet people where they are.
Diversity: Recognition of the broad spectrum of mental health practitioners, including vocationally trained counsellors, as part of the solution.
Accountability: An urgent review of delays in service delivery and data withholding that obstruct public oversight.
Ultimately, our concern is not just about infrastructure but about human dignity and accessible care. Victoria’s mental health system cannot be fixed by capital works alone. The people of Victoria deserve a mental health system that is transparent, inclusive, and truly built for the communities it serves.
Media Contact:
Shane Warren, Chair
Susan Sandy, Secretary
Philip Armstrong, CEO
VMHPAA
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