The Hon.

Peter Dutton Minister for Health PO Box 6022 House of Representatives Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600

Mr. Daniel Sullivan 1705/108 Margaret Street Brisbane QLD 4000

18/12/13
Dear Mr Dutton, I am writing in regards to the concerns of myself, other members of the LNP, and indeed the wider community, about the currently inadequate level of treatment available to those with a mental illness under the Better Access to Mental Health Care intiative. As you would be aware, the Better Access scheme came about as the result of the Howard governments 2006 injection of $1.9bn into the mental health sector. The Better Access scheme has been widely lauded by health care professionals and consumers as an effective and accessible means for those seeking psychological treatment for a mental illness. While the pharmacological treatment of psychiatric disorders is often less costly, one study published in Biological Psychiatry found that 50% - 60% of those treated for depression with standard drug regimes do not show adequate response.1 With medication often having such poor outcomes in treating the most common mental disorders, it is clear that a further investment in psychological treatments for mental health consumers in this country is necessary. Furthermore, the importance of psychological therapy is noted in the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) for the treatment of depression.2 In the 2011-12 and 2012-13 budgets, the Gillard government slashed the Better Access program from a maximum of 18 sessions to a maximum of 10. The current scheme now falls well short of the minimum of approximately 20 sessions needed to provide benefit to consumers attempting to recover from mental illness.3 It would be most appreciated if you would look at investing more funds into the Better Access program in order to increase the current cap on annual sessions. I have attached a copy of a resolution passed at the Dawson Federal Divisional Council of the LNP in late 2012 that relates to this and would be pleased to talk further with you on this matter should you be available. Kind Regards,

Daniel Sullivan Psychology Student and LNP Member

1 2

Fava, M. (2003). Diagnosis and definition of treatment-resistant depression. Biological Psychiatry, 53(8), 649-659. Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Clinical Practice Guidelines Team for Depression, (2004). Australian and New Zealand clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of depression. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 38, pp.389-407 3 Harnett, P., O'Donovan, A., & Lambert, M. J. (2010). The dose response relationship in psychotherapy: Implications for social policy. Clinical Psychologist, 14(2), 39-44.