Joint Media Release (14 October) – The $600 million needed to fix mental health that was buried by NSW Government

Internal papers released this week through Parliament show NSW Health estimated in December 2024 that public mental health services are short $550-600 million a year in frontline staff. Its own planning work found psychosocial support needs to double, another $187 million a year.

That is a gap of about $787 million a year. 29% of people in NSW with severe mental health challenges cannot get care. 220,000 people currently missing out on the long-term mental health support that they need.

NSW Health advised against releasing the figure because “releasing the full quantum of the gap could require NSW to deliver one of the largest expansions of mental health services (and infrastructure) in recent history” and could “create reputational damage,” if they could not fund a gap they identified.

For the first time, the gap has a number.

We are asking the NSW Government to:

– Complete and publish the full gap analysis, covering hospital, community and psychosocial services

– Publish its existing estimates, with their assumptions

– Release the district-level results, so we can see where the gaps are

– Repeat the analysis every year and make a plan to fund and fill the gaps.

This is a result of years of sustained advocacy from MHCN and other members of the NSW Mental Health Alliance.

For many of us who have experienced the inadequacy mental health services in NSW, the size of the gap is no surprise. But now we have a number we can point to and advocate for.

Behind that number are people, who are struggling to find the care they need and deserve.

Read the full story in today’s Sydney Morning Herald – https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/revealed-the-600-million-needed-to-fix-mental-health-that-was-buried-20261014-p614q1.html

Read our joint media release with BEING, Mental Health Coordinating Council and the Royal Australian New Zealand College of Psychiatrists – https://www.mentalhealthcarersnsw.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/JOINT-MEDIA-RELEASE-Internal-NSW-Health-Papers-Expose-787m-Mental-Health-Funding-Gap.pdf