Budget 2024-2025 handed down

The 2024-25 WA State Budget has been handed down by the Treasurer and will deliver more than a billion dollars ($1.453 billion) to mental health, alcohol and other drug services, an increase of 7.26% ($98 million) from the previous year.

Key initiatives in the 2024-25 budget affecting the MHC include:

• $32.2 million to continue existing suicide prevention programs and initiatives
• $10.6 million for an extension to the Active Recovery Team (ART) pilot program
• $12.3 million to continue the Social and Emotional Wellbeing programs
• $22.4 million to extend the east metropolitan Acute Care Response Teams (ACRT), and establish three new teams, in the north and south metropolitan areas and the Great Southern region
• $19.5 million to continue the expanded Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Crisis Connect service
• $4.7 million to continue the WA Country Health Service Brief Crisis Intervention (BCI) Service
• $10.7 million for the construction of a new 26-bed Sobering Up Centre (SUC) in Broome
• $16 million for the MHC to fund service delivery costs for the State Forensics Mental Health Service, as well as additional funding of $948,000 to support the implementation of Criminal Law (Mental Impairment) reforms and the costs of providing additional business support to the Mental Health Advocacy Service and the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist
• $7.9 million to a Western Australian Virtual Emergency Department (WAVED) mental health component and an ambulance co-response model in the metropolitan area
• $13.6 million to ensure eight private psychiatric hostels can continue to meet minimum staffing requirements.

For more information, click here.

Read the Minister’s media statement here.