Neoliberal Mental Health Policy Reform in Australia

Abstract

This paper examines the process of Australian mental health policy reform and explores the extent to which they reflect neoliberal ideals. The mental health policy reform has begun with the National Mental Health Strategy was agreed by Australian Health Ministers following the establishment of the National Mental Health policy in 1992. The National Mental Health Strategy has provided the overarching policy framework that has guided and extensive process of mental health reform in Australia for the last 25 years. The National Mental Health Strategy has been in place including the National Mental Health Policy(1992), the National Mental Health Plan(1993~2020), COAG National Action Plan on Mental Health(2006~2011), the Roadmap for National Mental Health Reform 2012~2022. It argues, through the process of Australian mental health reform, that the families of people with mental health problems have been reconstructed as a fundamental source of informal care. The development of community care and informal care in Australian mental health policy reform reflect a neoliberal understanding of the individual and their family, one that views the family as an autonomous unit responsible for its own maintenance.