500,000 Australians Need Psychosocial Supports Now — Governments Must Act Immediately
The Productivity Commission’s Final Report confirms what people with lived experience, families, carers and services — including MIFA — have been saying for years: nearly half a million Australians still can’t access the psychosocial supports they need to live well.
Released quietly on Remembrance Day, the report highlights major failures in the National Agreement and shows how limited access to psychosocial supports affects housing, employment, wellbeing, and long-term recovery, especially for those outside the NDIS.
“MIFA welcomes the Commission’s findings, which reflect our communities’ experiences. Immediate investment in psychosocial supports is essential — and governments already have mechanisms in place to act now. We cannot wait until 2027 to deliver what people urgently need.”
Structural issues remain — unclear responsibilities, short funding cycles, and no national mechanism to drive coordinated reform. MIFA is calling for national leadership based on genuine co-production with people with lived experience, families, kin and carers.
MIFA calls on governments to:
- Expand psychosocial and carer supports by 1 July 2026
- Establish a lived-experience-led co-production team
- Implement recommendations from 1 July 2026
- Close the support gap by 30 June 2030
Australia has a clear path forward. Now we need intention, partnership, and action.
Read the full media release below.