As the election looms, we all know that cost-of-living polls as the number one issue. The stress is real, and it effects the majority of us, but I am less concerned about the middle class who have options, than I am about people already living in poverty who have none.
Last December I wrote about Michael Marmot’s conclusion that poverty is the cause of the causes of health inequality, and particularly mental health. And then there is the Adverse Childhood Events study that tells us:
- people in the lowest income quartile (the bottom 25%) are 500% more likely to have 4 or more adverse events in childhood, and
- people with 4 or more adverse childhood events are at a 1,220% increase risk of attempting suicide.
Then I look at campaign promises in the many billions, and calculate that increasing the JobSeeker, Austudy, single parent allowance by $40 a fortnight would cost under $1B per annum, but would have a huge impact on the poorest 1.4 million people in Australia.
On a more positive note, both major parties are promising to spend approximately $1B on mental health in the coming years. This is great, but let’s keep perspective and keep the pressure on.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, mental health and alcohol and other drugs are responsible for 15% of the burden of disease in Australia - that is, the cost to the health system and a loss of productivity. However, expenditure on mental health including alcohol and other drugs as a percentage of total health spend is less than 2% (approx. $5B vs $250B).
The concern about the speed of role out of the costed plan by the federal government seems warranted also, with only 2% of the $1B to be spent in 2026. That's only $20m and it seems very slow indeed.
And finally, amidst the federal news, there is an announcement from the Victorian Minister for Health regarding access to the life-saving opiate blocker Naloxone. Naloxone in it’s most user-friendly form is a nasal spray that reverses (temporarily) the effect of an opiate overdose while you call the ambulance. Totally easy to administer with zero known side-effects or any substantial risk, free access to this drug is fantastic. It is now available for people to take home from any needle and syringe program and you can simply walk into any participating pharmacy and ask for Naloxone: no costs, no ID required, easy as that.
| Patrick Lawrence Chief Executive Officer |
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