Introduction by Croakey: Governments, voters and powerful vested interests are undermining the wellbeing and futures of young Australians, former senior public servant Dr Ken Henry told a community tax summit today.
Henry, who was Treasury Secretary under the Howard and Rudd Governments and oversaw a major tax review in 2010, said government policy seemed aimed at hurting young people and future generations through acts of what he called “intergenerational larceny”, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
“You simply can’t achieve something like that by accident. Reckless indifference, perhaps. Wilful acts of bastardry, more likely. Accident, no,” he said.
Meanwhile, in her latest overview of pre-budget submissions, Alison Barrett reports on calls for the Federal Government to use its 2025-26 Budget to elevate the rights and wellbeing of children as a Cabinet priority.
Alison Barrett writes:
The appointment of a Federal Minister for Children as a dedicated role within Cabinet; greater involvement of allied health professions in National Disability Insurance Agency advisory committees; and long-term funding for community-led Justice Reinvestment sites.
These are among the pre-budget recommendations reviewed below, from disability, allied health, suicide prevention, and community sector organisations, in an ongoing series on the health sector’s budget and election priorities.
The People with Disability Australia (PWDA) organisation is calling for federal election candidates to publicly commit to a national system of properly funded, co-designed foundational supports, which are disability-specific supports available to all people with disability and, where appropriate, their families and carers, such as aids and equipment, or home care.
“We will be watching closely in the lead-up to the federal election. People with disability and their families deserve to know which leaders are standing up for them – and which ones are failing them,” said Megan Spindler-Smith, Deputy CEO of PWDA.
The organisation raised concerns that state and territory government delays in rolling out foundational supports is leaving many people with disability without access to essential services.
Spindler-Smith said foundational supports must be properly funded and co-designed to ensure people with disability can access services they need – whether they are able to access the NDIS or not.
This comes as authors write in The Conversation that “significant inequalities remain” in the NDIS including that people with physical disability and psychosocial disability were more likely to be deemed ineligible for the Scheme than people with intellectual disability, autism and brain injury.
Also, women and girls and older Australians (55 years and older) are among those more likely to have an application deemed ineligible.
In its 2025-25 pre-budget submission, PWDA urges the Federal Government to commit to budgetary measures that ensure economic justice, inclusion and access to supports and services for people with disability.
They also call on the Government to protect human rights and address disability discrimination, as well as investing in genuine codesign.
“The Australian Government has an ideal moment in disability advocacy history to take the leadership reins and drive significant, long-lasting reform to ensure Australians with disability can live in communities that are accessible, inclusive and equitable, with protected human rights,” says PWDA.
PWDA notes that the cost-of-living and housing crises disproportionately affect people with disability and calls for adequate funding for the oversight and review of targeted action plans under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-31.
It also wants the maximum threshold of Commonwealth Rent Assistance to be increased by 60 percent, especially for recipients with disability, and Federal Government leadership to ensure national consistency in implementing the National Construction Code across all jurisdictions.
PWDA calls on the Federal Government to increase JobSeeker payment and provide lifelong access to the Disability Support Pension, by permitting people to achieve the 20-points requirement across multiple tables for access eligibility.
Improving access to allied health
Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) has called for targeted reforms to improve access and affordability to allied health services across aged, disability and primary care, as well as improving the sharing of allied health information.
Bronwyn Morris-Donovan, Chief Executive Officer of the Allied Health Professions Australia, told Croakey “access to fit-for-purpose digital products is a key enabler of multidisciplinary team care, as identified in the Strengthening Medicare reforms.
“However, the sector is yet to see delivery of systematic education to bring about an uplift in digital utilisation.”
A survey by the Australian Digital Health Agency in collaboration with AHPA published this week shows that awareness and utilisation of digital health products among the allied health professions could be improved.
It found that only 20 percent of 2,419 allied health professionals who participated are aware of Provider Connect Australia – an initiative of the Australian Digital Health Agency to help healthcare provider organisations update their business information in a single source – with only three percent registered.
While awareness of My Health Record is higher among participants (79%), only six percent use it daily – nearly half (43%) of participants reported concerns about privacy and security of My Health Record.
Similarly, use of electronic prescribing is low but there is high demand for it among allied health professionals (83%).
The report recommends sector-wide education tailored to the unique and diverse demographic profile of the allied health workforce.
In its pre-budget submission, AHPA recommends that the Federal Government retain Allied Health Professions Australia as the digital transformation implementation lead for the allied health sector.
As well, AHPA calls for funding to implement the inaugural National Allied Health Digital Uplift Plan currently being developed by the Australian Digital Health Agency.
The submission also calls on the Federal Government to fund implementation of recommendations from the 10-year National Allied Health Workforce Strategy, which is open for public consultation until 3 March 2025.
The Federal Government should also invest in developing “sustainable rural and remote multidisciplinary evidence-based models of primary care” in collaboration with the Office of the National Rural Health Commissioner.
Allied Health Professions Australia recommends that the Government map allied health place-based workforce training options and regionalised training models to support training closer to home and on Country.
The submission calls for the implementation of changes to Medicare to allow in-scope direct referrals by allied health professionals to medical specialists and to Medicare student observation rules, both recommended in the 2024 Scope of Practice Review.
In addition, it highlights the importance of allied health services for people with disability.
AHPA calls on the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to appoint allied health sector representatives to the NDIS Implementation Advisory Committee and NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee, as well as amend the NDIS Act 2024 to include a non-exhaustive list of allied health NDIS supports.
“To ensure meaningful choice and control for participants, implementation of changes to NDIS legislation and the reforms recommended by the NDIS Review and other inquiries must centrally involve the allied health sector and make sure that our diverse range of supports can be provided sustainably,” AHPA says.
Rights and wellbeing of children
Jesuit Social Services is calling for the Federal Government to use its 2025-26 Budget to elevate the rights and wellbeing of children as a Cabinet priority.
Their submission “highlights opportunities for Government to target spending and policymaking, prioritising research, strategies and programs that support children, young people and their families to live safe and healthy lives”.
JSS, with services across Victoria, New South Wales and Northern Territory, calls on the Federal Government to implement recommendations in report, Help Way Earlier! – transforming child justice for safety and wellbeing, by Anne Hollonds, National Children’s Commissioner.
JSS reiterates calls from Hollonds for a Federal Minister for Children, as a dedicated role within Cabinet.
In addition, JSS recommends the establishment of a First Nations Self-determination and Strengthening Fund for Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), and long-term funding for community-led Justice Reinvestment sites, as part of the National Justice Reinvestment Program.
JSS also make recommendations to fund place-based approaches to building thriving and climate-resilient communities, pathways for young people seeking employment and engaging men and boys to prevent violence and sexual abuse against women and children.
Social, environmental and economic determinants
In its pre-budget submission, Suicide Prevention Australia is calling for whole-of-Government action to address the causes of distress and risk of suicide.
The 2024 State of the Nation in Suicide Prevention report showed that 80 percent of suicide prevention organisations in Australia require additional funding to meet an increased demand for services in the previous 12 months.
The report highlighted that the greatest risks to suicide are cost of living, personal debt and housing access and affordability.
Only four percent of suicide prevention organisations said that priority populations at risk of suicide are appropriately funded, resourced and responded to.
Nearly all (91%) said they believed a whole-of-government approach to suicide prevention is required.
In its pre-budget submission, the national peak body for the suicide prevention sector says that “suicide is a complex and multi-factorial issue”.
“We need to view it with a lens that is more than clinical – one that takes into account the social, environmental and economic risk factors and responses to suicidality…
“This Budget provides an opportunity to set in place the foundations for the implementation of the National [Suicide Prevention] Strategy, using the years of consultation and preparation that have gone into it, and make meaningful progress in reducing the impact of distress and suicide in our community.”
In addition to whole-of-government action, Suicide Prevention Australia is calling for action on improving the suicide prevention workforce and sector, as well as availability and use of data and evidence. The Government should fund the Australian Bureau of Statistics to conduct the Mental Health and Wellbeing survey every four years, and continue the Suicide Prevention Research Fund.
As well, lived experience leadership should be embedded into suicide prevention policy development, service design, implementation, research and evaluation.
Read more: The National Suicide Prevention Strategy has been released, by Nieves Murray, CEO of Suicide Prevention Australia
Develop capacity of future planetary health leaders
The Planetary Health Equity Hothouse at Australian National University calls for investment in “securing planetary health equity for current and future generations by funding capacity development of future climate, health and equity leadership through the PHEH Future Leaders Program” held in September 2025.
The PHE wants funding to support bursaries for domestic and international participants to ensure financial barriers don’t exclude participants from engaging with the program.
The Future Leaders program brings together early careers researchers and professionals from around the world for two weeks in Canberra at the ANU Hothouse.
In addition, they are requesting bursaries for three speakers to run master classes and funding for the Future Leaders Conference 2026.
Submissions from the health sector
Croakey has reviewed pre-budget submissions by:
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), National Rural Health Alliance, Lung Foundation Australia, Asthma Australia, Stroke Foundation, Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes, Australian College of Nursing, Climate and Health Alliance, the Remote Food Security Research Collaborative, Public Health Association of Australia, Australian Health Promotion Association, National Oral Health Alliance, CRANAplus, Advanced Pharmacy Australia, Australian College of Midwives, Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, Australian Psychological Society, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Dementia Australia and Mental Health Australia.
We hope to publish more on this topic in the lead up to the Federal Budget – scheduled for 25 March – so please send submissions that may be of interest to Croakey readers.
Services
Lifeline
13 11 14
Lifeline.org.au
Suicide Call Back Service
1300 659 467
Suicidecallbackservice.org.au
Defence Member and Family Helpline
1800 624 608
MensLine Australia
1300 789 978
Mensline.org.au
ReachOut
au.reachout.com
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
13 YARN (13 92 76)
healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au
LGBTIQ+ community
1800 184 527
Qlife.org.au
Kids Helpline
1800 551 800
Kidshelpline.com.au
Head to Health
Headtohealth.gov.au
headspace
1800 650 890
headspace.org.au/
Open Arms
1800 011 046
openarms.gov.au
Culturally and linguistically diverse communities
embracementalhealth.org.au
Beyond Blue
1300 224 636
Beyondblue.org.au
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