Mental health services activity monitoring quarterly data
Over 11,000 (per 100,000 population) Medicare-subsidised mental health-specific services
were processed nationally in the December quarter 2023, 9% lower than the same quarter in 2022 and 15% lower than the same quarter in 2021.
Over 12 million mental health-related prescriptions
listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme were dispensed in the December quarter 2023, 1% higher than the same quarter in 2022 and 3% higher than the same quarter in 2021.
Over 257,000 phone calls were made to Lifeline
during the December quarter 2023, 12% lower than the same quarter in 2022 and 14% lower than the same quarter in 2021.
The mental health service activity data reporting provides early insights into how the mental health system is providing services and responding to unplanned changes in population needs and events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters. This reporting can also be used to monitor the impact of system administration and policy changes. Information from different parts of Australia’s mental health system is analysed to present a picture of activity across the system including comparisons to historical data. The data presented in this report is presented at both national and state and territory levels for the December quarter 2023. There are two main data source areas:
- Medicare-subsidised services, and mental health prescriptions, including both Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS), and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)/Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) data. In this report PBS and RPBS will be reported in aggregate as ‘PBS’.
- Mental health crisis, support and information organisations including Lifeline, Kids Helpline, Beyond Blue, ReachOut and Head to Health data.
For further information on the data sources presented in this report please refer to the notes about interpreting the data.
This section replaces the Mental health impact of COVID-19 section, the previous section is still available in archived content.
The AIHW uses 'First Nations people' to refer to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples in this report.
Key events
2020-2023
This timeline covers key events within the last 3 years that have impacted mental health related service activity. While it is not always possible to tease apart the effects of events that overlap each other or impact smaller regions and populations, several of these highlighted events can be seen directly in the data. For example, the introduction of mental health related telehealth items on 13 March 2020 and the subsequent peak of use from 13–19 April 2020 are distinct in the national telehealth MBS data.
National Lockdown
18 March 2020
The first identified case of COVID-19 (then known as novel coronavirus, nCoV-19) in Australia was reported on 25 January 2020 in Victoria with an additional 3 cases reported in NSW on the same day. The Australian Government and State and Territory governments announced a series of travel restrictions and advice as other countries experienced increasingly severe outbreaks of the virus during February. In March, governments announced a series of health, social and economic support packages together with a broad range of restrictions including mandatory mask wearing, restriction of movement and remote teaching and working where possible (PoA 2020a, PoA 2020b).
Introduction of COVID-19 mental health telehealth items
13 March 2020
The Australian Government introduced additional services to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) to support provision of health care via telehealth (telephone and videoconference) to provide protection for both patients and healthcare providers and reduce the risk of community transmission of COVID-19. These MBS items include mental health services provided by GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and other allied health workers. In December 2021, the Australian Government announced that telehealth will become a permanent feature of the MBS (DoH 2021b).
PBS mental health-related prescriptions peak
16 March 2020 to 22 March 2020
Mental health-related PBS prescriptions experienced a weekly maximum of nearly 1,014,000 in the week beginning 16 March 2020, corresponding to the expansion of Continued Dispensing (Emergency Measures) and public messaging around obtaining necessary medication (Services Australia 2021, DoH 2022). This represents a 19% increase in the number of mental health-related prescriptions dispensed in the four weeks to 29 March 2020 compared with the four weeks to 31 March 2019.
Jurisdictional Lockdowns
2 August 2020 to 17 October 2021
The first lockdown occurred in Melbourne and surrounding regional areas between 2 August 2020 to 27 October 2020 in an attempt to reduce and contain the number of COVID-19 cases following the start of Victoria’s second wave (Vic DHHS 2020a). Restrictions included curfews, a limit of how far from home a person could travel and on people gathering. On 27 October 2020, with no newly diagnosed cases in the state, the lockdown was eased (Vic DHHS 2020b). There were subsequent lockdowns across New South Wales (NSW), Victoria (Vic), Queensland (Qld), Western Australia (WA), and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) through 2020 and 2021. A series of brief snap lockdowns occurred between 1 January and 1 April 2021 in Vic (Vic DHHS 2021a), Qld (Qld Health 2021, Qld Gov 2021), and WA (WA Gov 2021). A series of more extended lockdowns occurred from July to October of 2021 in NSW (NSW Health 2021c, NSW Premier 2021b, NSW Premier 2021c), Vic (Vic DHHS 2021b, Vic DHHS 2021c, Vic DHHS 2021d, Vic DHHS 2021e, Vic DHHS 2021f, Vic DHHS 2021g, Vic DHHS 2021h, Vic DHHS 2021i), and the ACT (ACT Gov 2021).
Additional 10 mental health sessions
7 August 2020 to 31 December 2022
Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners (Better Access) is a subset of MBS mental health services. Services under the Better Access initiative are available for people with a clinically diagnosed mental disorder to receive up to 10 individual or 10 group mental health services per calendar year up to a maximum of 10 sessions (DHAC 2022a). In response to the pandemic, the Australian Government doubled the number of Medicare-subsidised psychological therapy sessions per year to 20, initially to 31 December 2021, then extended to 31 December 2022 (DoH 2021b). On12 December 2022, the Australian Government announced the additional 10 sessions would not continue beyond 31 December 2022 (DHAC 2022b, DHAC 2022d).
Omicron variant restrictions
24 November 2021 to 16 January 2022
From December 2021 to January 2022 widespread restrictions were introduced due to outbreaks of the Omicron variant across the nation, including through the Christmas and New Year period. Restrictions stopped short of full lockdown but included measures such as mandatory mask wearing, and vaccination requirements in public places and across certain industries. The jurisdictions effected included Vic in November 2021 (Vic Premier 2021, Vic DHHS 2021j), Qld in December 2021 (QLD Health 2022), NSW in January 2022 (NSW Premier 2021a, NSW Health 2021a, NSW Health 2021b), and WA in January 2022 (WA Gov 2022a, WA Gov 2022b).
East coast flooding Qld, NSW, and Vic
22 February 2022 to 30 November 2022
From February 2022 widespread flooding affected the east coast of Australia with Qld, NSW, and Vic heavily impacted. Australian and state governments provided additional support for mental health services in affected regions, including support for local mental health services and additional support for the mental health of children and young people (BOM 2022, QRA 2022, DHAC 2022c, NSW Health 2022b, QLD Gov 2022b).
Vaccination rates began to meet state targets, restrictions eased
1 March 2022 to 9 September 2022
From February 2022 restrictions were progressively eased across Australia as vaccination rates began to meet state targets. In April NSW restrictions were eased as booster uptake passed 50% and hospitalisation and ICU rates decreased (NSW premier 2022). At the same time restrictions were eased in Vic as two-thirds of Victorians aged 16 years and over had received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine (Vic DHHS 2022), in Qld as 90% of Queenslanders aged 12 and over were fully vaccinated (QLD Gov 2022a) and in WA as the booster uptake reached over 80% (WA Gov 2022c). September 2022 also marked another major easing of restrictions as in most states and territories the self-isolation period was reduced from 7 to 5 days and mask wearing requirements were reduced (NSW Health 2022a, Vic Premier 2022, Qld Gov 2022a, WA Gov 2022d).
Inflation and interest rate rises
1 March 2022
Between March 2022 to March 2023, the Consumer Price Index in Australia rose by 7% for non-discretionary items (ABS 2023). The largest price rises were observed in medical and hospital services, tertiary education, gas and other household fuels, and domestic holiday travel and accommodation. Data from the ANU COVID-19 Monitoring Survey Program found in August 2023, 30% of Australians reported finding it difficult or very difficult to live on their present income (Biddle and Gray 2023). The cost-of-living and personal debt was also reported to be one of the largest contributors to suicide risk in Australia (Suicide Prevention Australia 2023).
Mandatory isolation period ends
14 October 2022
From October 2022 self-isolation at home was no longer mandatory if individuals tested positive for COVID-19 in all states and territories in Australia (PM Gov 2022). Those who work in high-risk settings such as health and aged care were still required to isolate if they tested positive. The Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment also ceased during this time, with the exception of individuals who work in high-risk settings who required particular support: aged care, health care and disability care (PM Gov 2022).
Additional 10 mental health sessions cease
1 January 2023
Additional changes were made to MBS in 2023 as Australia transitioned into the next phase of the pandemic. The temporary expansion of the Better Access initiative, which allowed Australians to access 10 additional individual Medicare-subsidised psychological therapy sessions (i.e. 11–20) ceased on 1 January 2023 (DHAC 2022e). Patients no longer needed a new referral to access Better Access sessions from 1 January 2023.
Addition of MBS items under Better Access initiative
1 March 2023
Family and carer participation MBS items were introduced under the Better Access initiative from 1 March 2023. These items enable providers to deliver up to two Medicare-subsidised services per calendar year to individuals other than the patient, recognising the important role that family members and carers play in supporting people with mental illness (DHAC 2023a). Additionally, case conferencing items were introduced on 1 July 2023 to allow eligible providers to organise and coordinate or participate in case conferences to discuss a patient’s mental health care.
60-day prescriptions of PBS medicines
1 September
From 1 September 2023, Australians with an ongoing health condition who are stable on their current treatment were eligible to purchase 60-days’ worth of medication for the prices of a single prescription (DHAC 2023b). This applies to more than 300 common medicines listed on the PBS and will be implemented in 3 stages over 12 months. Once implemented on 1 September 2023, at least 6 million Australians will halve their medication costs and need fewer visits to the GP and pharmacist to get the medication they require (DHAC 2023b).
Medicare-subsidised services and mental health prescriptions
Medicare-subsidised services are provided by psychiatrists, general practitioners (GPs), psychologists and other allied health professionals. These services are provided in a range of settings – including hospitals, consulting rooms, home visits, telephone and videoconferencing – as defined in the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). Information is limited to Medicare-subsidised services only and covers the last 4 years of data up to the end of the 2023 December quarter. For further information on the long term analysis of MBS data please refer to the Medicare-subsidised services section.
PBS mental health-related prescriptions
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescriptions reported in this section include medications classified as Antidepressants (N06A); Antipsychotics (N05A); Anxiolytics (N05B); Hypnotics and sedatives (N05C); and Psychostimulants, agents used for ADHD and nootropics (N06B). Data include PBS subsidised (above-co-payment) and under-co-payment prescriptions.
Medicare-subsidised services and mental health prescriptions
Visualisation showing the number of Medicare-subsidised services and mental health prescriptions processed nationally by week and quarter from January 2020 to December 2023. The rate of MBS mental health services processed per 100,000 population in the December quarter 2023 (Q4) is lower than the same quarter in 2022 (9% change). 20% of Medicare-subsidised mental health‑specific services processed in the December quarter 2023 (Q4) were delivered by telehealth, this compares with 23% and 30% delivered via telehealth during the same quarter in 2022 and 2021, respectively. The rate of PBS mental health-related prescriptions processed per 100,000 population in the December quarter 2023 (Q4) is slightly higher (1%) than the same quarter in 2022. Similar trends were observed for all states and territories.
Crisis support organisations, National
Crisis support organisations such as Lifeline, Kids Helpline and Beyond Blue are available to support Australians experiencing mental health issues. Activity for these organisations is reported in this section as contacts, representing service demand, and answered contacts, representing the total number of contacts answered by each organisation.
- Lifeline data are for phone calls.
- Kids Helpline data include phone, webchat and email contacts.
- Beyond Blue data include phone, webchat and email contacts. Data from July 2020 to December 2022 includes contacts and answered contacts for both the Beyond Blue main service and dedicated COVID-19 service.
Crisis support organisations, States and territories
Crisis support organisations such as Lifeline, Kids Helpline and Beyond Blue are available to support Australians experiencing mental health issues. In this section answered contacts data are disaggregated by state/territory, representing the total number of contacts answered by each organisation where state/territory information is available.
- Lifeline data are for phone calls.
- Kids Helpline data include phone, webchat and email.
- Beyond Blue data include phone, webchat and email contacts. Data from July 2020 to December 2022 includes contacts and answered contacts for both the Beyond Blue main service and dedicated COVID-19 service.
Online mental health resources and support, National
For ReachOut and Head to Health, the average number of website users per day represents the average daily volume for website activity.
Online mental health resources and support, States and territories
ReachOut and Head to Health weekly website visits represents the total weekly volume for website activity. Disaggregation by jurisdiction is based on website visits.
Mental health crisis support and information organisations
Visualisation showing the activity of mental health crisis support and information organisations nationally by week and quarter from January 2020 to December 2023. The rate of contacts made to Lifeline per 100,000 population in the December quarter 2023 (Q4) was lower than the same quarter in 2022 (12% change). The rate of contacts made to Kids Helpline and Beyond Blue per 100,000 population in the December quarter 2023 (Q4) were lower than the same quarter in 2022 (10% and 21% change respectively). Similar trends for contacts made to Lifeline and Kids Helpline were observed for all states and territories. The average rate of ReachOut website user nationally per 100,000 population in the December quarter 2023 (Q4) was 1% higher than the same quarter in 2022. The average rate of Head to Health website user nationally per 100,000 population in the December quarter 2023 (Q4) was 29% lower than the same quarter in 2022.
Where can I find more information?
Further information and analysis are also available for the following topic areas:
- Medicare-subsidised mental health-specific services
- Mental health-related prescriptions
- The use of mental health services, psychological distress, loneliness, suicide, ambulance attendances and COVID-19
- Mental health impact of COVID-19 (view in archive)
Data source
This report is updated quarterly and was last updated in December 2023. It focuses on activity during the December quarter 2023. Data presented in this report are weekly (Monday to Sunday), and the December quarter 2023 covers weeks 40 to 52 of 2023 (Monday 2 October 2023 to Sunday 31 December 2023). The corresponding dates for previous quarters are included in the table below.
Quarter | Week | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
March Quarter | 1 to 13 | 1 January to 31 March | 2 January to 2 April | 3 January to 3 April | 4 January to 4 April | 6 January to 5 April |
June Quarter | 14 to 26 | 1 April to 30 June | 3 April to 2 July | 4 April to 3 July | 5 April to 4 July | 6 April to 5 July |
September Quarter | 27 to 39 | 1 July to 29 September | 3 July to 1 October | 4 July to 2 October | 5 July to 3 October | 6 July to 4 October |
December Quarter | 40 to 52 | 30 September 2024 to 29 December 2024 | 2 October 2023 to 31 December 2023 | 3 October 2022 to 1 January 2023 | 4 October 2021 to 2 January 2022 | 5 October 2020 to 3 January 2021 |
Data visualisation notes
Chart axes may not start at zero and use different scales for each data source.
Chart displays weekly data and uses the week commencing date.
Jurisdictional data are derived independently of the national total, and totals may not match. The MBS and PBS national total includes services/prescriptions from external territories and those with missing patient characteristics. Crisis support organisation jurisdictional data are reported for answered contacts only, where state/territory information is available. Refer to the data source for data quality information.
Population rates are calculated using Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) estimated resident populations for the relevant periods (ABS 2023). In this report, population rates are based on estimated resident populations at 30 June 2019 for 2019, 30 June 2020 for 2020, 30 June 2021 for 2021, 30 June 2022 for 2022, and 30 June 2023 for 2023.
Medicare-subsidised mental health‑specific services are provided by psychiatrists, other medical practitioners (e.g. paediatricians), general practitioners (GPs), psychologists and other allied health professionals. The services described here are provided in a range of settings – including hospitals, consulting rooms, home visits, telephone and videoconferencing – as defined in the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS).
The information in this report relates only to mental health services that are claimed under specific mental health care MBS item numbers. Therefore, the reported number of mental health-related services is unlikely to represent all patients who receive mental health care. The date is determined from the date the service was processed by Medicare, rather than the date the service was provided.
The drop in service numbers in late December to early January is a seasonal phenomenon which has been observed for the same period in previous years.
The percentage change compared to previous years is calculated from the rate per 100,000 population.
MBS mental health telehealth services
In March 2020, the Australian Government introduced additional services to the MBS to support provision of health care via telehealth (telephone and videoconference). Telehealth was used as an alternative to face-to-face healthcare services to provide protection for both patients and health-care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2021, the Australian Government announced that telehealth will become a permanent feature of the MBS (DoH 2021a).
Better Access
Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners (Better Access) is a subset of MBS mental health services. Services under the Better Access initiative are available for people with a clinically diagnosed mental disorder to receive up to 10 individual or 10 group mental health services per calendar year up to a maximum of 10 sessions (DHAC 2022a). In response to the pandemic, the Australian Government doubled the number of sessions to 20 per year until 31 December 2022 and made these available to residents of aged care facilities for the first time. Access to these additional 10 sessions ceased from 31 December 2022 (DHAC 2022a). An independent evaluation of the Better Access initiative commenced in August 2021 and the evaluation report was released in December 2022 (University of Melbourne 2022).
Data source
This report presents AIHW analysis of MBS data sourced from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.
MBS data were extracted 22/01/2024 and are subjected to change.
Further information on mental health-related MBS items can be found in the Medicare-subsidised mental health-specific services section of the Mental Health Online Report.
The Australian Government subsidises the cost of some prescription medicines listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS). Statistics relating to PBS scripts dispensed may be subject to change due to late claims and adjustments, medicines supplied to public hospital inpatients and private scripts (i.e. pharmacy prescriptions not dispensed under the PBS) are not included.
Medications are reported in this section as 5 selected groups as classified in the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System: Antipsychotics (code N05A), Anxiolytics (code N05B), Hypnotics and sedatives (code N05C), Antidepressants (code N06A) and Psychostimulants, agents used for ADHD and nootropics (code N06B) – prescribed by all medical practitioners (that is, general practitioners (GPs), non-psychiatrist specialists and psychiatrists). This information does not include private prescriptions.
Data include PBS subsided (above-co-payment) and under-co-payment prescriptions.
The percentage change compared to previous years is calculated from the rate per 100,000 population.
PBS medication groups
The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) codes are assigned to medicines based on the organs or systems they act on. Mental health specific medication act on the nervous system. The following table outlines the ATC code and its definition for each of the medication groups presented in this section which are relevant to mental health (WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology 2023):
ATC3 code | Name | Definition |
---|---|---|
N05A | Antipsychotics | This group comprises drugs with antipsychotic actions (i.e. neuroleptics). |
N05B | Anxiolytics | This group comprises preparations used in the treatment of neuroses and psychosomatic disorders associated with anxiety and tension, e.g. benzodiazepines. |
N05C | Hypnotics and sedatives | Hypnotic drugs are used to induce sleep and treat severe insomnia. Sedative drugs are prescribed to reduce excitability or anxiety. |
N06A | Antidepressants | This group comprises preparations used in the treatment of endogenous and exogenous depressions. The group is subdivided mainly according to mode of action. The various antidepressants have different modes of action, and the classification will not reflect the exact mode of action of the various antidepressants. |
N06B | Psychostimulants, agents used for ADHD and nootropics | Agents used for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and to improve impaired cognitive abilities (nootropics). |
PBS Continued Dispensing arrangements
In response to the bushfire crisis in September 2019 and then the pandemic in March 2020, the Australian Government temporarily expanded existing Continued Dispensing arrangements through the Continued Dispensing (Emergency Measures) for most PBS and RPBS medicines supplied through community pharmacies. This was to support Australians’ continued access to PBS medicines in response to the pandemic (Services Australia 2021, DoH 2022). These arrangements were further expanded until 30 June 2022. This arrangement has allowed pharmacists to dispense up to a one-month supply of most mental health-related PBS medicines without a prescription if the medical need was deemed urgent and the medicine had been previously dispensed. Other changes to support people in isolation included a home delivery service of medicines and digital prescriptions sent from telehealth appointments directly to pharmacists (Services Australia 2021).
Data source
This report presents AIHW analysis of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme data sourced from the Department of Health and Aged Care.
PBS data were extracted 13/02/2024 are subjected to change.
Historical data may differ from previously published data due to data resupply.
Further information on mental health-related PBS items can be found in the Mental health-related prescriptions section of the Mental Health Online Report.
Crisis support organisations such as Lifeline, Kids Helpline and Beyond Blue are available to support Australians experiencing mental health issues.
This report presents AIHW analysis of data provided to AIHW by individual agreement with each service provider.
Note that direct comparisons between organisations are not meaningful due to differences in populations being serviced, service models, funding arrangements, workforce availability and information systems. Comparisons with previous years should be made with caution as historical trends may be impacted by a range of events, including planned awareness raising campaigns.
Jurisdictional data are derived independently of the national totals, and totals may not match. State/territory information is not available for all answered contacts, and data quality can vary over time.
Lifeline
Contacts represent the number of callers who stayed on the line after listening to the announcements in the menu. Answered contacts represent the total number of calls answered by Lifeline crisis support workers.
The percentage change compared to previous years is calculated from the rate per 100,000 population.
Kids Helpline
Contacts represent the total number of contacts including phone, webchat and email. Answered contacts represent the total number of contacts answered by Kids Helpline through phone, webchat and email as well as outbound contacts. Answerable contact attempts exclude phone contact attempts abandoned during the privacy message, which cannot be skipped. This message was increased from 22 to 48 seconds in April 2020.
The reduction in Kids Helpline 2022 reported numbers for each state/territory, compared to prior years, requires further clarification to avoid spurious interpretation. Identifiable factors that have contributed to calculated reductions include;
- data for each state/territory is under-represented as an identifiable ‘state/territory’ could no longer be automatically captured following technology damage sustained during the Queensland floods. From March 2022 the state/territory data could only be captured if callers agreed to provide it, resulting in a reduction in reported contacts for each state/territory due to non-provision of this data. The number of non-counselling contacts (e.g. asking for a counsellor, silent calls, etc) has reduced, in-part due to improvements made to the KHL website and changes in help-seeking behaviour of clients.
- demand has decreased as impacts from the COVID pandemic settled in 2022.
There is a minor understatement of reported numbers as they do not include ‘outreach’ or ‘outbound’ contacts where counsellors are required to initiate contact. Kids Helpline migrated to Google Analytics 4 on 1 July 2023 which may result in variances in previous reporting.
The percentage change compared to previous years is calculated from the rate per 100,000 population.
Beyond Blue
From 6 July 2020, the Australian Government funded Beyond Blue to create a dedicated Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service to provide free 24/7 mental health support during the pandemic. Contacts represent the total number of contacts the normal line and COVID-19 line for all modalities including phone, webchat and email. Answered contacts represent the total number of calls answered by Beyond Blue from the normal line and COVID-19 line through phone, webchat and email.
Beyond Blue launched an enhanced service model on 28 February 2022 with a new service delivery partner. Changes to operational workflows and data entry compliance through the transition period have resulted in lower rates of capture of demographic data and answered contacts. These transition issues are expected to continue to stabilise and improve. Caution is advised when comparing recent data to data recorded prior to 28 February 2022. Beyond Blue migrated to Google Analytics 4 for reporting web activity on 1 July 2023 which may result in variances in previous reporting.
The percentage change compared to previous years is calculated from the rate per 100,000 population.
This report presents AIHW analysis of data provided by ReachOut and Head to Health.
Note that comparisons with previous years should be made with caution as historical trends may be impacted by a range of events, including planned awareness raising campaigns.
ReachOut
The average number of ReachOut website users per day represents the average daily volume for website activity. ReachOut experienced significantly increased website activity during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Website activity has since returned to more normalised volumes, while ReachOut has increased focus and activity on reaching audiences beyond its website through channels not reflected in this reporting. ReachOut website activity fluctuates and is influenced by a range of factors, including seasonal decreases during school holiday periods, Google search changes and changes in external and internal marketing support. For instance, SnapChat's ‘Here For You’ campaign during late November and early December 2022 resulted in a spike in ReachOut website activity. ReachOut disaggregation by jurisdiction analyses website visits because user count is unavailable by jurisdiction.
ReachOut migrated to Google Analytics 4 on 1 August 2023 which may result in variances in previous reporting. The new platform applies thresholding to data with low numbers for privacy reasons, due to this ReachOut data for Northern territory (NT) is not available for the December quarter (Q4) 2023. ReachOut data for NT is reported to the September quarter (Q3) 2023 instead.
The percentage change compared to previous years is calculated from the rate per 100,000 population.
Head to Health
The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care maintains the Head to Health website to help Australians find the mental health service most suited to their needs. The average number of Head to Health website users per day represents the average daily volume of website activity. The spike in March 2020 for Head to Health likely relates to the release of the Head to Health COVID-19 page on 20 March 2020 and a direct link from the Department’s website. On 31 March 2022, a trial version of the new digital mental health platform was released without promotion. On 29 May 2023, a variation of the trial experience was released to become the main Head to Health website for all users across Australia seeking to find information and access to a range of digital, phone and face-to-face service offerings to support their mental health and wellbeing needs. The media buy conducted by the Department of Health and Aged Care from 13 June 2023 to 30 June 2023 resulted in a spike in Head to Health website activity. Head to Health migrated to Google Analytics 4 on 1 July 2023 which may result in variances in previous reporting. Head to Health disaggregation by jurisdiction analyses website visits because user count is unavailable by jurisdiction.
The 3 July 2023 to 1 October 2023 release of this report used an updated methodology for counting daily users. This resulted in an unanticipated overestimation of the users per day and average website users per day figures. The methodology has been updated to address these issues in this report, with updated figures provided from 1 July 2023 onward.
The percentage change compared to previous years is calculated from the rate per 100,000 population.
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2022) National, state and territory population, June 2022, ABS, Canberra. Accessed 8 February 2024.
ABS (2023) Consumer Price Index, Australia, March Quarter 2023, ABS, Canberra. Accessed 27 July 2023.
ACT Gov (Australian Capital Territory Government) (2021) Seven-day lockdown for the ACT - COVID-19, ACT Gov. Accessed 11 August 2023.
Biddle N and Gray M (2023) Hangovers and hard landings: Financial wellbeing and the impact of the COVID-19 and inflationary crises, August 2023, ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods. Accessed 25 September 2023.
BOM (Bureau of Meteorology) (2022) Special Climate Statement 76 – Extreme rainfall and flooding in south-eastern Queensland and eastern New South Wales, Bureau of Meteorology. Accessed 15 June 2023.
The department (Department of Health and Aged Care) (2022a) MBS factsheet for Practitioners (Additional 10 MBS mental health sessions during COVID-19 under the Better Access Pandemic Support measure), Department of Health and Aged Care. Accessed 15 June 2023.
The department (2022b) Evaluation of the Better Access initiative – final report, Department of Health and Aged Care. Accessed 15 June 2023.
The department (2022c) Guaranteeing Medicare – Response to 2022 East Coast Floods, Department of Health and Aged Care. Accessed 15 June 2023.
The department (2022d) Improving Better Access for all Australians, Department of Health and Aged Care. Accessed 15 June 2023.
The department (2022e) MBS Online - January 2023 News, Department of Health and Aged Care. Accessed 7 August 2023.
The department (2023a) MBS Online - Family and Carer Participation under the Better Access Initiative, Department of Health and Aged Care. Accessed 7 August 2023.
The department (2023b) Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme – PBS 60 Day Prescription, Department of Health and Aged Care. Accessed 26 October 2023.
DoH (Department of Health) (2021a) Better Access initiative, DoH. Accessed 15 June 2023.
DoH (2021b) Permanent telehealth to strengthen universal Medicare, Department of Health. Accessed 15 June 2023.
DoH (2022) Expansion of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Continued Dispensing Arrangements Covid-19, Department of Health. Accessed 15 June 2023.
NSW Premier (New South Wales Premier) (2021a) Support measures for hospitals, community, NSW Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
NSW Premier (2021b) NSW freedoms never tasted so sweet, NSW Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
NSW Premier (2021c) NSW flying towards 80 per cent double dose target, NSW Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
NSW Premier (2022) Update on COVID settings, NSW Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
NSW Health (2021a) COVID-19 (Coronavirus) statistics, 6 December 2021, NSW Health, NSW Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
NSW Health (2021b) COVID-19 (Coronavirus) statistics, 8 January 2022, NSW Health, NSW Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
NSW Health (2021c) Stay-at-home orders for regional NSW from 5pm today, NSW Health, NSW Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
NSW Health (2022a) Changes to COVID-19 isolation period from Friday, NSW Health, NSW Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
NSW Health (2022b) Mental wellbeing package for flood-impacted communities, NSW Health, NSW Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
PoA (Parliament of Australia) (2020a) COVID-19: a chronology of state and territory government announcements (up until 30 June 2020), Parliament of Australia. Accessed 15 June 2023.
PoA (2020b) COVID-19: a chronology of Australian Government announcements (up until 30 June 2020), Parliament of Australia. Accessed 15 June 2023.
Prime Minister of Australia (PM Gov) (2022) Press Conference - Parliament House, Canberra, Prime Minister of Australia. Accessed 27 July 2023.
QLD Health (Queensland Health) (2021a) Greater Brisbane lockdown: clarifying movement restriction, Queensland Health, Queensland Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
QLD Health (2022) Public Health Face Mask Requirements Direction (No. 5), Queensland Health, Queensland Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
QLD Gov (Queensland Government) (2021) Greater Brisbane lockdown and Queensland restrictions, Queensland Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
QLD Gov (2022a) COVID restrictions ease further, Queensland Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
QLD Gov (2022b) More support for Queensland's flood recovery, Queensland Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
QRA (Queensland Reconstruction Authority) (2022) 2021-22 Southern Queensland Floods, Queensland Reconstruction Authority. Accessed 15 June 2023.
Services Australia (2021) Changes to patient services during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response, Services Australia. Accessed 15 June 2023.
Suicide Prevention Australia (2023) Concerning increase in cost-of-living distress levels - Suicide Prevention Australia, Suicide Prevention Australia. Accessed 27 July 2023.
University of Melbourne (2022) Evaluation of the Better Access initiative - final report, Department of Health and Aged Care. Accessed 15 June 2023.
Vic DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services Victoria) (2020a) Premier's statement on changes to Melbourne’s restrictions, Health and Human Services, Victoria State Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
Vic DHHS (2020b) Victorian coronavirus (COVID-19) data – 26 October 2020, Health and Human Services, Victoria State Government. Accessed 15 March 2024.
Vic DHHS (2021a) Coronavirus update for Victoria - 12 February 2021, Health and Human Services, Victoria State Government. Accessed 15 March 2024.
Vic DHHS (2021b) Coronavirus update for Victoria - 15 July 2021, Health and Human Services, Victoria State Government. Accessed 15 March 2024.
Vic DHHS (2021c) Coronavirus update for Victoria – 27 July 2021, Health and Human Services, Victoria State Government. Accessed 15 March 2024.
Vic DHHS (2021d) Coronavirus update for Victoria – 5 August 2021, Health and Human Services, Victoria State Government. Accessed 15 March 2024.
Vic DHHS (2021e) City of Greater Shepparton to enter seven-day lockdown tonight - 1 October 2021, Department of Health, Victoria State Government. Accessed 15 March 2024.
Vic DHHS (2021f) Moorabool Shire to enter seven-day lockdown tonight - 1 October 2021, Department of Health, Victoria State Government. Accessed 15 March 2024.
Vic DHHS (2021g) Mildura to enter seven-day lockdown tonight - 8 October 2021, Department of Health, Victoria State Government. Accessed 15 March 2024.
Vic DHHS (2021h) Coronavirus update for Victoria - 17 October 2021, Health and Human Services, Victoria State Government. Accessed 15 March 2024.
Vic DHHS (2022) Coronavirus update for Victoria – 20 April 2022, Department of Health, Victoria State Government. Accessed 15 March 2024.
Vic Gov (Victorian Government) (2022) 2022 Victorian Flood Recovery, Victorian Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
Vic Premier (Victorian Premier) (2021) Vaccine required to protect workers and Victoria, Victoria State Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
Vic Premier (2022) Sensible changes to pandemic order, Victoria state Government. Accessed 15 June 2023.
WA Gov (Government of Western Australia) (2021) Western Australia enters five-day lockdown from 6pm tonight, Government of Western Australia. Accessed 15 June 2023.
WA Gov (2022a) Masks required indoors in Perth and Peel from 6pm tonight, Government of Western Australia. Accessed 15 June 2023.
WA Gov (2022b) Masks mandatory in Wheatbelt and Great Southern from 6pm tonight, Government of Western Australia. Accessed 15 June 2023.
WA Gov (2022c) Public health measures to ease with WA’s soft landing secured, Government of Western Australia. Accessed 15 June 2023.
WA Gov (2022d) COVID-19 isolation requirements to change COVID-19 (Coronavirus) statistics COVID-19 (Coronavirus) statistics, Government of Western Australia. Accessed 15 June 2023.
This section was last updated in December 2023.