An estimated 500,000 Australians with serious mental illness don’t qualify for the NDIS—and are left without critical psychosocial support. The system isn’t just failing them. It’s forgetting them.
Caring for loved ones shouldn’t require a degree in bureaucracy. Yet thousands of Australians are managing kids, parents, and three care systems that don’t talk to each other. This deep dive into the “care squeeze” reveals how fragmented services are making carers invisible—and what can change.
Despite promises of co-design, people with lived experience of mental ill-health and suicide are still sidelined in Australia’s mental health reforms. The result? Tokenism, mistrust, and a system designed without the people it claims to serve.
Why are rural Australians waiting months for therapy while city clinics are at capacity? It’s not about demand—it’s about economics. From unpaid student placements to travel reimbursement cuts, allied health professionals are being priced out of regional practice. And unless we fix the funding model, rural communities will keep falling through the cracks.
Dog owners are 40% less likely to develop dementia — but are we doing enough to support pet companionship in later life?