The Greens are promising to give Queenslanders access to free sessions with public psychologists at one of 200 new health clinics, ahead of the October election.
Under its mental health care plan, the Greens would employ 1000 psychologists to work across 200 new public health clinics around the state.
Queenslanders who access those clinics would receive 20 free sessions with a psychologist – 10 more than what is currently subsidised by Medicare under a mental health care plan.
“We’ll build 50 public health clinics per year and by 2028, 60,000 patients each year will have regular access to 20 free sessions with public psychologists,” the party said in a statement.
The Greens have promised to give Queenslanders access to 20 free sessions with a psychologist each year.Credit: iStock
“When the federal government doubled the number of sessions on a mental health care plan to 20 during the pandemic, it was life-changing for so many people,” Greens health spokeswoman Amy MacMahon said.
“I’ve heard from countless Queenslanders, both patients and mental health professionals, that 10 sessions with a psychologist just isn’t enough.
“With rents and grocery costs sky high, people just can’t afford to pay $200 or more to see a psychologist.”
The party has also endorsed calls from the Australia Psychological Society to allow an estimated 8000 provisionally registered psychologists, who are practitioners that have not yet completed their full training, to bill through Medicare.
The Greens would increase base mining royalties to 35 per cent to fund its election promises.
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