Submission to the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement Review

12 August 2025

Relationships Australia Victoria (RAV) has made a submission to the Productivity Commission’s Review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, responding to the Commission’s Interim Report.

The Interim Report highlights the vital role of mental health and suicide prevention in the wellbeing of Australians. We support the Review’s aim to ensure that significant government investment in these areas delivers high-quality, efficient, and effective care.

Our submission draws on our experience in providing both dedicated mental health services, such as our headspace sites, our Youth Enhanced Service, and our i-Connect Family Mental Health Support Service, and our experience support clients with mental health needs. In 2023-24, more than one third of clients – over 8,100 people – had a mental health need addressed.

Our submission emphasised:

• The importance of healthy relationships and social connection to mental health.
• The significant impact of family breakdown on individual and community wellbeing.
• The need for greater investment in prevention and early intervention, including relationship skills programs and services that strengthen families, especially in the early years.

We also advocated for a model of mental health care that is integrated with community health services, enabling community-based organisations to deliver prevention and early intervention programs that reduce risk factors, build protective factors, and support recovery from family violence, separation, and abuse.

Our full submission is available via the link below.