Bring back the “COVID 20”: We'll make mental health a priority and bring back 20 free psychologist sessions for Queenslanders.

Decades of underfunding by Labor and the LNP has left Queensland’s mental health system in crisis. And things have only got worse since the federal Labor government halved the number of Medicare funded psychology sessions from 20 to 10. 

Queenslanders are now having to choose between getting the mental health care they need or paying the rent. If you can manage to afford to pay for a psychologist, you’ll often have to wait up to three months for an appointment.

People are struggling to get the support they need in the community, often pushing them into crisis and into our underfunded public hospital system. Mental health presentations to emergency departments have increased by 20% since 2018¹ and there’s a massive shortage of mental health inpatient beds in our hospitals.

The Greens will bring back the “COVID 20” for Queenslanders, giving Queenslanders access to 20 free sessions with a psychologist each year.

The Greens will:

• Employ 1,000 clinical and registered psychologists, at 200 new free public health clinics across the State
• Provide 20 free psychology sessions each year for every Queenslander who accesses these psychologists

20 Free psychology sessions a year

Right now Queenslanders are struggling to pay for the psychology sessions they need.

1 in 5 people are delaying seeking mental health support because of costs.² In fact, since Labor cut the number of Medicare funded psychology sessions in 2022, there’s been a 40% increase in low-income people delaying seeing a psychologist, or not seeing one at all, due to cost.³

The Greens will make mental health a priority, and invest $269 million over four years to bring back 20 free psychologist sessions for Queenslanders.

We will employ 1,000 clinical and registered psychologists, at 200 new free public health clinics across the state.

Any Queenslander with a Mental Health Care Plan under Medicare will be eligible to see these psychologists to receive 20 free psychology sessions each year.

The Queensland government would receive the Medicare rebate from the Federal government for up to 10 sessions per patient. These rebates would be worth $213 million over four years, with the remaining costs covered by the Queensland government.

($m)	2025-26	2026-27	2027-28	2028-29	Total over 4 years
Staffing costs: psychologists at public clinics	$46	$94	$145	$198	$482
Medicare rebates for 10 sessions per patient	-$21	-$43	-$64	-$85	-$213
Cost to State government: 20 free psychology sessions	$25	$51	$81	$113	$269

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. 
 

20 free psychology sessions per year
	2025-26	2026-27	2027-28	2028-29
Psychologists per clinic (FTE)	5	5	5	5
Number of clinics operating	50	100	150	200
Psychologists employed at public clinics across Queensland	250	500	750	1000
Total clients with access to 20 free sessions via public psychologists per year	15,000	30,000	45,000	60,000

Tackling workforce shortages

Almost 50% of psychologists across Australia are reducing their patient hours because they’re burning out. 

After the Labor federal government halved the number of Medicare funded psychology sessions, many psychologists reported that they were considering leaving the profession.⁴

By directly employing psychologists in the public health system and paying them a professional salary in a stable job, our plan would provide better conditions for psychologists. Public psychologists would have leave entitlements, minimal administrative responsibilities and professional development opportunities, reducing burn-out. 

The Greens also support the Australia Psychological Society and the AAPi’s calls for allowing the 8,000 provisionally registered psychologists to provide services through Medicare, to bring more psychologists online faster.

Costings

The total cost of providing the 20 free psychology sessions to Queenslanders will be $269 million over four years. 

The total cost of building 200 public health clinics where the psychologists will be based will be $3.16 billion over four years.

The cost of the initiative will be funded by the Greens plan to raise royalties on mining corporations, which will raise $61 billion over four years.

($m)	2025-26	2026-27	2027-28	2028-29	Total over 4 years
Build 200 public health clinics	$761	$780	$800	$820	$3,160
20 free psychology sessions	$25	$51	$81	$113	$269
Total	$786	$831	$881	$933	$3,429

Sources:
1 AIHW, Mental health-related presentations to emergency departments, July 2024.
2 ABS Patient Experiences November 2023.
3 ABS Patient Experiences November 2023.
4 APS, National survey sounds alarm for patients and psychologists after mental health funding cuts, March 2023.