Mental health of bushfire victims must be supported through Medicare
10 December 2025
With bushfire season upon us, the peak body for all psychologists is calling on the Federal Government to activate permanent Medicare item numbers to support people in need of mental health services as a result of natural disasters.
The Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) has been calling for these item numbers, originally introduced after the Black Summer bushfires of 2019/20, to be made permanent since then.
AAPi Executive Director Tegan Carrison said the recent bushfires that devastated communities around NSW will leave lasting scars, not just on property and environment, but on the mental health of those affected.
“We know that all forms of natural disaster, especially bushfires, can trigger trauma, grief, anxiety and other serious mental health issues and these impacts prevail long after the flames are out,” Ms Carrison said.
“While governments always support with an immediate response, they do not provide that sustained mental health support survivors and first responders urgently need.
“Creating permanent, disaster-responsive Medicare item numbers and allowing people to self-refer to psychologists will remove critical barriers to accessing care when it is most needed.
“Making these Medicare item numbers permanent would be a mark of compassion and commitment to the well-being of communities. Self-referral would mean a client would not have to wait for a GP to be available to request the psychological help they sorely need following a disaster.”
Ms Carrison said early intervention following a disaster reduced the risk of long-term psychological harm.
About Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPi)
The AAPi is a not-for-profit peak body for all psychologists that aims to preserve the rich diversity of psychological practice in Australia. Formed in 2010 by a group of passionate grassroots psychologists, the AAPi’s primary goal is to address inequality in the profession and represent all psychologists and their clients equally to government and funding bodies. Its primary mission is to lobby for equitable access for the Australian public to professional psychological services such as Medicare Better Access Scheme and the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
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