The Report largely concentrates on issues involving nurses, and does not address the shortage of psychologists in public mental health in Victoria. However the Report does state that the Government will ensure the employment of discipline seniors in mental health, and that the Government will ‘explore’ strategies to assist the retention of senior mental health practitioners in the public mental health service, including looking at private practice rights. We hope the Government actually follows through on these statements.

We are still waiting for the discussion paper on private practice rights which the Department of Health said would be available at the end of September. This paper is to inform negotiations over private practice rights for psychologists which were agreed would take place under the Heads of Agreement which was signed in June 2008.

http://www.health.vic.gov.au/mentalhealth/index.htm