2011-2011 Budget
Heather Ridout (CEO) Australian Industry Group – 10 may 2011
"We believe this budget is very solid on the fundamentals. It makes a solid investment in skills, a really headline issue for the Australian Industry Group. The budget fundamentals, in terms of responsibility, getting the budget back into surplus, I think will take pressure off interest rates in the longer term."
JEN WESTACOTT (CEO) – BCA - PRESS RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
“Overall, this Budget will strengthen Australia’s economic foundations.”
Commsec Chief Economist - Craig James - 10 MAY 2011
“Overall, it is a smart budget, and a budget right for the times and challenges ahead.”
Scott Haslem - (ubs Chief Economist) - 10 MAY 2011
“The bias toward reduced spending over new taxes to offset revenue shortfalls is commendable.”
GITTINS – 10 MAY 2011
"Taken in sum, there are plenty of cuts and savings that suggest some courage in Canberra."
The budget was ....."good news for people who hate interest-rate rises and want a stable, healthy economy.”
…"tells us something about Julia Gillard's courage and willingness to do what needs to be done”
"The return to surplus is needed to start paying down the government's debt, save some of the proceeds from the resources boom and minimise the number of interest-rate increases needed to keep inflation under control.
But whereas every treasurer in every budget for at least the past 30 years has spoken of the need to create more jobs for all those who want to work, this is the first budget to recognise a reversal in the nature of the problem: it's now to create more workers to fill the job vacancies.
This budget passes that test. It's a good budget, a welcome improvement in the government's performance.”
TOBY HALL (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF MISSION AUSTRALIA) -11 MAY 2011
“This budget deserves some credit for aiming to make things a bit easier for low-income families who are struggling with the rising cost of living. Measures such as bringing forward 70 per cent of Low income Tax Offset as a weekly tax cut will make a difference to the people we help. The budget’s incentives to help long-term unemployed back into the workforce and providing more training opportunities are also going to benefit thousands of families.”
JOCK LAURIE (PRESIDENT, NATIONAL FARMERS’ FEDERATION) – 11 MAY 2011
“There are a few things in there that we are happy with, such as the continuation of the Environmental Stewardship program for another four years. The skilled labour migration program for regional areas is good and the mental health money is fantastic. Being able to compete with the mines for labour has been very difficult, so the skilled labour program is very good.”
JEN WESTACOTT (CEO) – BCA - PRESS RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
“The federal government has taken some necessary steps in the 2011-12 Budget to support productivity and to ensure the nation’s finances are sustainable over the medium term.
“This is a sound Budget to support a stronger future”
“It has the right mix of spending restraint and measures to support growth, such as the skills package and the focus on infrastructure.”
AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP - RIDOUT – 7.30 REPORT – 10 MAY 2011
JOURNALIST: What’s your overall assessment?.....
The fiscal bottom line, I think that’s pretty good, too. I mean, the Government have made substantial savings.
On Fiscal, Debt & Deficit Policy
Steven Hess (Moody)- reuters– 10 MAY 2011
“We think return to a surplus by 2012/13 is still in place and it’s a positive. Australia’s net debt is still very low compared with AAA rated countries rated by Moody’s. This is in conformity with our expectations and supports our triple A rating of the Australian government.”
S&P has also just announced that Australia’s rating is unaffected by the Budget.
Roland Randall (senior strategist) - TD Securities
"There is no surprise. It's within expectations in terms of projected deficit levels. I was looking for something around $48 billion and they are coming around there... The main aim is to get 2012/2013 to surplus, everything else is secondary. This budget is not going to change the Reserve Bank of Australia's current thinking. I think they will hike in August."
TD Securities, 10 May 2011
“The revision is due to slower economic growth and the impact of natural disasters (in Australia and Japan), a stronger than expected exchange rate, weakness in household spending and larger than expected losses from the financial crisis years which continue to be claimed in tax deductions (company and capital gains taxes).”
Michael Blythe (chief economist) - Commonwealth Bank – 10 MAY 2011
"Fiscal policy is moving in a contractory direction but that's been the case for a little while. Effectively what the government has done here is ensure that we're still on track to deliver that consolidation. That would already have been built into the Reserve Bank of Australia's thinking, so I'm not sure it changes that policy dynamic at all. The RBA's forecast would have assumed pretty significant fiscal consolidation because that's been in the plans."
CRAIG JAMES (Commsec Chief Economist) - 10 MAY 2011
“The Government has maintained its discipline on spending, found some savings but at the same time hasn’t saddled mum and dad Australians and small businesses with extra burdens. The Government is still focussed on achieving a budget surplus in 2012/13. That is good stewardship.”
Bloomberg - 10 MAY 2011
“Australia’s government will end 23 years of spending growth to ease inflation from the biggest mining-investment boom in the nation’s history.
“In these conditions, it is important the government does not compound these pressures, which is why the government is rapidly returning the budget to surplus in 2012-13 as planned,” today’s budget papers said. Government spending adjusted for consumer-price inflation will shrink by 0.1 percent in 2012-13, the first fall since a 3.1 percent drop in 1988-89, the budget papers showed.
“The plans will see the fiscal stance supporting monetary policy”
RBS - 10 May 2011
“The forecast turnaround in the Budget is one of the biggest on record and implies fiscal policy will be a large dampener on growth, although history shows that it is very hard to accurately predict where the Budget will end up.”
“This is substantial turnaround and would be one of the biggest improvements in the Budget balance in the post-WW2 period.”
“Although the Government did run a large deficit during the global financial crisis, it pales in comparison with the deficits seen in the US and the UK, where deficits exceeded 10% of GDP.”
“If all goes to plan it should return to surplus much earlier than other countries and its challenge remains dealing with the resources boom”
S&P - 10 May 2011
"The deficits and additional borrowings do not alter the sound profile of Australia's public finances, which remain among the strongest of its peer group,
"The government's balance sheet has provided flexibility to absorb higher debt levels and cyclical deficits of this nature. However, restoring public finances through a return to surpluses over the cycle and maintaining low debt is consistent with maintaining the 'AAA' rating on Australia. It will also support the government's ability to run additional countercyclical fiscal policy, if required."
The unsolicited 'AAA' long-term and 'A-1+' short-term sovereign credit ratings on Australia reflect Standard & Poor's opinion of the country's ample fiscal and monetary policy flexibility, economic resilience, public policy stability, and its sound financial sector.
While this estimate does not incorporate the government's plan for a tax on carbon pollution from July 2012, we expect this new tax and related measures to be broadly neutral to the projected fiscal balance.
The government now expects gross general government debt to peak at about 16.8% of GDP in 2011-2012, which remains well below the 'AAA' median of 46.4%.
CBA – ECONOMICS UPDATE – 10 MAY 2011
The pre Budget “marketing” of a tough Budget comes through clearly in the revenue commentary and the focus on savings measures.
Fiscal policy has moved in a contractionary direction and there are some worthy initiatives that will assist in dealing with longer-run challenges.
Pre Budget themes that the Mining Boom Mk II won’t deliver the “rivers of gold” of Mining Boom Mk I are evident in revenue commentary although revenue growth forecasts for the next couple of years are surprisingly solid
So the Budget is dominated by savings measures – new spending is limited and any significant revenue initiatives are largely deferred to the Tax Forum in October.
The harder-edged decisions relate to measures limiting growth in payments to higher income earners, reforming income support payments to encourage workforce participation, capping some health spending, tightening up tax expenditures (especially the FBT arrangements for cars) and reducing industry assistance.
The Budget meets all the requirements of the government’s medium-term fiscal strategy and it adheres to the exit strategy from the GFC-stimulus period.
Our judgement is that this Budget largely delivers what is required from a short-term cyclical perspective. And it represents a step forward in setting up the economy for the longer haul. The Budget focus and direction should help kick-start the (much needed) debate on dealing with the longer-running structural change being thrust on the economy through the Asian emergence.
ANZ - 10 May 2011
“The Government has remained true to a return to surplus in 2012-13 even with weaker than expected revenue growth and significant extra spending associated with recent natural disasters in the near term”
“The Treasury terms of trade forecasts for 2011-12 look to be conservative in comparison to our forecasts, which is not altogether a bad thing - it is certainly better for the Budget to err on the conservative side for such an important economic parameter.
“The bigger than expected deficit in 2011-12 mostly reflects weaker receipts (-$5.6Bn) due to the unfavourable combination of lower economic growth and the higher exchange rate. There has also been a substantial increase in government payments ($2.2Bn), mainly due to natural disaster relief.”
“The structural position was substantially weakened between 2004-05 and 2007-08, principally as the main benefits of the once in 150 year surge in the terms of trade were returned to the electorate in the form of tax cuts and middle-class welfare. This budget takes some useful steps in this direction in spite of the Government's minority status, but is likely to be criticised for not going far enough”
Stephen Walters, Chief Economist JP Morgan – 11 May 2011
“This Budget has moved in the right direction.”
Michael Blythe, Chief Economist, Commonwealth Bank - 11 May 2011
“The Budget meets all the requirements of the government’s medium-term fiscal strategy and it adheres to the exit strategy from the GFC-stimulus period.”
“Our judgement is that this Budget largely delivers what is required from a short term cyclical perspective. And it represents a step forward in setting up the economy for the longer haul. The Budget focus and direction should help kick-start the (much needed) debate on dealing with the longer-running structural change being thrust on the economy through the Asian emergence.”
Bill Evans, Westpac - 11 May 2011
“We would note that fiscal policy has a contractionary impact on the economy in 2011/12 of 2.0ppts (that is the budget deficit narrows by 2.0% of GDP from that in 2010/11) and a contractionary impact in 2012/13 of 1.8ppts.”
Paul Brennan, Chief Economist Citi - 11 May 2011
“The Budget will exert a contractionary influence on the economy, substantially so in FY12 and FY13.”
Moody’s – Aaa rating confirmed – 11 may 2011
“Moody's Investors Service says that Australia's newly released budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year demonstrates the government's determination to return to fiscal surplus and is supportive of the Aaa credit rating.”
“Moody's notes that Australia's government debt remains among the lowest of all Aaa-rated governments.”
WARREN HOGAN; CHIEF ECONOMIST ANZ – 11 MAY 2011
“In this budget, the Gillard Government has continued successive Australian governments’ broad commitment to sound fiscal discipline”
TIM TOOHEY, CHIEF ECONOMIST GOLDMAN SACHS – 11 MAY 2011
“In an effort to meet its fiscal objective of returning the Budget to surplus in 2012-13 it has attacked middle class welfare and raised taxes for the wealth.
In order to avoid further interest rate rises it proposes a Budget that represents the biggest fiscal contraction since 1970 when comparable data commenced. Should the Government reach its objectives in 2011-12, the change in the underlying cash balance suggests a fiscal contraction of a staggering 2.1% of GDP - the next largest fiscal contraction was -1.4% recorded in 1999-00.
The Budget makes a genuine attempt to keep its commitment to return the Budget to surplus.”
COMMSEC CHIEF ECONOMIST, CRAIG JAMES – 11 MAY 2011
“The Government has maintained its discipline on spending, found some savings but at the same time hasn’t saddled mum and dad Australians and small businesses with extra burdens.”
“The Government is still focussed on achieving a budget surplus in 2012/13. That is good stewardship”
“If there was one area crying out for attention it was the tight job market. And the good news is that the Government has taken action in a big way.”
“Overall, it is a smart budget, and a budget right for the times and challenges ahead.”
UBS; CHIEF ECONOMIST, SCOTT HASLEM – 11 MAY 2011
“The bias toward reduced spending over new taxes to offset revenue shortfalls is commendable.”
“The 2%pt contraction between this fiscal year and next seems significant (even if it follows an historic expansion). While the relationship between fiscal and monetary policy is vague at best, the expiry of the prior fiscal stimlus and resulting 2%pt contraction in the fiscal deficit in the period ahead - if achieved - seems unlikely to make the RBA's job more difficult from here.”
“For markets, a return to surplus from a worse starting point - and an ongoing relatively pristine fiscal position compared with other advanced economies - should provide ongoing support for AUD bonds despite modestly higher total issuance near term, as will the commitment to maintain a reasonably sized bond market with longer duration.”
GED KEARNEY ACTU PRESIDENT –10 MAY 2011
“The 2011-12 Federal Budget contains welcome new initiatives to get more Australians into work, improve skills and create long-term opportunities for some of our community’s most disadvantaged people, while continuing the strong economic management the Labor Government has shown since the Global Financial Crisis.”
ACCI PRESS RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
“Australia's largest and most representative business organisation, The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) says the Government has delivered an effective working budget that provides the opportunity to return to a fiscal balance in two years and boost workforce skills.”
JEN WESTACOTT (CEO) – BCA - PRESS RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
“It is encouraging that the return to surplus has been built on significant expenditure restraint, with the government projecting that it will meet its 2 per cent cap on annual spending growth.
“While the economy is underperforming in parts there are sound prospects for growth overall. With growth projected to strengthen above 3.75 to 4 per cent, now is the time to get our house in order so we can build our finances to meet our future challenges.
Richard Gibbs, Chief Economist Macquarie:
“The impact of fiscal policy on the economy, however, does not depend on whether there is a surplus or a deficit, but on the change in the Budget balance. And when the Budget is viewed through this frame, it points to the most contractionary Budget in 40 years.”
Skills, Jobs & Participation
JEN WESTACOTT (CEO) – BCA - PRESS RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
“It confirms a modest reduction in the company tax rate and takes some important steps in reducing disincentives in the welfare system that prevent many people from participating in the workforce.
“The skills package is a clear highlight of the Budget and will be good for the economy in helping to ensure that we can deliver major investment projects in years to come.
“The measures to improve education completion rates, fast-track apprenticeships and lift the performance of Australia’s training system will drive productivity and lift workforce participation.
“We are very pleased to see an increase in the overall level of skilled migration and the targeting of skilled workers to where they are most needed.
CBA – ECONOMICS UPDATE – 10 MAY 2011
“…measures announced tonight focusing on increasing skilled migration, educating and skilling the workforce, improving the welfare-to-work tradeoff and boosting infrastructure are all positives for the longer-run economic picture.
Commsec Chief Economist - Craig James - 10 MAY 2011
“If there was one area crying out for attention it was the tight job market. And the good news is that the Government has taken action in a big way. Overall, it is a smart budget, and a budget right for the times and challenges ahead.”
AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP - RIDOUT – 7.30 REPORT – 10 MAY 2011
The investment in skills is exactly what our group was advocating. We’re very pleased to see it there. It’s a reform. It’s not just a new pot of money. It’s a substantial structural reform to the system.
ACTU - KEARNEY – PRESS RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
The 2011-12 Federal Budget contains welcome new initiatives to get more Australians into work, improve skills and create long-term opportunities for some of our community’s most disadvantaged people, while continuing the strong economic management the Labor Government has shown since the Global Financial Crisis.
ACCI - PRESS RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
“The Government has delivered an effective working budget that provides the opportunity to return to a fiscal balance in two years and boost workforce skills.”
ACCI'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE PETER ANDERSON
"The investment in workforce skills, skilled migration and workforce participation is wise and with industry driven support it can address some of our skills deficits and shortages."
JEN WESTACOTT (CEO) – BCA - PRESS RELEASE – 10 MAY 201
“The federal government has taken some necessary steps in the 2011-12 Budget to support productivity and to ensure the nation’s finances are sustainable over the medium term.
“This is a sound Budget to support a stronger future”
“It has the right mix of spending restraint and measures to support growth, such as the skills package and the focus on infrastructure.”
ACTU – MEDIA RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
“The ACTU is pleased the Labor Government has continued its steady economic management, with this year’s Budget forecasting above-trend real GDP growth of 4% in the next financial year, delivering half-a-million extra jobs within two years, on top of more than 300,000 jobs created in the past 12 months.”
“This Budget contains a clear vision for the future of the Australian workforce, with the allocation of $3 billion over the next six years towards skills, training and productivity.
“There is no more important investment than in Australians’ skills and it is pleasing this package contains a number of elements unions have long called for.”
“The consolidation of the policy role of Skills Australia into this new body to control funding of productivity and training programs will ensure better planning for the future workforce. In particular, the industry co-contribution model for skills investment will ensure that employers pay a fair share of the cost of training their workers.
“We are encouraged by the Government’s overall commitment to building workforce participation and we support positive measures which will serve as incentives to some of our more disadvantaged community members, including increasing the amount young people can earn before beginning to lose Youth Allowance; allowing Disability Support Pension recipients to work up to 30 hours per week without jeopardising their payment; and wage subsidies for the very long-term unemployed.
ANGELO GAVRIELATOS (FEDERAL PRESIDENT AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION UNION) – 11 MAY 2011
“The additional $200 million for students with disabilities is a highlight of this budget. The rapid rollout of this funding in one of the most neglected areas of education is essential."
Welfare
TONY NICHOLSON (ED OF BROTHERHOOD OF ST LAURENCE) – MEDIA RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
“Today’s Federal Budget has taken the initial steps of establishing a new welfare morality for our nation which is long overdue”
“As our labour market tightens and with the prospect of good economic growth, the Government has recognized that now is the time to recast our understanding of rights and obligations in welfare to ensure all Australians are provided with the incentives and the capabilities to participate in the mainstream economic and social life of the nation.”
“At long last we see policy initiatives that recognise that the most disadvantaged in our community have modest mainstream aspirations and that they won’t shy from increased obligations in welfare if they are matched with more and better assistance.
‘This is the test of the new welfare morality: that increased obligations are commensurate with the additional assistance on offer. It’s a test that the welfare initiatives in the Budget pass.
‘The new obligations on sole parents, teenage mums, youth and the disabled are matched with appropriate financial incentives to take on work and additional investments to improve their literacy and numeracy and vocational skills. My experience suggests if implemented sensitively, most will relish the additional support.
‘The measures to bring into line with others the expectations on recipients of the supporting parent benefit who were previously exempted to look for work until their youngest child is sixteen years, is long overdue and provide a realistic lead time for these parents to prepare for moving back into work.
‘With its funding of Saver Plus, the innovative matched savings scheme for low-income families, the Government has signaled its support for forms of assistance that build the capacities of the disadvantaged to manage their finances. Delivered by the Brotherhood of St Laurence in partnership with ANZ and community organisations, Saver Plus is a matched saving and financial education program which boosts savings habits of low-income families, helping them better weather financial difficulty such as unexpected expenses or a sudden loss of income. The Budget’s commitment to Saver Plus means that personal support and savings incentives will be available in 60 communities in every state and territory, reaching up to 10,000 people over the next 4 years.” Mr Nicholson said.
SALLY SINCLAIR (CEO OF NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICES ASSOCIATION (NESA)) – 10 MAY 2011
“The Budget demonstrates an appropriate balance of opportunity and responsibilities for people on income support through a mix of measures which should contribute to improved employment participation and inclusion.
“Tonight’s Budget will assist long-term unemployed people as well as job seekers with multiple disadvantages to benefit from Australia’s future economic growth.
“It is critical that we address Australia’s current and future workforce needs, so the Budget measures to address skills shortages and to help more out of work Australians to become ‘job ready’, through the acquisition of wanted skills, is very welcomed.”
CASSANDRA GOLDIE – AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICES – 10 MAY 2011
“On the mental health package, fantastic. I think you're gonna see broad support for that. That's well and truly overdue. And there was good stuff in there for the not-for-profit sector itself; finally an independent regulator's gonna get established - that's great. And when it comes to waste, we were fully behind the Treasurer on that. Great to see that there was some measures there to tackle the health benefit rebate - the healthcare rebate, that's great if we could get that going...”
Infrastructure
RIDOUT – 7.30 REPORT – 10 MAY 2011
“On the other hand, on the infrastructure side we also think that’s a pretty solid performance around not only projects but the governance of the system – more money for Infrastructure Australia, support for private investment into infrastructure: sensible things.”
JEN WESTACOTT (CEO)- BCA - PRESS RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
“It has the right mix of spending restraint and measures to support growth, such as the skills package and the focus on infrastructure.”
“The Budget takes steps now to bring expenditure under control and to support growth. The focus on improving access to skilled workers and strengthening our national infrastructure planning are critical to the growth challenge.
“We also welcome the renewal of funding for Infrastructure Australia and the proposed arrangement for enhancing transparency including the commitment to publish cost benefit analyses as well as the National Infrastructure Construction Schedule.”
JOHN BROGDEN (CEO) FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL – 11 MAY 2011
"The focus in this budget will ensure that infrastructure becomes a more attractive investment"
"The tax changes will undoubtedly make projects on Infrastructure Australia's national priority list more favourable to investors."
“The government has signalled some moves for super funds to invest in infrastructure including tax deductions. These show the government has a genuine commitment to attract super funds into infrastructure investment.”
Environment
Jock Laurie – NATIONAL FARMERS FEDERATION – 10 MAY 2011
“In terms of what is included in tonight’s Budget, the NFF is pleased that the Government has extended funding for the overwhelmingly successful Environmental Stewardship Program.”
Small Business
Jock Laurie – NATIONAL FARMERS FEDERATION – 10 MAY 2011
The NFF welcomed greater flexibility around Farm Management Deposits for those recovering from natural disasters and the Government’s proposed $5,000 instant asset write-off for small business to cover capital purchases such as motor vehicles.
Migration
CBA – ECONOMICS UPDATE – 10 MAY 2011
“…measures announced tonight focusing on increasing skilled migration, educating and skilling the workforce, improving the welfare-to-work tradeoff and boosting infrastructure are all positives for the longer-run economic picture
ACCI'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE PETER ANDERSON
"The investment in workforce skills, skilled migration and workforce participation is wise and with industry driven support it can address some of our skills deficits and shortages."
JEN WESTACOTT (CEO) – BCA - PRESS RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
“We are very pleased to see an increase in the overall level of skilled migration and the targeting of skilled workers to where they are most needed.
VICTORIAN FARMERS FEDERATION – 10 MAY 2011
“Victorian farmers and rural communities will welcome the government’s commitment to inject 6000 skilled migrants into Australia’s regions. Along with filling jobs related to agriculture it is hoped that these qualified ‘new Australians’ will fill the gaps often left in rural communities by the tyranny of distance.”
Jock Laurie – NATIONAL FARMERS FEDERATION – 10 MAY 2011
In terms of farm sector labour, the NFF also welcomed the announcement of an additional 6,000 intake towards the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme and the lowering of the bottom marginal tax rate under the Pacific Seasonal Worker scheme.
PETER VERWER (ceo PROPERTY COUNCIL) – MEDIA RELEASE - 10 MAY 2011
“The Gillard Government’s first Budget lays out a powerful development plan for regional Australia, along with a targeted increase to migration and labour skills programs that will boost Australia’s economic muscle”
Regional Farmers
Jock Laurie – NATIONAL FARMERS FEDERATION – 10 MAY 2011
“The NFF is pleased that the Government has extended funding for the overwhelmingly successful Environmental Stewardship Program.
While the NFF remains committed to drought policy reform, today’s extension of the WA drought trial is a prudent measure that recognises the complexity of this policy challenge and gives confidence to the farm sector that these reforms will not be rushed or based on insufficient data.
PETER VERWER (ceo PROPERTY COUNCIL) – MEDIA RELEASE - 10 MAY 2011
“The Gillard Government’s first Budget lays out a powerful development plan for regional Australia, along with a targeted increase to migration and labour skills programs that will boost Australia’s economic muscle”
“The main course of the 2011 Federal Budget is a $4.3 billion regional strategy that is underpinned by infrastructure and skills initiatives.”
Tax
JEN WESTACOTT (CEO) – BCA - PRESS RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
“The Budget includes some difficult but necessary measures which deal with anomalies in the tax system, the sustainability of indexation arrangements for some transfer payments and a reprioritisation of certain spending including in Defence.
Andrew McKellar - CEO of federal chamber of AUTOMOTIVE industries – 10 may 2011
“The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the peak body representing the Australian automotive industry, accepts the Government’s move to introduce a flat rate for FBT on motor vehicles.”
“The industry acknowledges that the existing approach, using a kilometre-based threshold, is out of date and is inconsistent with the goal of reducing carbon emissions from motor vehicles”
Health & Mental Health
VICTORIAN FARMERS FEDERATION – 10 MAY 2011
“Major commitments to regional health, and especially mental health, will be welcomed by every rural Australian. While there is still some way to go, it is imperative that investments continue to be made in essential services outside of our major cities.”
Jock Laurie – NATIONAL FARMERS FEDERATION – 10 MAY 2011
The NFF also welcomed increased funding towards mental health.
“The NFF cannot overemphasise how critical the issue of mental health has been for Australian farmers in the wake of the stress and hardship that has arisen from natural disasters and poor seasons. This issue has taken a huge toll on our people and we hope today’s announcement will go some way towards healing this illness that has had such an effect on our regional communities”.
TONY NICHOLSON (ED OF BROTHERHOOD OF ST LAURENCE) – MEDIA RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
‘Many Australians find themselves excluded from the mainstream by dent of poor mental health. For them, the new investments in mental health prevention and treatment are critically important. People who experience both poor mental health and homelessness stand to particularly benefit from the increased funding to Headspace, the Personal Helpers and Mentors program, and the initiatives that integrate housing and mental health assistance.
ACTU - KEARNEY – PRESS RELEASE – 10 MAY 2011
“We also welcome the increased spending on mental health reform, which will also lead to more Australians contributing to their communities and the economy.”
ANDREW PESCE (AMA PRESIDENT) - 10 MAY 2011
“I commend the Government on its decision to improve the overall package of mental health funding. Many of the initiatives mirror the Australian Medical Association’s proposals, and we’re very pleased to see increased resources and a whole of life approach, targeted approach, improving mental health.”
CASSANDRA GOLDIE (AUST. COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICES) – 10 MAY 2011
“Look, I think the direction that the Government has set in that package is really positive and I've discussed with colleagues who work - specialists and members in that area, they're generally very pleased with that. Obviously it's gonna take time to get a lot of these initiatives on the ground and benefitting from the community's point of view, but the figure in terms of the investment was right and the spread between early intervention on the one hand and responding to chronic illness was also really welcomed, in addition to supports for example in the youth suicide area. So, it's been across the board on that front, and also great for our sector because we work with a lot of people who experience mental health problems and so there is some money in there to foster sort of co-ordination of services in local communities, so that's great.”
FRANK QUINLAN – MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION OF AUSTRALIA – 10 MAY 2011
The government had laid foundations for lasting reform, MHCA chief executive Frank Quinlan said.
"The pressure is now on the state and territory governments to take responsibility for their share of mental health care and to work with the commonwealth and the sector to build on these initiatives," he said.
"The road to lasting reform will take many years, but the initiatives announced tonight create an unstoppable momentum for change."
SIMON SHEIK – GET UP – 10 MAY 2011
Activist group GetUp's national director, Simon Sheikh, said the government had taken the first step toward transforming Australia's mental health care system.
He said that currently just 25 per cent of young people accessed the mental health services they needed.
"We welcome the $2.2 billion investment of the prime minister and the federal government in this system, particularly in the context of an otherwise tight budget," Mr Sheikh said
IAN HICKIE – BRAIN AND MIND INSTITUTE – 10 MAY 2011
Professor Ian Hickie, director of the Brain and Mind Research Institute at the University of Sydney, said the spending proved Prime Minister Julia Gillard was committed to targeting mental health.
"The goal in Australia is to develop a national program that we can all be proud of and we see the start of that tonight," he said.
"It's a 10-year process to seriously deliver, but the money is on the table now to work with the states.
"Most importantly the investments are smart, they are potentially transformational."
Prof Hickie said the emphasis on early intervention with children and young people was of fundamental importance
MONSIGNOR DAVID CAPPO – 10 MAY 2011
Australian Social Inclusion Board spokesman Monsignor David Cappo said the budget was a breakthrough in integrating mental health clinical services with a whole range of community services.
"In urban and rural Australia, people are saying please integrate all your services with mental health so we can lead dignified lives," he told reporters in Canberra.
"This new reform agenda has delivered on this."
JOHN MENDOZA – FORMER CHAIRMAN OF GOVT’s MENTAL HEALTH – 10 MAY 2011
Professor John Mendoza, former chairman of the government's National Advisory Council on mental health, said Labor was to be commended for responding to the community's concerns.
"We have left many people with mental illness and their families sitting on the sidelines while many of us enjoyed over the last decade or more the fruits of our nation's prosperity," he said.
"Tonight's investments and initiatives... really do respond to those concerns, concerns that have been very loudly voiced on all sides of politics."
CASSANDRA GOLDIE – ACOSS – 10 MAY 2011
The Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) was another group delighted with the positive mental health reforms.
"This package is long overdue and should receive broad support," ACOSS chief executive Cassandra Goldie said.