Charles Sturt University (CSU) has received $2 million in new funding to address critical shortages in the mental health workforce, with the money enabling 229 nursing, 78 occupational therapy and 61 social work student placements by June 2025. 

The funding falls under the National Mental Health ‘Pathways to Practice Program’, an $18.3 million Federal Government investment to fill workforce gaps.

"This project will break down key barriers in providing our students with access to mental health placements in regional and rural areas,” CSU’s Professor Megan Smith said.

According to the University, rural Australians with mental illness have almost three times the risk of premature death of the rest of the population. 

While the ten year National Mental Health Workforce Strategy adopted in October last year wasn’t developed exclusively to address gaps in regional areas, a lack of local training and workforce maldistribution were identified as key problems in sustaining the struggling workforce. 

CSU has undertaken other projects to fill those gaps, including working with people with lived experience of mental illness to support the existing rural mental health workforce and be trained as healthcare navigators. 

NSW Mental Health Commission Deputy Commissioner Tim Heffernan has spoken of the supportive roles those with lived experience can play. 

“Physical Health Care Peer Navigators are a specialised lived experience (peer) workforce who use their own journey of mental and physical health issues, and recovery, to support other people who are also embarking on this journey,” Mr Heffernan said.

“It makes sense that people in rural and regional Australia will be able to choose someone with experience to help them navigate their way back to mental and physical health.”

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the number of people with lived experience who are in paid mental health roles grew by 27 per cent between 2016-2021.