Mental Health Foundation criticizes ACT's disability cuts

Mental Health Foundation says ACT's plan to cut disability benefits is 'based in bigotry' and poorly researched.

“It's pretty simple-minded and it won't work. It's also based on a lot of assumptions and bigotry”

ACT proposes $650m disability benefit cuts

ACT plans to cut disability benefits by more than $650 million if re-elected, targeting $12m in first year.

ACT leader David Seymour defends cuts

David Seymour says ACT requires independent medical certification for disability benefits and claims mental health crisis is overstated.

“People who are genuinely disabled and don't have a chance to get to work, they should be looked after well”

Mental health crisis data shows rise

Mental distress increased from 7 percent to 14 percent since 2019, with young people doubling from 11 percent to 23 percent.

Robinson disputes mental health crisis claims

Robinson says Seymour's claim of a mental health epidemic is incorrect, citing decade-long trends and economic hardship.

“Covid was definitely an inflection point, but actually those numbers have been going up for about a decade before that”

ACT's approach criticized as ineffective

Robinson says ACT's plan to force people off benefits into work ignores 14,000 job losses in last three years.

“So again, it's a bit rich to say, you know, we've got to force people off benefits and into jobs when 14,000 jobs have been lost”

Mental health crisis requires political acknowledgment

Robinson says politicians avoid admitting mental health crisis by blaming victims instead of addressing the issue.

“And we have got a mental health crisis, and our politicians are not owning up to that”