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Australian children from poorer communities are increasingly missing out on psychological care, with the gap in treatment between wealthy and disadvantaged families widening substantially over the past decade, according to Monash University research.

By 2023, fewer than one in three children from the lowest-income neighborhoods received Medicare-subsidized psychological treatment within three months of obtaining a Mental Health Treatment Plan, compared with more than half of children from the wealthiest neighborhoods.

Drawing on linked Medicare and tax data from 5.4 million Australian children and adults who received a Mental Health Treatment Plan between 2014 and 2023, the study found that income-related inequity in access to psychotherapy had nearly doubled over the decade.

For children, the difference in access between the highest- and lowest-income groups increased from 14 to 23 percentage points.

Among adults, the gap grew from eight to 15 percentage points, with only 40% of low-income adults accessing psychotherapy within three months of receiving a Mental Health Treatment Plan in 2023, compared with 55% of high-income adults.

Associate professor Nicole Black, from the Centre for Health Economics at Monash Business School, said the findings highlight substantial inequalities in access to needed mental health care in Australia.

"What is particularly concerning is that these are people who have already sought help from a general practitioner and received a Mental Health Treatment Plan. Yet many are still not receiving psychological care, and that proportion is much higher among people living in poorer communities," Black said.

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