The Albanese Government will increase the number of postgraduate psychology places at universities and provide more psychology internships and supervisors so Australians can access a psychologist when needed.
This will help remove barriers to studying and working in mental health, which is sorely needed while Australia faces a critical shortage of mental health workers.
The Albanese Government will support Australia’s leading universities to provide up to an additional 500 student places and grow postgraduate psychology courses over a four-year period.
Despite strong demand and interest from students, currently only 10 per cent will complete the required postgraduate course to become a registered psychologist due to the limited number of university places.
The following universities successfully applied for funding through the 2023–24 Postgraduate Psychology Incentive Program Grant Round and will provide 146 additional student places this year:
Australian National University
Central Queensland University
Charles Darwin University
Curtin University
Deakin University
Federation University
La Trobe University
Murdoch University
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
University of Adelaide
University of Canberra
University of Melbourne
University of New England
University of Queensland
University of South Australia
University of Southern Queensland
University of Sydney
University of Tasmania
University of the Sunshine Coast
University of Western Australia
University of Wollongong
Western Sydney University
To address bottlenecks in the psychology training pipeline, the Albanese Government will also provide Supporting Provisional Psychologists to Practice grants to increase the availability of psychology internships and supervisor training.
This initiative will support provisional psychologists by funding 681 one-year internships over a four-year period and up to 2860 Psychology Board of Australia endorsed supervisor training places.
To prioritise areas of greatest need, half the internships and supervisor training will be offered to people in First Nations communities, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and people living in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia.
The following organisations will deliver the internships and supervisor training:
Stream 1 – psychology internships:
Western Sydney University (NSW) – 84 places
Grand Pacific Health (NSW and ACT) – 30 places
Marathon Health (NSW) – 36 places
Therapy Pro (QLD) – 85 places
Flinders University (SA and NT) – 100 places
CatholicCare Victoria Tasmania (VIC and TAS) – 98 places
Autism Association of Western Australia (WA) – 48 places
The Cairnmillar Institute (National) – 200 places
Stream 2 – supervisor training:
James Cook University – 380 places
Deakin University – 480 places
The Australian Psychological Society – 1000 places
The Cairnmillar Institute – 1000 places
The Albanese Government has also committed to work with the Psychology Board of Australia to reform and redesign the psychology higher education and registration pathway to make it simpler for students to complete their studies and work in the mental health system.
September 30, 2020