Non Compos Mentis posted:

https://twitter.com/PeterDutton_MP/status/1656601018942238721

Chicken Parmigiana posted:

Bucky you can actually go to university and do a PhD in this poo poo if you’re genuinely keen to learn about it, rather than farting into an internet forum and saying, “Well what’s WRONG with it then guys? I don’t hear any BETTER ideas!”

It’d be one thing to just chat, and say “Well I heard” or “Well I reckon”, but you come across as someone who wants to lead a discussion about a topic you have zero expertise in. Why are you so surprised and frustrated when no-one’s keen? It’s like everyone’s just unwinding at the pub and you’re this guy dressed like a Mormon and dragging in a whiteboard and going, “OK guys, so let’s BRAINSTORM! No bad ideas! Let’s see if we can get knock this national transportation infrastructure thing on the head.”

“I’ve got a great idea,” yeah but you don’t know poo poo, so you’re just a crank, right? “How can we get this in front of the people in charge?” By studying it for years and getting a degree and a job and understanding how it works and gaining a reputation and connections, I guess?? How do you think?

Bucky Fullminster posted:

lol who's this whiteboard-hating, religiously-discriminating motherfucker that thinks they're the pub police. Didn't realise you need a PhD to post, jesus christ.

If someone is riding along and sees an endless line of massive trucks coming and going from a distribution hub, and then keeps riding and sees a whole bunch of empty land around the end of a rail line, they're allowed to say "hey what if we put that there instead", and enquire as to what the barriers to that might be. If people want to talk about it, cool. If they don't, no sweat.

"If you have an interest in something why you devote years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars to studying it, hmmm?" We can just chat some poo poo in here occasionally, it's a discussion forum, it's actually fine.

Like yes, let’s see if we can get knock this national transportation infrastructure thing on the head? Unless you can tell me who is doing it now, and what their kilojoule per kilogram kilometer number is looking like? Nothing will probably come of it but it can still be a fun exercise.

"the world is perfect because it's been built by qualified people according the laws of rational interest and never according to lobbyists or the easiest way for a cow to get up a hillside 200 years ago and if it can be any better the government is on to it already now shut up peasent" Some very weirdly elitist gatekeeping.

This really does affect so much. The liveability of our communities. Take a bunch of trucks off the road and cycling instantly becomes more possible which has huge knock-on effects. Health, parking, cost of living. Then there's the road-toll of the holidays, the quality of our air, the changing of the climate. Just cos you can't see the supply chain that goes into filling those truck up with fuel, doesn't mean it isn't there. It's massive.

Laserface posted:

you're now the second person i know that wants to change everything for the primary purpose of cycling

Bucky Fullminster posted:

lol who's this whiteboard-hating, religiously-discriminating motherfucker that thinks they're the pub police. Didn't realise you need a PhD to post, jesus christ.

If someone is riding along and sees an endless line of massive trucks coming and going from a distribution hub, and then keeps riding and sees a whole bunch of empty land around the end of a rail line, they're allowed to say "hey what if we put that there instead", and enquire as to what the barriers to that might be. If people want to talk about it, cool. If they don't, no sweat.

"If you have an interest in something why you devote years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars to studying it, hmmm?" We can just chat some poo poo in here occasionally, it's a discussion forum, it's actually fine.

Like yes, let’s see if we can get knock this national transportation infrastructure thing on the head? Unless you can tell me who is doing it now, and what their kilojoule per kilogram kilometer number is looking like? Nothing will probably come of it but it can still be a fun exercise.

"the world is perfect because it's been built by qualified people according the laws of rational interest and never according to lobbyists or the easiest way for a cow to get up a hillside 200 years ago and if it can be any better the government is on to it already now shut up peasent" Some very weirdly elitist gatekeeping.

This really does affect so much. The liveability of our communities. Take a bunch of trucks off the road and cycling instantly becomes more possible which has huge knock-on effects. Health, parking, cost of living. Then there's the road-toll of the holidays, the quality of our air, the changing of the climate. Just cos you can't see the supply chain that goes into filling those truck up with fuel, doesn't mean it isn't there. It's massive.

Bucky Fullminster posted:

lol who's this whiteboard-hating, religiously-discriminating motherfucker that thinks they're the pub police. Didn't realise you need a PhD to post, jesus christ.

If someone is riding along and sees an endless line of massive trucks coming and going from a distribution hub, and then keeps riding and sees a whole bunch of empty land around the end of a rail line, they're allowed to say "hey what if we put that there instead", and enquire as to what the barriers to that might be. If people want to talk about it, cool. If they don't, no sweat.

"If you have an interest in something why you devote years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars to studying it, hmmm?" We can just chat some poo poo in here occasionally, it's a discussion forum, it's actually fine.

Like yes, let’s see if we can get knock this national transportation infrastructure thing on the head? Unless you can tell me who is doing it now, and what their kilojoule per kilogram kilometer number is looking like? Nothing will probably come of it but it can still be a fun exercise.

"the world is perfect because it's been built by qualified people according the laws of rational interest and never according to lobbyists or the easiest way for a cow to get up a hillside 200 years ago and if it can be any better the government is on to it already now shut up peasent" Some very weirdly elitist gatekeeping.

This really does affect so much. The liveability of our communities. Take a bunch of trucks off the road and cycling instantly becomes more possible which has huge knock-on effects. Health, parking, cost of living. Then there's the road-toll of the holidays, the quality of our air, the changing of the climate. Just cos you can't see the supply chain that goes into filling those truck up with fuel, doesn't mean it isn't there. It's massive.

Non Compos Mentis posted:

https://twitter.com/PeterDutton_MP/status/1656601018942238721

Laserface posted:

you're now the second person i know that wants to change everything for the primary purpose of cycling

Splode posted:

When you see something that is unintuitive, it is normal to ask "Why is it done this way? Why isn't it done this other way instead?". It is wise to assume there will be a good reason, and you just don't have enough information. It is foolish to assume that somehow, amazingly, you are the only person who has ever thought of this, and the thousands of people who work in that sector are all just idiots.

Bucky Fullminster posted:

Trucks alone directly kill about 50 people per year. Some of whom, I assume, are good people.

I would blow Dane Cook posted:

Jesus this is worse than the QAnon gimmick.

BrigadierSensible posted:

You are an extraordinarily silly and extraordinarily dense man.

Chicken Parmigiana posted:

I hate cars too; like I daily feel, cultivate, and encourage in others, hatred for cars. I hate them even more than I hate Mormons, who are bad people who deserve to be hated. But cars are up in my poo poo every loving day; Mormons only sometimes. And I'm more likely to kill a Mormon than the other way around, unlike with cars.

In my experience, most people who've studied and/or work in urban planning hate cars and car-centric planning and attitudes too. Their opinions, insights and ideas are interesting to listen to, because they have a drat clue. If any are lurking I hope they might post sometimes. (Unless they're Mormons, in which case I hope they fall face-first onto a meat hook.)

GoldStandardConure posted:

bucky watch The Experimental City

Bucky Fullminster posted:

So what do you think we should do then, chicken parmigiana?

Bucky Fullminster posted:

Sure, I’ll try and track it down, thanks, but it feels important to note that we’re working with what we’ve got here, not starting from scratch

Bucky Fullminster posted:

Where I say something objectively correct and not even particularly controversial and a bunch of people get real mad at me?

Funnily enough, that’s an example of where the “professional experts” are actually demonstrably wrong, and I can show exactly where it anyone cares

So? No one cares about me or where you think I sit on the spectrum of silliness and density. If you have a critique of the suggestion, or a better one, go for it.

So what do you think we should do then, chicken parmigiana?

Bucky Fullminster posted:

You guys are being awfully mean to someone who has shown you no ill will.

Bucky Fullminster posted:

There hasn’t been any milquetoast critique or even any response to why it’s not feasible, beyond “you might need to put a third line in”.

It’s literally just having a go at somebody for having an idea and making conversation. What’s the point of this place if we can’t knock ideas around? And where does one go to knock ideas around if not here?

You guys are being awfully mean to someone who has shown you no ill will.

quote:

Dear members,

We were heartened to see the $91.3 million investment in the psychology workforce in the Federal Budget this week, as well the adoption of many APS-designed solutions to problems facing our communities.

The APS was named and cited multiple times in the Budget papers. As well as adopting many of our policies, our leading research on psychologists’ wait lists was used in the mental health and suicide prevention reform package, and the papers cited several APS initiatives and long-held policy positions.

This recognition builds upon our already collaborative relationship with the Government and puts us in good stead to continue successfully advocating on your behalf.

Herein lies the value to you of being a member of the APS, the peak body for psychology in Australia.

Advocacy is a long game and there is much more to be done, but I can assure you we won’t stop striving for improvement.

Our analysis

Our initial analysis shows the Budget goes some way to address the ongoing growth in demand for psychological services in Australia.

Namely, the Federal Government announced it will invest significantly in growing the psychology workforce, as well as in the expansion of the APS Disaster Response Network.

We are cautiously optimistic these announcements show an openness to our advice and foresight on part of policymakers to addressing the issues facing psychologists, patients, and communities. While it is important we celebrate successes and this recognition of our profession, as always we know there is more to be done to support psychologists and patients.

Read on below for further analysis of the Budget, which includes outcomes across other key areas including Better Access, NDIS, aged care, First Nations communities and more.

Better Access

The Budget did not address the number of Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions. We know this is a concern for many members.

We are aware that the Government is still planning reforms to Better Access following the evaluation initiative, which was completed earlier this year. The Better Access evaluation is a concurrent stream of work, which may explain why any changes were not included in the Budget papers. We are pleased the Government provisioned funding in the Budget for future mental health priorities in response to the Better Access evaluation.

The APS has advocated extensively for a minimum of 20 sessions to be made permanent, particularly for clients with more complex and severe mental health presentations, with many meetings, submissions and consultations, and hundreds of media mentions on this issue alone, reaching millions of people. See more of our advocacy and media work on this issue here.

While it was not a part of this year’s Budget, the APS is pleased to see that Medicare rebates for psychology sessions will increase from 1 July 2023 as part of a 3.6% indexation across most Medicare items. Further information about these changes will be available to members before the changes take effect.

Next steps

The Better Access evaluation is ongoing. The APS has been closely involved in these discussions. Rest assured we are continuing our advocacy and consultations with the Government. The Minister has acknowledged there's more work to be done in this area, and we firmly agree.

Psychology workforce

$91.3 million in additional funding over five years is expected to boost psychology numbers through the addition of:

500 psychology post-graduate placements 500 one-year internships 2000 supervisor training sessions (1000 of which will be refresher places), and A redesign of psychology higher education pathways
These initiatives directly reflect the proposals in the APS Pre-Budget Submission. The Government has expressly stated that these measures are being put in place to help address the current bottleneck in psychology training. To this extent, they have heard our advocacy and are taking positive steps to build the psychology workforce.

Next steps

We look forward to working with the Government to deliver the internships and supervisor training sessions to the highest quality. Further information about the ‘redesign’ of higher education pathways will be shared as this work evolves.

Disaster Response Network

Individuals and communities impacted by disasters will receive critical mental health support through $7.2 million over two years for:

The Australian Psychological Society’s Disaster Response Network The Black Dog Institute’s National Emergency Workers Support Service
An additional $125.7 million funding over 5 years (and $28.3 million per year ongoing) to uplift the capacity of the National Emergency Management Agency to support Australians during, and following, a disaster.

And, $9.8 million to provide urgent mental health supports to communities impacted by flooding in Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales, including First Nations communities.

Next steps

We called for expansion to our successful APS Disaster Response Network in our Pre-Budget Submission, and we are delighted to be working with the Government to further develop the network to support those affected by natural disasters, particularly regional and rural communities.

NDIS

The Budget also included several measures aimed at enhancing the sustainability of the NDIS and the consistency of planning decisions for NDIS participants. Specifically, the Budget funds initiatives aimed at improving:

Processes and planning decisions for NDIS participants Access for First Nations communities The quality and effectiveness of interventions through evidence-based supports and improved outcomes for participants Funding models that provide innovative service delivery and ongoing safeguarding of NDIS participants Overall oversight of the NDIS
Next steps

These outcomes are consistent with the APS’ recent submissions which have called for improved decision-making and capability within the NDIS and across the Scheme. We are expecting further reform once the NDIS Review has concluded, and the APS continues to engage with the independent review panel to advocate for the full contribution of psychologists to the NDIS and Australians with disability.

Aged Care

The Government has committed funding to system-level improvement to aged care across Australia. This includes money to support the development and implementation of an Aged Care Regulatory Framework to support the new Age Care Act (due to commence on 1 July 2024), and the establishment of a single aged care assessment system which includes a First Nations assessment workforce.

These initiatives are significant in terms of the ongoing policy work of the APS through our contribution to consultations via forums and working groups, along with written submissions regarding regulatory reform and assessment of older Australians and their care needs.

Disappointingly, the Budget papers did not refer specifically to the role of psychologists within aged care. There were also missed opportunities for much-needed initiatives to support the mental health and wellbeing of older Australians and those living in aged care facilities. This continues to be a point of advocacy for the APS. For further information, please see our recently released position statement on Psychologists in residential aged care.

Psychologists in schools

The Budget contained a one-off funding boost of $192m to schools to support students’ mental health and wellbeing through the impacts of COVID–19. This funding can only be used for specific purposes, which includes funding additional school psychologists. The APS has highlighted the ongoing mental health impacts of the pandemic and welcomes this investment. However, we continue to call for ongoing funding to deliver on the APS-recommended ratio of 1 school psychologist for every 500 students.

First Nations Peoples

$10.5 million in 2023–24 to increase mental health supports for First Nations people during the period of the Referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice The Budget includes $10.5 million over the coming financial year to increase mental health supports for First Nations people during the period of the Referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
The APS commends this measure and echoes the sentiment expressed by Senator Marlarndirri McCarthy (Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health) that it is important to ensure that First Nations People are supported through this significant time and to address any increased vulnerability experienced as a result of the referendum process and the expected increase in racism.

Autism

The Budget includes funding for a co-designed national consultation and engagement process on the National Autism Strategy, and to support the Autism Cooperative Research Centre to continue to undertake research to inform the Strategy. Consultation will also begin on a National Roadmap to improve the physical and mental health of autistic people.

These are important measures and are again significant to the policy work of the APS.

Next steps

We have been invited to participate in the consultation on a National Roadmap to improve the physical and mental health of autistic people by being a member of the Health Roadmap Working Group convened by the Department of Health and Aged Care.

In addition, the APS will contribute to the Department of Social Services important work on the National Autism Strategy through involvement with relevant consultations and a written submission.

Family and Domestic Violence / Women’s safety

$23.2 million over four years from 2023–24 to support families impacted by violence and at risk of engaging in the child protection system, through delivery of 7 place-based, trauma-aware and culturally responsive healing programs aimed at early intervention
and recovery and supporting families $326.7 million over four years from 2023–24 (and $19.4 million per year ongoing) to deliver women’s safety initiatives under the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022–32 (the National Plan).
Chronic Disease Management

$301.9 million over 3 years from 2024–25 by streamlining and modernising Chronic Disease Management planning items and improving associated regulations from 1 November 2024, consistent with recommendations from the MBS Review Taskforce.
Climate change

$28.0 million over two years from 2023–24 to develop Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment and a National Adaptation Plan to understand the risks to Australia from climate change, invest in a plan to adapt to those risks, and commission an independent review of the Australian Climate Service.
COVID-19

$3.1 million in 2022–23 to support digital mental health services to meet increased demand driven by the COVID-19 pandemic
Digital mental health

$3.1 million in 2022–23 to support digital mental health services to meet increased demand driven by the COVID-19 pandemic $8.7 million in 2023–24 to continue the current service capacity of digital mental health services and to maintain the Head-to-Health website
What’s next

We will continue to review the Budget and analyse what this means for you, Australians and the sector.

There are other areas which we need to delve into, for instance:

Perinatal mental health Eating disorders Suicide prevention Youth mental health Rural and remote health Veterans LGBTIQA+ National Redress Scheme Homelessness Forced adoption Refugees and migrants
Working with Government and stakeholders

We have commenced our discussions with the Government about the implementation of these investments and, as always, will continue to communicate with them on what’s needed to bring the benefits of psychology to our communities.

Thank you again for your member contributions to our advocacy efforts, and my sincere thanks to our CEO Dr Zena Burgess and her team for their work bringing our advocacy goals to life.



Dr Catriona Davis-McCabe FAPS GAICD

APS President

Bucky Fullminster posted:

To be clear, offering ramblings you are free to scroll past does not constitute ill will

I would blow Dane Cook posted:

Recoome posted:

Days since Melbourne had a neo-nazi rally 40 0

Recoome posted:

Days since Melbourne had a neo-nazi rally 40 0

Big Willy Style posted:

what are there so many out and proud Nazism in melbourne?

Big Willy Style posted:

what are there so many out and proud Nazism in melbourne?