About Lived Experience Australia
The National Private Mental Health Peak Body
Lived Experience Australia is proud to be the National Private Mental Health Peak organisation, federally funded to represent the combined voices of people who access private mental health care, and the families, carers, and supporters who walk alongside them.
Founded in 2002 by Janne McMahon OAM, (front and centre in our photo above) our organisation emerged in direct response to a critical gap: no lived experience voice existed for those navigating private services.
To this day, LEA remains the only dedicated private sector mental health lived experience representative organisation in Australia.
This page was created to show the key points in our 'Private Sector Mental Health Overview' document. You can view the full document at this link or read on for the highlights.
What is Private Sector Mental Health Care?
Private sector mental health care refers to services provided outside the public system, including:
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General Practitioners
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Private psychiatrists
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Private psychiatric hospitals including day programs
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Psychologists and allied health professionals
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Pharmacists providing mental health support and medication advice
Any mental health service that people pay for through private health insurance or out-of-pocket costs are part of the private mental health care system in Australia.
We are committed to ensuring lived and living experience voices are at the core of system reform to support equity of access to this vital part of the mental health care system.
Why 'Private Mental Health Care'?
Private mental health care serves nearly half of all Australians receiving specialist mental health treatment, despite only receiving 12% of total mental health funding. This imbalance affects real people seeking help for their mental health, who are unable to or don't want to access public services.
The numbers tell the story:
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3.4 million Australians saw a health professional for mental health support in the past year (ABS 2022)
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59% of Australians have private health insurance (ABS 23-24)
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Over 40,000 people receive care in private psychiatric hospitals each year (Looi et al., 2022)
The Challenges We Face
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20.4% of Australians delayed or missed mental health care due to cost (ABS 2024).
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Young adults (30% of those aged 25–34) and people identifying as female (24%) are especially affected by cost barriers (ABS 2024).
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Private psychiatrists serve nearly half of all specialist mental health patients, but private care receives only about 12% of total funding (IPPG 2020).
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GPs provide 30% of all mental health services, playing a crucial role in rural and remote areas (RACGP 2022).
Our Role: Advocacy with a Lived-Living Experience lens
We work to ensure the voices of people who use private mental health services - and those who support them - are heard at every level.
So far our advocacy has:
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Helped increase affordable access to psychologists and psychiatrists
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Championed the role of peer workers with lived-living experience in private hospitals
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Addressed discrimination in insurance and unsafe practices in prescribing
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Informed national standards, education, and research through committee representation
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Undertaken our own research to inform our advocacy, highlight gaps and drive improvements in private sector care
Why Lived-Living Experience in
Private Mental Health Care Matters
Private mental health care is a critical part of Australia’s mental health system, yet the voices of those who rely on it were underrepresented. Lived Experience Australia exists to change that.
Through our lived-living experience representation, research and capability building, we advocate with and for consumers, carers, families, and kin to influence policy and practice.
Our overview document highlights the importance of ensuring equitable access, affordability, and safety within private mental health care—and why lived and living experience must be central to shaping its future.