Under the approach announced last week, these programs will be absorbed into a grant to the newly established Primary Health Networks, the Coalition’s replacement for Labor’s Medicare Locals. Second, the federal government’s approach to mental health policy also involved siloed national programs, each one distinct and separate, imposed across the country with no thought to their impact on existing local services and networks. Federal mental health policy has often involved seemingly random drops of money – some very large, some small – from a great height sometimes they have hit a target, sometimes they’ve been well wide of the mark. First, it marks an end of the cargo cult that has characterised this field. Several elements in the response are noteworthy.

Last week one of the balls was taken out of the air when the government responded to the review of mental healthcare by signalling an appetite for a significant change in direction – from a centralised Canberra-knows-best approach to one that acknowledges regional differences. A whole-of-government review of federalism is looking at public hospitals and chronic disease management, and the human services consequences of the Harper competition review are still being juggled. Reviews are covering primary care, the Medicare schedule, mental health, and private health insurance.

For the last few months, health minister Sussan Ley has avoided confrontation with health sector interests by adopting the empty box approach to policy – “I'll look into it” – and reviewing almost all aspects of the portfolio.

Signpost reviews 2015