SANE Urges NDIS to Pause Changes to Music and Art Therapy Funding

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has announced potential changes to the way art and music therapies are funded.

Previously, art and music therapies have been supported by the NDIS. However, under the

proposed changes, funding for art and music therapies will be reduced by 64% if certain criteria are not met, and the gap will be passed along to participants to pay out of pocket.

The DAX Centre, a subsidiary of SANE Australia, is a leader in the use of art to raise awareness and reduce stigma towards mental illness and psychological trauma. Through our exhibitions and educational programs, we seek to engage, inform and encourage community connections and conversations about mental health.

The DAX Centre was founded on the belief that art therapy is an effective treatment option for improving mental health and fostering recovery for people with psychosocial disabilities.

“SANE and the DAX Centre are world leaders in using art to destigmatise mental health conditions,” said Rachel Green, CEO of SANE Australia.

“We also use art as a way of giving people the opportunity to express themselves, build connections, and develop social participation and capacity skills to engage in the community.”

“SANE and the DAX Centre stand in support of affordable access to art and music therapies. We urge the NDIS to pause the proposed changes, review its decision, and provide transparent reasoning,” Green added.

The DAX Centre are the custodians of The Cunningham Dax Collection which contains over 16,000 art works by people who have a lived experience of mental ill health or psychological trauma.

According to Art Therapist and University Lecturer, Eliza Mary Wells, these changes will create a financial barrier to access for an evidence-based treatment options, as well as a financial strain for art therapy practitioners.

“Disabled participants have previously benefited from the mental and physical health advantages of art therapy. Cutting this support without proper consultation risks leaving vulnerable people without help and threatens the future of art therapy practices.”

Since 2002, Professor Wells has worked to connect art and psychology to improve wellbeing.

“Art therapy has been recognised since the 1980s as a valuable approach, supported by growing research. Reviews show it offers a unique, creative method with many health benefits beyond just psychological ones. There’s really nothing else like it.'"

Eliza Mary Well is an Art Therapist, pro bono consultant to The Dax Centre on the development of art marking programs with a mental health focus.

The legacy of art therapy in Australia and all it has achieved to improve mental wellbeing within our communities is preserved at The Dax Centre. One artwork that is housed by the collection is a painting by Patricia Stewart, who has Lived Experience of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. Patricia says of her art practice:

“I draw and paint pictures that, in the main, have an emotional content evoked by an experience in my life, past or present... I have found art to be, a unique tool, in that, it has the potential, to meet the needs of the traumatised soul.