Butterfly welcomes Government MYEFO announcement of funding; calls for increased investment to stem the crisis for eating disorders
Friday 20 December, 2024
Butterfly Foundation, the national organisation for eating disorders and body image issues, welcomes the Federal Government’s MYEFO budget support for eating disorders, particularly in prevention and early intervention for mental health, while acknowledging that eating disorders remain one of the most underfunded mental health issues in Australia.
Butterfly Foundation welcomes the Australian Government Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) update announced yesterday, particularly $20.2 million over three years from 2024–25 for prevention and early intervention.
The announcement included $0.2 million in 2025–26 towards implementing Butterfly Body Bright, an evidence-informed whole of school Primary School program promoting healthy attitudes and behaviours towards the body, eating and physical activity in children, so they can thrive at school and in life. And additionally, the extension of $1 million in funding for 2024-2025 for the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC), to support a national platform which brings together information and resources to establish standards for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders, building on the National Eating Disorders Strategy 2023-2033.
However, despite eating disorders claiming lives at the highest rate of any mental illness in Australia, and costing $67 billion every year in social and economic costs[1], they remain one of the most underfunded mental health issues in Australia.
Butterfly Foundation CEO, Dr Jim Hungerford, said “While yesterday’s announcements are welcome, the funding falls considerably short of what is desperately needed, and of what Butterfly has been calling on for to better support the lives of millions of Australians living with an eating disorder. There are now 4.4 million Australians (1 in 6) self-identifying as having an eating disorder. Tragically, less than a third of those affected receive the care they desperately need. With numbers this high, we can’t treat our way out of prevalence. We must act now on prevention and early intervention. The choice is clear: act now on prevention or face catastrophic health consequences for generations to come. We remain in proactive discussions with the Australian Government and are hopeful that there will be more to come in the March Budget for Butterfly and others in the sector to continue our critical support of impacted Australians and help prevent further Australians from reaching a crisis point.”
Additional welcome funding includes:
- $10.7 million in 2025–26 to invest in child mental health and social and emotional wellbeing through universal access to evidence‑based parenting education
- $0.2 million in 2025–26 to support in‑person, phone and online services for unpaid carers of people with eating disorders for Eating Disorders Families Australia (EDFA).
- $4.6 million in 2025–26 to support upskilling the mental health workforce in evidence‑based eating disorder interventions
-ENDS-
Media Contact
Harriet Potter, Communications Manager
Harriet.potter@butterfly.org.au
0451 837 044
Editor and producers note: Please include the following support line details in all media coverage of this story and refer to the Mindframe Media guidelines for safe reporting on eating disorders. Please include the following helpline message.
Help and Support
Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact:
- Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE) or support@butterfly.org.au
- Eating Disorders Victoria Helpline on 1300 550 23
- For urgent support call Lifeline 13 11 14
Our Helpline is a free, safe, and confidential service providing counselling, support groups, information, and referrals to health professionals around Australia screened for an understanding of eating disorders. All Butterfly National Helpline counsellors are qualified mental health professionals with specialist training in eating disorders and body image.
About Butterfly
Butterfly is Australia’s leading not for profit supporting everyone affected by eating and body image issues. You can find out about Butterfly and our prevention services for schools and communities at www.butterfly.org.au or contact our education team – education@butterfly.org.au
