This move gives people living in small country towns and remote locations better access to evidence-based psychological care, Australian Psychological Society president Anthony Cichello.

“The number of people with mental health, behavioural problems and high psychological distress is roughly the same regardless of where people live in Australia,” Mr Cichello said.

“But people living in rural and remote regions have far greater difficulty accessing effective psychological treatment than those living in cities,” he said.

In addition, delivering psychology services by telehealth services, such as online videoconferencing, will bolster the existing psychology workforce in rural and remote Australia. 

“It will substantially assist the current workforce to meet the needs of people living outside urban regions, and attract more psychologists to work in regional Australia,” Mr Cichello said.

The society called for telehealth psychological services for people in rural and remote Australia in its 2017–18 pre-budget submission, citing effectiveness for depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders and other mental health conditions.