By Julius Ewudo, Cyber Era NG ASEAN Region Representative
Mind Medicine Australia (MMA) has shared the latest developments in the nationwide rollout of psychedelic-assisted therapies (PAT), together with the growing global momentum inspired by Australia’s pioneering leadership in this field.
Depression and trauma have reached epidemic proportions in Australia, yet treatment outcomes remain profoundly inadequate. Over the past 50 years, mental healthcare has achieved fewer advances in patient outcomes than many other fields of medicine, with limited innovation in available treatments. In the most tragic cases, people continue to experience suicidal thoughts and take their own lives.
It was this unacceptable reality that inspired MMA’s campaign to make safe, evidence-based psychedelic-assisted therapies available within Australian clinical practice.
That advocacy led to the TGA’s World-First decision to reschedule psilocybin and MDMA as Controlled Medicines in 2023. Australia is now at the forefront of delivering these therapies in clinics across the country to treat PTSD and treatment-resistant depression through the TGA’s Authorised Prescriber program. A TGA decision on MMA’s joint application to expand psilocybin access to treat end-of-life distress is expected shortly.
Australia: the rollout is accelerating
The latest TGA data (July 2026) confirms that access is moving well beyond early adopters:
• More than 120 psychiatrists have now been approved as Authorised Prescribers of MDMA and/or psilocybin.
• More than 400 patients have been treated nationally, with outstanding remission rates of 60-80 per cent being reported after just 2-3 medicine sessions combined with psychotherapy, in line with international trial results.
• Over 750 clinicians and therapists have been trained through MMA’s world-leading Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies (CPAT).
Funding pathways are expanding:
• The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) funds PAT for eligible Veteran Card holders.
• Medibank and other health funds are covering treatment costs for eligible customers with relevant cover, NDIS is supporting treatment costs, and additional payors are starting to get involved.
• 20+ clinics are actively offering, or preparing to offer, medicine-assisted therapies
around Australia – including the Mind Medicine Australia Clinic and Centre of Excellence in Melbourne.
