Former Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry has taken a swipe at the federal government's treatment of mental health, declaring direction has been "badly lost" since the 2013 election.
The mental health expert says the sector has gone backwards since the coalition was elected, unwinding 10 years of progress by the former Labor and Howard governments.
Crucial services are being dismantled and lives will be lost as a result.
He used his address at the National Press Club on Thursday to call for a specific portfolio for mental health within the government, as well as a doubling of mental health funding over time.
The federal government unveiled its long-awaited shake-up of the system in November, based on a major review by the National Mental Health Commission.
There was no new money but instead a plan to redirect service delivery from Canberra to local communities, giving $350 million to 31 Primary Health Networks to decide how it should be spent.
One program that will be dismantled as a result is the Early Psychosis Youth Service - a decision Prof McGorry says is at odds with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's pledge to leave no stone unturned, and the NMHC's recommendations.
"Make no mistake, this decision if not modified will cost many young lives," he said.
"Labor, the Greens and Nick Xenophon have committed to preserve the early psychosis program and we'd like to hear that from across all sides of politics."
Prof McGorry said the commission's review of the system would have provided the right solution if it had more money behind it, but "idiosyncratic and unscientific advice" had since crept into the government's plan.
He urged the sector to stop accepting the argument that it wasn't entitled to more government money, insisting funding needed to be increased over time from 7 per cent of the health budget to 13 per cent.
He called for safeguards and oversight to ensure funding handed to Primary Health Networks wasn't siphoned off to other areas.
"Mental health needs to insulate its governance and its bank accounts from the hungry beast of general health care where stigma dictates it is still a low priority and soft target."
Prof McGorry challenged both Mr Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to guarantee a commitment to Headspace youth mental health centres, whose funding will also be contestable in two years.
He wants mental health to come under the direct supervision of the next prime minister, and a new mental health ministry.
"When it's left to the health minister, nothing much happens.
"When you have a health minister worried about Medicare freezes and hip surgery and God knows what else, mental health gets put on the back burner."
