Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for McEwen for his question. I know that he has been talking closely with youth organisations and other community and health providers in his electorate for some time now about the headspace model. I enjoyed spending some time with him last Friday in Wallan with the new secondary school there and a range of other providers who are very excited about the headspace announcement for the member for McEwen's part of North Melbourne.

Before the last election, the Prime Minister committed her government in the second term to making mental health reform a priority. Last year's budget delivered on that commitment with the largest ever package of new mental health initiatives in the Commonwealth's history. Over the course of this year we have been busy delivering on those initiatives—many of which, like headspace, are directed at younger people in the community because, unlike most major health conditions, mental illness tends to emerge early in life. A quarter of disorders emerge before the age of 12, two-thirds emerge before the age of 21 and three-quarters emerge before the age of 25. We know that young people, particularly young men, are less likely than any other cohort in the community to seek and access treatment. That is why building services where young people and their families feel comfortable going is such a critical part of our reform agenda.

Forty headspace services are now open. Each of them is receiving double the core funding that they used to receive. Fifteen more now have lead agencies and will be open this summer. In the last fortnight I announced 15 more locations. They are in the member for McEwen's area, in the member for Kooyong's area—and the member for Kooyong has been advocating very strongly for a headspace in his part of Melbourne—and in many other areas across the country.

Since October, headspace has been operating a phone and internet counselling service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Mr Pyne interjecting—

I do note, Christopher. It is also funded to deliver a crisis outreach service to schools impacted by suicide, which tragically still occurs two or three times per week on average.

This month I also announced the results of round 1 of the early psychosis youth centres. Every jurisdiction expressed interest in this round, and it will see up to four services established in New South Wales, one in the Northern Territory and two in Western Australia, with service planning ongoing in Victoria and a second round which will open in September.

In addition to these and other initiatives targeted particularly at young people, there are several other initiatives already being delivered to support adults with mental illness. While there is more to do, these initiatives are transforming the services available to the millions of Australians who live with mental illness.

See this speech in context