Laura Smyth (La Trobe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased today to be able to put on the record some of the local and very practical results of this government's investment in mental health. There has been a very sizeable, in fact a record, commitment by this government during this term to mental health services, research, support arrangements, respite and carer support services. This is an opportunity for me today to be able to reflect on some positive developments, particularly over the last few weeks, which have been the result of the collective efforts of many in my community to bring additional mental health services to an area that is a growing part of Melbourne.

I had the opportunity in recent weeks to visit a new carer support service which is operating out of Narre Warren in my electorate and which has been the beneficiary of around $600,000 from the federal government through its mental health funding commitments. It is a service called Mind Australia and it will be providing respite care and support to those who have family members who experience considerable mental health issues and have mental health concerns. So it is a place where not only people with mental illness can attend and obtain support but also those who support them can in turn be provided with some assistance.

This is complemented by the very recent opening of a new Headspace unit in the same part of the world—a little bit further away from Narre Warren but servicing the needs of the Greater Dandenong, Casey and, ultimately, Cardinia communities. It is a very welcome initiative. I know that many other communities around the country have similarly benefited, but this is certainly something which I think will not only be able to provide a fixed service in Dandenong for people to visit but have the capacity ultimately to provide outreach services more particularly for communities a bit further out, in Cardinia and Casey.

A third initiative—so three initiatives have occurred almost simultaneously in recent weeks—is one I was very pleased to finally be able make an announcement about, and that is of some additional resources for young people in the Berwick and the broader Casey region. The Minister for Health came down to make an announcement about that a couple of weeks ago and we were able to do so at the Berwick Healthcare Centre, which has previously been known as the Berwick Superclinic. Again, this will be a very welcome development for our region.

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