Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures one in five Australians report having a mental or behavioural condition, while the prevalence is highest among people aged 18 to 24; and

(b) data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare suggests that 54 per cent of people with a mental illness do not access treatment;

(2) congratulates the Government for its engagement with the mental health community and for its measures to support mental health in Australia including:

(a) additional investment of $170 million in mental health programs in the 2017 budget including $80 million to maintain community psycho-social services for people with mental illness who are not eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, $11.1 million to prevent suicide in specific locations where it is a frequent occurrence, $15 million to support mental health research initiatives such as the Thompson Institute on the Sunshine Coast and $50 million for mental illness prevention and support for serving Australian Defence Force members, veterans and their families; and

(b) investment of:

(i) $9.5 million to expand mental health first aid training in 14 high risk communities; and

(ii) $9.1 million to support rural telehealth services for mental health and the appointment of the first National Rural Health Commissioner;

(3) encourages the Government to continue this focused work and to seek additional ways to support the mental health of Australians; and

(4) further encourages anyone who believes that they might be suffering from a mental illness to seek immediate help from their General Practitioner or a qualified mental health practitioner.

Last week, we celebrated Mental Health Week in Queensland, including World Mental Health Day. I'm very proud to be part of a federal government that places such great importance on the mental health of all Australians.

The government has invested an extra $367.5 million in mental health and suicide prevention over the past year. The Minister for Health and the Prime Minister have prioritised an awareness of mental health. They have spoken publicly and written about the importance of mental health very, very consistently, on occasions such as R U OK? Day and, just last week, at the World Mental Health Day event held by Soldier On. The government has responded to stakeholder concerns by investing $80 million to maintain community psychosocial services for people with mental illnesses who don't qualify for assistance through the NDIS scheme. The government has invested $15 million to support mental health research initiatives. These include Orygen's National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health in Melbourne and the Centre for Research Excellence in the Prevention of Anxiety and Depression, led by the New South Wales Black Dog Institute and the Hunter Institute. Indeed, in my own electorate of Fisher the federal government has provided $5 million for research and clinical treatment in relation to dementia, suicide prevention and youth mental health at the Thompson Institute.

Cutting-edge research is critically important, but smaller-scale practical changes can also make a big difference. That's why the government is spending $11.1 million on crisis-help signage, and infrastructure such as barriers to deter suicide attempts at locations where they repeatedly occur. I think that we can do much more in the electronic space as well; I'll have more to say about that in times to come.

Rural and regional mental health is a particular challenge, and one that's very important for me. The federal government has committed $28.9 million to open an additional 10 headspace centres in regional and rural communities, including in Gympie, in the member for Wide Bay's constituency. We have invested $9.5 million to expand Mental Health First Aid training in 14 high-risk communities. The federal government has committed $9.1 million to support rural telehealth services for mental health, to overcome the challenges in getting access to services.

The mental health of our veterans is vitally important to us all. The federal government commissioned a National Mental Health Commission review into suicide and self-harm prevention support available to serving ADF members and veterans. The government responded to that report with a comprehensive package of measures to offer better support. In 2016, the federal government made treatment for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and drug and alcohol misuse free for anyone who had served a day in the full-time ADF. In 2017, the federal government invested $33.5 million to expand that program to cover all mental health conditions, regardless of whether they were related to the veteran's service.

The federal government invested a further $8.5 million to expand eligibility for the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service to the partners and children of our contemporary veterans and many former partners of ADF personnel. We also are providing $9.8 million to pilot new approaches to suicide prevention and improve the care and support available to our veterans, and there is a $6 million investment for Phoenix Australia to improve our understanding of mental health challenges and develop better treatment for our veterans and the wider community.

One issue about mental health that is not spoken of enough is that of eating disorders. Only a couple of weeks ago, the federal government announced a $3 million package for a crisis care call centre for people suffering from eating disorders. I know firsthand that eating disorders are an insidious disease. Diseases like bulimia and anorexia have the highest mortality rate of any psychosocial issue or illness, and I am very proud to be part of a government that is trying to do its best in resolving those issues.

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