Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to raise the important issue of the urgent need for more support for young people to access mental health services in regional areas. According to Beyond Blue, half of all mental health issues develop before the age of 14, and 75 per cent develop before the age of 25. On top of this, one in seven people under the age of 17 are dealing with mental health conditions in any given year.

These statistics are staggering, and are why a young person in my electorate, Curtis Cloake of Byron Bay, has taken the initiative to start a Change.org petition calling for more support for young people to access mental health services in our regional areas. Curtis's petition is resonating with people right across the country and he has so far received more than 50,000 signatures. I'd like to commend Curtis for his strong advocacy in starting this very important campaign.

On behalf of Curtis, I have written directly to the Minister for Health about the issue and forwarded him Curtis's petition. I have also raised this issue with many of my Labor colleagues, including the shadow health minister. Labor has a strong history of supporting and expanding youth mental health services, particularly headspace.

We as a nation must do so much more, and I'm very proud of the outstanding efforts of Curtis in ensuring this issue is at the forefront of our national agenda. The fact is that we all have to work together to get more mental health services for our young people in regional areas. It's up to all of us in this parliament and indeed the community. We have to get to get together and get involved to make a real difference.

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