Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health) Share this | Hansard source

In the time I have today, I want to focus on mental health—particularly the mental health and wellbeing of young Australians. Recent natural disasters, such as bushfires and floods and, of course, the COVID-19 global pandemic, have brought mental health and suicide prevention policy into sharp focus. In Australia each year, more than 3,000 people lose their lives to suicide, and suicide remains the leading cause of death for Australians between the ages of 15 and 44 years. In addition, one in five Australians experience some form of mental illness each year, with about three-quarters of common mental health problems emerging before 25 years of age.

A study conducted by Black Dog, surveying more than 5,000 people between March and April last year, saw 78 per cent of respondents report their mental health had worsened since the outbreak, with more than three-quarters of all who responded saying they felt uncertain about the future. As Associate Professor Jill Newby observed at the time:

Given that loneliness, social isolation, and financial stress are significant risk factors for poor mental and physical health these findings really are concerning.

Against this backdrop, and the findings of the Productivity Commission inquiry's report into mental health received by the government in June last year, the Victorian royal commission, and, more recently, the report of the National Suicide Prevention Adviser, Christine Morgan, the budget delivered in May provided some welcome funding commitments, including funding for a National Suicide Prevention Office, and for follow-up or postvention for every person discharged from hospital following a suicide attempt. Given my experience working in adult acute mental-health inpatient units for almost 10 years, these are significant announcements, and it is our hope, working in a bipartisan way, that the measures announced in the budget are introduced quickly, as the need is urgent and growing.

It is of concern that there have been announcements in the previous two budgets that have not yet been implemented. I am regularly contacted by members on behalf of local people desperate to know when their promised headspace will be up and running or expanded, given the urgency and growing unmet need. While announcements matter, delivery is what counts, and young people, their families and caregivers in many communities across Australia are running out of time.

Just last week I met with the City of Swan from Western Australia. With a population of 160,000 and a third of local people aged under 24, they have a headspace in Midland and a satellite in Ellenbrook and told me that young people are waiting eight to 12 months for an initial assessment. That's not for the start of therapy or a treatment plan; that's for an initial assessment. Tomorrow I am meeting with Mitchell Shire. They have a dedicated volunteer suicide prevention service but are struggling, with the nearest mental-health inpatient beds—and only 17 of them—an hour's drive away in Shepparton. In my own community, on the Central Coast of New South Wales, in 2019 there was a commitment for a $1.5 million new headspace for Wyong. Minister, you've said to me recently that this would soon be delivered, but, as yet, it's not open. For young people in my community, particularly through COVID, this is incredibly distressing.

There are significant barriers which must be overcome to implement the budget measures and other outstanding mental health announcements or commitments. The first one is workforce: the critical shortage of trained and experienced mental health workers, especially outside of big cities. We understand the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy is being developed by the Department of Health and the National Mental Health Commission to consider the quality, supply, distribution and structure of the mental health workforce and identify practical approaches for Australian governments to attract, train and retain the workforce needed to address the growing demands of the future mental health system. I understand this workforce strategy was due to be completed this month. However, we understand that it may be delayed.

Another hurdle is the ambiguity over the responsibilities and accountabilities of the Commonwealth and state and territory governments. This issue was raised both by the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System and by the Productivity Commission in its mental health report. It is hoped that work currently being undertaken with the states and territories to resolve these issues will result in existing gaps and the poor coordination of mental health services being overcome. Another significant problem which is of much concern is the accessibility and affordability of mental health services. Like other health services, access to mental health supports is a particular problem in outer metropolitan, regional and remote areas. Increasing out-of-pocket costs for both GPs and medical specialists compound these problems.

My questions: will the government make sure measures announced in the 2021 budget and previous budgets are delivered as a matter of urgency? Can the government advise when the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy will be completed? Will the government provide an update on the delivery of headspace commitments across Australia, as this is urgent?

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