Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Kids Helpline provides a vital service for youth mental health of all Australians but this is especially so for rural and regional areas like my electorate of Casey, where a town like Warburton is a good 40-minute drive, and even longer on public transport, for young people who need a specialised service. Kids Helpline is the only free professional and confidential 24/7 online and phone counselling service that specialises in providing support to all young people aged between five and 25. We saw during COVID and its lockdowns how much this service was needed and how vital it was in helping young people all across the country. Kids Helpline is a trusted provider of services for young people with a focus on mental health and wellbeing, long-term unemployment, prevention of youth suicide, child protection, as well as support for those experiencing family and domestic violence. Kids Helpline is the critical safety net for children and young people needing mental health support and is often the only mental health service available after hours, or for those living in rural and remote areas. Kids Helpline's provision of professional free counselling support ensures equality for children and young people, regardless of their location or circumstance.

I had the opportunity just last week to speak to Kathryn and Marion from Kids Helpline. They outlined some of the stories and people who have been impacted. What is so important about this service is that it is available to those who need it, no questions asked. It is a safe place for young people.

To continue their work, Kids Helpline has really big plans for the future of but they also need support from us. I know this is a bipartisan motion and it's great to see. A phone centre in Brisbane was impacted by the floods last year and that has had a significant impact on their operation. They have some exciting plans around investing in digital technology to improve their service and allow the service to scale to another level. I urge us to support them in any way we can in this House because during the financial year 2021 to 2022, Kids Helpline was contacted over 443,000 times and 156,000 of these were responded to, so there is more demand than they are able to look after at this time. They enacted 5,753 emergency responses. To understand, they are emergency responses where particularly young people are experiencing a crisis such as a suicide attempt, child abuse or sexual assault. The counsellors literally stay on the line while they call emergency services, and 5,753 times the counsellors were able to support those in direct crisis. The reason why we need to continue to support them is there were almost 300,000 calls not answered. It is tragic to think that within that 300,000 there would have been many more who needed that emergency response. That's why I'll always continue to advocate in this House for support for youth mental health services, particularly Kids Helpline and the amazing work they do.

In my electorate of Casey, we recently had a very successful youth mental health service but the Lilydale Youth Club closed its doors in December last year and it was a severe blow to our local community. I'd like to take a moment to mention some of the key groups that were involved in establishing the youth hub: Sue Sestan at Inspiro; Anchor, CIRE Services; Oonah Health and Community Aboriginal Corporation; the Eastern Community Legal Centre; and the Yarra Ranges Council, which did amazing work establishing the youth hub. I know they're continuing to work to see what options there are for the hub. I'll support them in any way I can. They collectively advocate for the health and wellbeing needs of young people in the Yarra Ranges and Casey. Our community knows the complex needs of young people and their families in this region. It can't be met by headspace alone, which, again, is already oversubscribed. That's why our advocacy in this place is so important.

We also know that our young people need to have somewhere safe and welcoming to spend their time so that their needs don't escalate into costly therapeutic interventions. It's times like these that Kids Helpline can assist. We are thankful for their invaluable service and commitment to youth mental health. I'll continue to advocate for services like the Lilydale Youth Hub and Kids Helpline, which help our community and their families. For those kids, I want to let you know that Kids Helpline is available 24/7 by calling 1800 55 1800 or online through kidshelpline.com.au.

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