Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Every member and senator in this place understands the importance of Kids Helpline for our young people. I thank the member for Forde for bringing this motion forward. As the member for Casey mentioned earlier, this very much has bipartisan support. yourtown, which operates the helpline, does a magnificent job of being a reliable ear and a voice for young people struggling with mental health issues or anxiety. It's crucial that our young can contact a tertiary qualified and trained counsellor for help and advice both online and on the phone 24/7. Many of these children may be in a situation where they can't access the services they require because of where they live and/or who they live with. They may live in a household where a parent or caregiver may not be as open to them seeking help. Sadly, as we know, most harm will be visited by those who claim to love us the most, so being able to access this independent service is so important.

It's changed a lot since it started way back in 1981, from being a telephone access service to now offering webchat, My Circle, a social platform for kids aged 13 to 25 to access to talk to peers, and other opportunities to access materials through online and social media. It's moving with the times. Back in 1991, who would have thought that bullying would move online? Bullies are now in your bedroom. Back in 1991, Troll was just a bad movie, or they were something that lived under bridges in fairytales. Who would have considered the added pressures that young people have to deal with today, like NAPLAN—although my son, who just did NAPLAN, didn't seem as worried as I would have hoped he'd be—social media, helicopter parents, the digital world and climate change? It can feel endless.

While Kids Helpline does an amazing job, it is important that we continue to invest in young people's mental health. I was pleased to see the Minister for Education, Jason Clare, and the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Emma McBride, recently announce a student wellbeing boost of $203 million of funding for a new voluntary mental health check to enable schools to ensure that vulnerable students get early help when needed. There is also $192 million, as an additional one-off funding, for every school to support their students' mental health and wellbeing coming out of the COVID crisis.

There are also a variety of different supports from the federal government for young people, including the Smiling Mind Schools Program, the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health initiative, the Be You education initiative delivered by Beyond Blue and the Head to Health Kids Hubs. We need each state to make sure of the availability of quality wraparound mental health services. I know that teachers and staff at local schools are often at the coalface when dealing with mental health issues with children. They do this despite the increasing workload issues facing our modern schools.

Recently, I was at a loading dock at a retail store in my electorate after buying a new television for my dad when a former student handed me my order. He saw my name and we started chatting. It was funny. I didn't remember the kid well, but he said, 'Thank you for providing a safe space for me.' It was one of the nicest things I've ever heard. I know that teachers, principals and staff all around Australia are providing safe places in a chaotic world every single day in our schools. Often they are the first to notice issues and refer them to specialised care either through the education department or through the state health system. I want to make a special shout-out to all of the 50 schools in the Moreton electorate for the great job the staff, the principals and the other support workers do at the frontline in terms of dealing with kids dealing with family issues and mental health issues—obviously not just the Moreton schools; all schools around Australia.

To close out, I'd also like to thank everyone who donates to Kids Helpline. To all those counsellors, I want you to know that you're appreciated for the job that you do in helping out young people. My friend Kylie, my wife's best friend, used to be a counsellor at the Brisbane office and has now gone on to work in full-time child protection work. Certainly Kids Helpline was good preparation. Thank you for all the amazing work that you do and will continue to do.

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