Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Hansard source

During Youth Voice in Parliament Week, I committed to reading a speech written by a young person, to give her a voice in this place and to amplify her view. Today I will be sharing the words of Libby, who wants to see Australians have accessible, affordable and high-quality mental health support.

We know that one in five teenagers and young adults experience mental health challenges annually, with common problems including depression, anxiety, substance abuse and trauma related disorders. Getting support isn't easy, due to long waiting lists, shortages of psychology services, and struggles with the associated fees. With this psychology shortage, many teens give up on the thought of getting better. Suicide is now the leading cause of death among young Australians, with more than 3,000 young people taking their own lives each year.

Libby is a teenager who suffers from poor mental health, and she has many close friends who suffer from suicidal thoughts and mental illness. She says the feeling of having no professional to turn to, due to the waiting lists and fees, is a scary reality. Libby wants parliament to help address this issue by providing more funding, ending stigma and spreading awareness. She says the funding should be extended beyond phone lines, as sometimes it requires more than one visit. There should be more school-based wellbeing programs, with proper psychologists, and more funding to organisations such as Borderline Australia so that more young adults can get the help they need.

See this speech in context