Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I table a youth mental health petition calling on this parliament to provide a facility for a headspace unit in Griffith, in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. This petition is of the concerned residents of the Western Riverina region and the chief petitioner is Councillor John Dal Broi, the Mayor of Griffith City Council. The petition tells the House that the increasing incidence of mental health issues among young people within the communities of Hay, Hiliston, Lake Cargelligo, Leeton, Narrandera, Darlington Point, Coleambally and Griffith requires urgent assistance by way of a headspace facility.

Statistically one in 17 teenagers and one in four people aged 18 to 25 years suffers from mental illness, with episodes of depression, severe anxiety or worse. Griffith is a great community and a vibrant community. Certainly a headspace unit would be very valuable to those people. It would fill in the gaps in health provision in the MIA and enable these young people to live full and active lives within the communities. I thank the House for its indulgence.

The petition read as follows—

Youth Mental Health Petition

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives.

This petition of the concerned residents of the Western Riverina Region, an area that includes the communities of Hay, Hiliston, Lake Cargelligo, Leeton, Narrandera, Darlington Point, Coleambally and Griffith, draws to the attention of the House the increasing incidence of mental health issues among young people within our communities. Statistically, one in seven teenagers and one in four people age 18 to 25 years suffers from mental illness, with episodes of depression, severe anxiety or worse. Mental health problems can, and have, cause devastation to individuals and families within our communities.

We, the undersigned, ask the House to call upon the Federal Government to provide additional services in the Western Riverina to assist young people from our communities that are suffering with mental health and wellbeing problems. Specifically, we request that funding be provided to establish a Headspace Centre in Griffith (a one-stop-shop that focuses on 12-25 year olds) to reduce some of the gaps that currently exist in youth mental health service provision and assist those young people to live full and active lives within our communities.

from 2,359 citizens

Petition received.