Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to rise tonight to talk about a program that I have had the good fortune to have something to do with. It is a program that was first commenced by the former Howard government some years ago. It is a program that I am delighted to say that the former Labor governments continued to support and maintain, and it is one that the Abbott government has increased funding towards so that it can provide a bigger and better service. It is the program for our youth called headspace. This is a program that is designed to assist young people aged between 12 and 25 in the mental health space.

I had the very good fortune about 3½ weeks ago—

Senator Fierravanti-Wells interjecting—

probably closer to four weeks ago now, Senator Fierravanti-Wells, to represent the Minister for Health, Peter Dutton, and formally open the headspace centre in Werribee, which is an area which certainly has some challenges in many ways. It is outside the city centre of Melbourne. This centre has captured a need for such services and is providing services and supporting young people in the area in a remarkable way. The centre itself was actually informally or loosely 'opened' a couple of months before the formal opening of a month ago. Within a day of that centre being opened, 150 people had registered their interest and made appointments to meet with counsellors there.

I will just describe the sort of service that these headspace centres provide. For any young person, as I said, between the ages of 12 and 25 who needs advice, support or some guidance and is not sure or does not feel comfortable about being able to talk to a family member or even a close friend, it is an independent centre that provides really outstanding professional counselling services, including medical services, for young people. They may well be people who—