Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I reiterate for the senator that this is an issue that is being worked through at the moment. The minister realises the importance of this issue and is hoping to conclude the deliberations. It is the coalition government that is focused on mental health, particularly for young people. We increased to 100 the headspace sites, which everyone in this chamber would know have been so effective. Indeed, 46 of those sites are specifically targeted for rural and regional areas. I visited one of them just recently up in Coffs Harbour and they do a tremendous job. This government has a very real focus on youth mental health as a priority. With one in five people across the nation facing a mental disorder every year it is absolutely right that this issue is a coalition government priority particularly in terms of how it affects young people across the nation.