Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Communications) Share this | Hansard source

It is an important topic because it touches the lives of every family and every Australian, particularly in regional Australia, where our suicide rates are 1.5 times higher than those in capital cities. A fortnight ago, I was privileged to visit the 100th headspace, opening in Broken Hill, with the member for Parkes, Mark Coulton. I got to meet the energetic and passionate staff, the headspace providers. They are very keen to engage with young people and the community of Broken Hill by going to the schools to ensure that the young people in Broken Hill, who sometimes experience a waiting list to access the support services they need, can walk through the headspace door and get access to the services they need in a timely manner. This government is committed to ensuring that all young people, no matter where they live, will get the support they need. That's why telehelp is so important at 3 am and headspace is so important to our communities.