The Acting Deputy President:

A message has been received from the House of Representatives informing the Senate of a resolution agreed to by the House relating to mental health.

The House of Representatives message read as follows—

The House of Representatives acquaints the Senate with a resolution agreed to in the following terms, and requests the concurrence of the Senate therein:

That this House:

(1)

notes that:

(a)

mental illness afflicts more Australians than almost all other health disorders, only ranking behind cancer and heart disease in prevalence;

(b)

forty-five per cent of the nation’s population will experience a mental health disorder at some point in life;

(c)

younger Australians—those between 16 and 24—bear the brunt of mental illness, with prevalence of problems declining with age;

(d)

with early and targeted treatment, many people can overcome mental illness or lower the incidence of progression or relapse;

(e)

expansion of the headspace and Early Psychosis Prevention Intervention Centres (EPPIC) models could help an estimated 200,000 young Australians, and in doing so, free-up existing services for others with mental illnesses whilst alleviating pressures on public hospitals and emergency departments; and

(f)

the Government has moved to cut services in mental healthcare; and

(2)

requires the Government to:

(a)

expand the number of headspace centres to a minimum of 90 nationally;

(b)

establish a national network of 20 EPPIC centres;

(c)

provide an additional 800 beds for mental health, associated with the EPPIC centres;

(d)

appropriate funds necessary to provide these critical steps to expanding mental health treatment facilities; and

(e)

immediately provide additional funds for existing headspace centres.

Ordered that consideration of the message be made an order of the day for the next day of sitting.