Young Gippslanders will benefit from a $51 million Federal Government funding boost for youth mental health care. Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has welcomed additional funding for headspace and eheadspace to reduce wait times and provide extra clinical staff.
“Tragically, an average of 36 Gippslanders take their own lives each year and we need to do more to support locals when they are struggling and focus on suicide prevention activities for young and old,” Mr Chester said.
“Suicide is a very complex problem and the focus needs to be on early intervention and building resilience among individuals and throughout our community.
“Letting people know that help and support is available is critical to saving lives.”
Mr Chester said the new funding would focus on younger people, particularly in regional areas.
“The government understands the huge mental health challenge facing many Australians, particularly young Australians. It’s estimated one in four young Australians experience mental health challenges in any given year,” he said.
“We want young people to be able to access the support they need, and we’re backing those who are providing that frontline support.
“Our support for headspace will give young Australians access to early intervention services and support for physical and mental wellbeing.” Headspace operates centres in Morwell and Bairnsdale to support young people across Gippsland with mental health challenges.
Within the $51 million funding announcement, $39 million will go towards services and staff while $12.8 million will be used to run eheadspace, on online portal so young people can access support when they need it. The additional investment is on top of the $95.7 million per year already committed to the 107 headspace centres running across the country. Headspace has increased the number of services it delivers from around 259,000 in 2014-15 to around 382,000 in 2017-18. Last year, approximately 33,800 young people accessed eheadspace. This funding boost will help headspace meet the increasing demands for their services, today and in coming years.