Chris Crewther (Dunkley, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to support the motion from the member for Fisher, who has been a strong advocate for people with mental health issues in his own electorate but also across Australia. People have worked long and hard to remove the stigma of mental health and mental illness and bring it into the national conversation about health and wellbeing. This is slowly happening with the assistance of organisations such as headspace, Beyond Blue, Soldier On, the Black Dog Institute and many others. Last week, we marked both headspace day and World Mental Health Day, acknowledging the importance of keeping yourself in a positive headspace and looking after your mental health at work and beyond. People today work in an increasingly stressful and fast-paced 24-hour environment. While we are perhaps more willing to discuss mental health, it is often our mental health that is neglected in the demands of our day-to-day lives.

Funding for mental health is more important than ever, particularly in headspace's target demographic of 12-to-25-year-olds. I note in particular that headspace's figures suggest that one in four young people experience mental health issues every year, making their services and support resources critical to the wellbeing of our communities. I am extremely proud of the government's support for mental health care in Dunkley, including increased funding for a number of key support services and guaranteed ongoing funding for Frankston headspace, including an additional $240,000 to enable them to be a mental health lead site. I have seen the fantastic outcomes from Frankston headspace's programs, including, for example, the Learn Engage Connect Young Parents Program that I spoke about last year and that I will be attending again in the coming weeks. Another fantastic program about to launch in Dunkley is a partnership between the Chisholm Institute, headspace, Tomorrow Man, Wesley Mission and the Life is Worth Living suicide prevention program. It will help Mornington Peninsula tradies build emotional muscle. In 2015-16, 25 per cent of all suicides in Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula in the 12-to-25-year-old range were by people who were studying a trade and felt that they were in limbo after leaving school, lacking support networks that a lot of us take for granted in office-based workplaces.

The Change Your Brain program will help young men and women better communicate their emotions, learn to reach out if they need help, and provide support for those at risk. Another program launched in Dunkley through our federally-funded local drug action team will work with 95 peninsula sporting groups to engage them, to not only help prevent drug use but greatly assist their mental health. These programs keep vulnerable young people engaged locally and help them retain or recover normal lives following disruptions and changes in their lives that can derail an individual's confidence and belief in themselves to pursue their goals.

Local mental health services are a critical part of the health and wellbeing fabric that we're building on the Mornington Peninsula. Our community is constantly working to increase the personalised support and care available to secure the best outcomes for each individual who finds the courage to reach out for help. Doing so can be one of the toughest things to do when someone is experiencing mental health issues, so we owe it to our young people or, indeed, any age group to provide whatever care, support and resources they need.

Prior to the 2016 federal election, I was also proud to jointly announce with Minister Hunt the coalition's commitment to strengthening mental health care for individuals and families across Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula, including for veterans, young people, seniors and other demographics affected. Funding in addition to the resources committed by the government in its first term means that additional suicide prevention trial sites are established, that funding is secured for youth early psychosis services, and that targeted research and evaluation for Primary Health Networks is supported by this government's focus on looking after the mental health of not only Dunkley residents but all Australians. This has been continued and reinforced during this year's federal budget, as well as in initiatives like the Muster for Mental Health, which has been given federal government funding and which was started through Australian Rotary Health. Australian Rotary Health was itself initiated by Mornington Rotary in my electorate of Dunkley.

Support can only be provided to individuals who speak up or accept offers of help from those who can provide it. The national campaign to increase awareness of mental health issues highlighted last week did not stop after headspace Day and World Mental Health Day. I urge people to look after their mental health as they would their physical health. If you're not in a good head space, I urge you to speak up and to reach out. You are not alone.

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