Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm a proud supporter of headspace and, as I say, I was very grateful that the director of services, Charishma Kaliyanda, an old friend of mine, invited me along just before we came to this sitting. Charishma and her team—the wonderful team that it is—raised some concerns with me about the services provided. They're very concerned about the reductions in telehealth services and, in particular, the requirement for a physical consultation with a doctor before a mental health plan can be organised. They're concerned about young people in rural and regional areas and they're concerned about the overwhelming nature of the increases in referrals they've had in the last few months. I understand this. It is very important that we make sure that our funding and our services are able to keep up with demand.

I would like to thank the team at headspace Campbelltown for all the support that they've given me over the years, and I will do my best to support them. In particular, I want to thank them for the help they've given us in reaching out to young people, particularly the year 12 school leavers, and trying to provide them with information on how they can access services if they are feeling stressed. I've reiterated my concerns about the effect of the pandemic on young people and we are doing our best in our office, with the help of our local headspace, to provide the services we can to young people. There are many other organisations that are providing support: the Black Dog Institute, Beyond Blue, the local hospital mental health services, the local councils and other local health support services, such as the general practitioner network et cetera. We need to get equitable headspace services throughout the country. I think that's very important and I have written to the minister about this. A scourge on our society are the mental health issues that are really coming to the fore during the pandemic. I know that everyone in this House wishes the best for all who are suffering at the present difficult time.

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