Renee Coffey (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House notes that:

(1) to meet growing need, the Government is putting mental health at the heart of Medicare and services at the centre of communities;

(2) the Government is rolling out a national network of 91 Medicare Mental Health Centres, which offer free walk-in mental health support and care from clinical and non-clinical staff, without the need for an appointment, referral, or mental health treatment plan; and

(3) the Government is delivering services, closer to home, across the whole of the lifespan by opening new Perinatal Mental Health Centres, Medicare Mental Health Kids Hubs, headspace centres, and Medicare Mental Health Centres.

As a proud former CEO of a national youth mental health charity, I know that when we talk about mental health we are talking about an issue that touches every family in Australia. None of us are immune. Whether it's our children, our parents, our friends or ourselves, we all know how it feels when the right care isn't there, and we all know how much it matters when it is. That's why this motion is so important, because the Albanese Labor government is putting mental health at the heart of Medicare and making sure services are close to home, easy to find and simple to access.

At the last election we made a $1.1 billion commitment to strengthen mental health care right across this country. This includes 31 new and upgraded Medicare mental health centres, taking the total number of them to 91; 58 new, upgraded or expanded headspace services; 20 youth specialist care centres for young people with complex needs; and eight new perinatal mental health centres. We will support more than 1,200 training places for mental health professionals and peer workers. Recognising that too many Australians have had too long to wait or have had to travel too far or pay too much to get help led to the promise of these bold reforms for a better future. Every single one of those services is more than just a building; it's an open door when someone needs it most.

In my own community, I recently heard from a local mum who told me about her son's journey with ADHD and its impacts on his mental health. She said that, with so many confusing and costly options out there, our local headspace at Woolloongabba was by far the best support that her family found. Her son was matched with a fantastic psychologist who, for the past four years, has walked alongside her son and their family through the challenges of early high school, helping him manage his outbursts, frustrations and self-doubt. At best, this mum had hoped her son would complete year 10, but, with the right care and the incredible support from his psychologist and the Woolloongabba headspace centre, her son now not only is confident to finish school but dreams of becoming a sports broadcaster. She told me her son no longer feels trapped by his mental health and he feels supported to thrive in life, all thanks to the incredible services and team at our local headspace. That's what these services mean; they mean young people can have hopes for the future and families feel supported, included and understood.

That story is not unique. Across the country, families have said they need better access to mental health support services that are affordable, reliable and empathetic. That's why we're delivering youth specialist care centres for the so-called missing middle—those young people who are too unwell for primary care but not sick enough for acute care. For too long they've been left without support. And the best part is that these services are free. That's the kind of practical real-world change that families tell me makes all the difference.

Since coming into government, we've already established 42 Medicare mental health centres that offer walk-in mental health care and free access to a psychiatrist and psychologist, either on site or on call; we've established 12 perinatal mental health centres to provide support to new patients; we've expanded the headspace network to more than 170 centres; we've restored the bulk-billing telehealth psychiatry Medicare rebate so Australians living outside metropolitan areas get equal access to clinical mental health support; and we've expanded the mental health workforce, with more than 4,000 psychology scholarships, internships and training places. These changes are about removing the financial burden on families, on parents and on young people which often stands in the way of treatment and recovery. It's about giving people back their dignity, their access to quality and timely care and, in many cases, their future. We are building a mental health system that puts people first, one that meets Australians where they are at every stage of life. That's what this motion is about, and that's why I have moved it in this chamber.

See this speech in context