Henry Pike (Bowman, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health) Share this | Hansard source

The timing couldn't have been any better. Just a couple of days after being appointed as our new shadow assistant minister for mental health, I had the opportunity to attend the Mental Health Sector Expo here at Parliament House. This event brought together more than 50 organisations like Beyond Blue, headspace, Lifeline Australia, Lived Experience Australia and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. These organisations do incredible work every day to support Australians experiencing mental health challenges. Events like this are incredibly valuable because they provide parliamentarians like us with the chance to hear directly from people on the frontline of mental health care. It means we can hear from those who are delivering services, advocating for patients and supporting families through some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Through the expo, I met a wide range of organisations who shared information about the services they provide and how they are helping communities across Australia, including communities like mine in the Redlands. From early intervention programs for young people to crisis support services, suicide prevention initiatives and programs focused on improving long-term recovery outcomes, it was clear just how much dedicated work is happening across the sector and in all corners of the country.

Many of these organisations also spoke about the challenges they continue to face. A consistent theme was the growing demand for mental health support services and the pressure this places on providers. Many highlighted the need for stronger workforce capacity. Others spoke about the importance of early intervention and ensuring that young Australians can access support before challenges escalate into more serious mental health conditions. Schools, community programs and youth focused services all have a critical role to play in that space. The expo provided a valuable opportunity to learn more about these organisations, and it also provided important feedback about where the federal government could strengthen support to ensure that no Australians fall through the cracks when it comes to mental health support.

I want to thank Carolyn Nikoloski, the CEO of Mental Health Australia, and all of the organisations who took the time to travel to Canberra to provide an opportunity for parliamentarians to learn from their insights on the front line. Their work is incredibly vital, and their advocacy helps to ensure that mental health remains a topic of discussion within this building. It needs to be a national priority; it should be a national priority. The Productivity Commission estimates that the economic cost of poor mental health in this country is $220 billion per annum. Can you imagine the impact that we could have by just making incremental improvements to the mental health and wellbeing of Australians? It's not just a health challenge; it's a huge economic challenge for this nation, and the more focus that parliamentarians have on it, the better this country will be.

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