Justine Keay (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to add my support to the proposal for a standalone headspace centre in Braddon. While headspace currently services Devonport through an outreach centre, the demand is so significant that the service is limited to just one part of my electorate of Braddon. Since opening in 2013, the service has seen an increased demand for its services in the critical area of youth mental health. Under the current model, outer lying areas such as Circular Head and the West Coast are missing out on this vital service. I therefore offer my support to Primary Health Tasmania's proposal to establish a standalone centre on the North West coast.

In its proposal, Primary Health Tasmania has wisely indicated that it needs to work with stakeholders on the best place to establish a centre to ensure it effectively services the region. The demand for such a facility is certainly evident, especially considering that there were 801 occasions of service by the Devonport headspace outreach centre staff in 2015-16 in the Devonport catchment area alone.

Headspace is all about early intervention and works in four key areas affecting young people—mental health, physical health, work and study support, and alcohol and other drug services. It also provides information and support through its website. According to headspace, one in four young people have experienced a mental health issue in the past 12 months, which is significantly more than in all other age groups. And while it is still difficult for us to talk about it, suicide remains the largest cause of death among young people, accounting for one-third of all deaths.

Since its inception, headspace has provided services to more than 255,000 young people through its centres, including online and phone counselling, across the country. Headspace centres are different from other clinical services in that they are designed and built with input from young people and provide access to a range of health providers, including GPs, psychologists, social workers, alcohol and drug workers, counsellors, vocational workers and youth workers. They are also very effective. Headspace reports that more than 60 per cent of its clients demonstrate significant improvement from using its programs. The remaining 40 per cent are still working with headspace or alternative services.

And to ensure they are where young people are, headspace has also branched into the online space with eheadspace, which provides access to services and sessions to be delivered online. As of March 2016, 55,390 young people accessed eheadspace, resulting in 185,459 sessions serviced by eheadspace mental health professionals. There are more than 12,600 young people in Braddon between the ages of 15 and 24 who could benefit from having access to such a service, should a centre be in this area.

I note the health sector has been pushing for a dedicated headspace facility in this area for some time, and it would certainly complement a number of other services. Of course, the federal government has a role to play in the proposal. Both existing headspace centres in Tasmania are already stretched, and while they do their best for their clients, an expansion such as this will ensure that young people in Braddon have access to this vital service. While current funding limits the extension of the current service, additional funding would allow the integration of this standalone service on the North West coast, with other services. This would see headspace working in tandem with other programs, including Primary Health Network's responsibilities for chronic and complex youth mental health services. I trust the federal health minister looks favourably towards this proposal and considers funding for a headspace centre in my electorate of Braddon. This would be well supported by the community and families in my region.