Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Young Australians in my electorate have faced the stress and trauma of bushfires for weeks and weeks and weeks, yet the government's only promised one headspace satellite service for my entire electorate, and it still hasn't opened. Will the government listen to the calls from my community to upgrade the Katoomba headspace to a full centre and get it up and running immediately?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for her point. Only yesterday, I met with Pat McGorry as well as spoke with the head of headspace for Australia, Jason Trethowan. We discussed a number of needs across Australia, and, whilst they didn't raise this one, I can say that this is one of 30 new services which the government is funding. And, more significantly than that, we know that the Nepean Blue Mountains PHN is working closely with the local community to ensure that the new headspace is established. In particular, in addition, the PHN is receiving funding of $500,000 to support young people aged 12 to 25 in bushfire-affected communities. This is in addition to the headspace funding. So we are supporting headspace, by establishing one, and we're providing right now, at this moment, $500,000. Unfortunately, that important detail was omitted from the question. As well as that—and I make this commitment to the House—there is additional funding for those PHNs and those headspaces which require additional services. If demand exceeds what is provided for, then we will provide that additional funding; so that will be demand driven in the case of Katoomba. It's one of 30 around the country. It's supplemented by $500,000 specifically for the PHN. Again, I realise that that was an omission from the question. As well as that, the commitment is that, if demand exceeds what is currently provided, we will meet that demand in full.