Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I was pleased to organise a street stall, along with the member for Bruce, in the suburb of Narre Warren South. That morning, many raised the difficulty in accessing mental health support in my electorate of Holt, an issue that has resurfaced since my campaign as a Labor candidate for Holt. Mental health is a crucial factor for every other aspect of our lives, and mental health issues affect a person's overall wellbeing and livelihood. As the representative of the youngest federal electorate in Victoria, I am particularly focused on ensuring every young person in my electorate, and across Australia, has access to the mental health care they need and deserve.

Numerous surveys and reports note my electorate's acute shortage of mental health support. Research by the City of Casey observes that Narre Warren headspace centre, the closest one to my electorate, received a case load twice that of the national average. The high case load inevitably results in considerable stress on the council's mental health services, which cater to residents of all ages. The South-Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network annual needs assessment 2022-25 also found that the City of Casey's significant distress rates were above the state and national averages. The Salvation Army's Social justice stocktake reflected the difficulties in accessing mental health support, noting 60 per cent of respondents in my electorate reported mental health as their primary issue of concern. I am proud the Albanese Labor government is committed to improving mental health outcomes. In such a short period, the leadership of the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, and the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Emma McBride, has resulted in better access to mental health care. The additional $1.2 million to the headspace centres in Dandenong, Narre Warren and Frankston, in the neighbouring electorates of Bruce and Dunkley, will ensure more young people benefit from additional access to mental health support. I am confident the Albanese Labor government will continue to improve access to mental health support, particularly for young people. This will help reduce youth disengagement and underemployment and will strengthen educational outcomes.