Two new youth mental health services will be established in remote Indigenous communities if Labor wins the May election.
Prime minsiter Anthony Albanese pledged a significant $1 billion investment into mental health services on Tuesday as part of their election pitch ahead of the May 3 poll.
In Sydney to announce the election pledge, the PM, accompanied by health minister Mark Butler, emphasised that the funding would ensure that more Australians, particularly young people, have access to essential mental health support.
“What this will do is make sure that more Australians, particularly more young Australians, can get the help they need with this card here – their Medicare card,” said Albanese.
The major commitment includes the creation of 21 new and upgraded mental health centres, alongside 20 specialised youth care centres and training opportunities for 1,200 new mental health professionals.
The national youth mental health network, Headspace, is set to receive 200 million dollars, which will fund 58 new or upgraded centers.
Federal Minister for Health, Mark Butler, highlighted the importance of these new services in remote regions.
“Of the new Headspace services, two of them will be established in remote communities, and we hope that Headspace will be able to partner with Aboriginal-led services, probably Aboriginal medical services, to deliver them – that is new,” Butler said.
Reducing suicide rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is a critical priority for Labor, as part of its Closing the Gap agenda.
The Productivity Commission has reported that suicide rates among First Nations people have worsened since 2018, with suicide becoming the leading cause of death for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 to 39 in 2022.
Labor’s policy comes in response to the Coalition's own mental health proposals, including the expansion of Medicare-subsidised mental health sessions from 10 to 20 per year.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has accused Labor of being slow to act on mental health services, claiming that the Coalition’s expansion of sessions and additional funding for Headspace will better serve vulnerable communities.
“We have promised to restore from 10 to 20 the number of sessions that young people, particularly with complex presentations, can receive, and Labor cut that from 20 to 10 services. We announced another 400 million dollars for the expansion of Headspace and mental health services,” Dutton said.
Both major parties are aiming to address the mental health needs of some of the most vulnerable people in the country, with their respective proposals expected to be a key issue in the upcoming election.
