Commitment on Youth Mental Health Delivered
The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, has announced a $300,000 grant to set up a new headspace youth mental health service in Hobart.
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Joint Release
The Hon Mark Butler MP
Minister for Mental Health and Ageing
Julie Collins MP
Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services
Senator Carol Brown
Senator for Tasmania
14 April 2011 The Federal Labor Government has delivered on its election commitment to set up a new headspace youth mental health service in Hobart.
The Link will receive a $300,000 grant to establish a headspace service as well as ongoing funding to support the operation of the site.
Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler said the service will ensure Hobart’s headspace service supports more local young people aged between 12 and 25 access support for depression, substance abuse and other mental health issues.
“One in four young Australians aged 16-24 years (around 670,000 people) will experience mental health disorders, including substance use disorders, in any year,” Minister Butler said.
“However, three-quarters of these people aren’t receiving the professional help they need, partly because of a lack of access to youth-specific mental health services.
“Hobart’s headspace will give young people and their parents and carers somewhere to turn to for help with the knowledge that 92 per cent of surveyed clients have reported improvements in their mental health after using headspace.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services Julie Collins said that the headspace was another example of Labor delivering on its election promises.
“I made the commitment that a Labor Government would establish a youth mental health service in southern Tasmania within a year, and that is what we have delivered,” Ms Collins said.
“The headspace service will help improve access of local young people aged between 12 and 25 to mental health services in Southern Tasmania.
“It’s important that Labor continues to honour its election commitments in southern Tasmania, and that’s what we’re doing through investment in health, education and infrastructure projects across greater Hobart.”
Senator Carol Brown, Labor Senator for Tasmania, said the new headspace service ensures young people in Hobart and their families will now benefit from youth-specific mental health services.
“With Tasmania having the second highest rate of suicide in Australia, the Hobart headspace is a critical investment in frontline mental health services aimed at prevention and early intervention.
“The headspace will ensure young people and their families in Southern Tasmania have direct access to specialist health workers who will be able to offer timely support to address a range of mental health needs and to promote emotional wellbeing,” the Senator said.
The new headspace service will offer holistic care in four key areas tailored to young people—mental health, physical health, alcohol and drug use, and social and vocational support. Since 2007, more than 42,000 clients have received support, information and treatment through headspace sites.
The new Hobart headspace service is among ten new centres to begin operating around Australia by the end of the year, with up to 20 more services to begin by mid-2013. When all 30 new sites are operational, an additional 20,000 young Australians each year will have access to mental health services.
The Australian Government has committed to providing $133.3 million over four years from 2010-11 for the successful headspace program.
The Link Youth Health Service was independently selected to run the Hobart site following an open Expression of Interest process by the headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation. The Foundation has as its members the University of Melbourne, the Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Research Institute, the Australian Psychological Society, Principals Australia and the Australian General Practice Network.
For more information about the national headspace program, see the headspace website
For more information contact Mr Butler’s office on 02 6277 7280
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