STEPHEN CENATIEMPO, HOST: Now, something that I've been talking about for the better part of the six years that I've been on air here in Canberra is the lack of mental health services. And we often talk about getting people the help they need in the context of drug decriminalisation, but I've often argued that help doesn't exist. Now, there has been a significant boost to mental health services here in the ACT, thanks to the Federal Government. A new Kids Hub is set to open as mental health services reach thousands in the ACT and well, yeah, they're reaching thousands, but I think it's only still hitting the tip of the iceberg. To talk to us about this, the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Emma McBride, is with us. Emma, good morning.
ASSISTANT MINISTER EMMA MCBRIDE: Good to be with you, Stephen.
CENATIEMPO: Look, I applaud any increase in mental health services here, but we're only just scratching the surface.
MCBRIDE: Stephen, we know that in Australia today, one in seven children experience struggles with their mental health and wellbeing, and that by adolescence, by the age of 14, about 50 per cent of mental health conditions emerge, which is why our Government, at the last election, committed $1.1 billion to mental health and wellbeing, of which the greater portion, more than $700 million, is towards young people.
CENATIEMPO: The one thing that I do like about this announcement is that the new hub is going to be run by third-party organisations that are pretty good at this stuff. Marymead CatholicCare, Grand Pacific Health and the Yerrabi Yurwang Child and Family Aboriginal Corporation. We know these people are great at the grassroots, but I often wonder if these facilities create a bottleneck. Are they an endpoint or do people then have to be referred on to somewhere else that might not exist?
MCBRIDE: So Stephen, these teams of experts, as you've described, are really experienced providers of youth mental health support. There will be clinicians there, experts, social workers, mental health nurses, psychologists, to provide that wraparound support and importantly tailored to the needs of that individual child and support for families as well. Because in this, parents and caregivers need additional support as well, supporting their child or young person.
CENATIEMPO: So Emma, when does this actually happen?
MCBRIDE: So from today, Stephen, Canberrans can call 1-800-595-212 to be connected to Medicare Mental Health and then to be linked in with a service that's most appropriate for them and their young person. So outreach services starting from the Kids Hub today. And really good news for Canberrans, free, backed by Medicare, and no referral needed, because that's been another bottleneck, Stephen, that many of your listeners would have experienced, having to see a GP to get a referral, and then to pay out of pocket for this expert care. All of that changed by the Kids Hub opening.
CENATIEMPO: So the Medicare Mental Health phone line acts as a triage, so to speak?
MCBRIDE: So parents can walk into the service. So once the permanent centre is open towards the end of the year, parents will be able to just walk in. But in the meantime, they can call this 1-800-595-212 and be linked in with the outreach team starting from today.
CENATIEMPO: I think it's a great announcement and only if we see a bit more of it. Emma, I really appreciate your time this morning.
MCBRIDE: Good to be with you, Stephen.
CENATIEMPO: Emma McBride is the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in the Federal Government.