ANDRE LESLIE, HOST: There are a number of changes coming up in the mental health space for Northern Tasmanians from today that I want to talk to you about. Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Emma McBride is waiting to chat to us to tell us a little bit more about them and some of the various facilities that are due to come up in the future as well. Emma McBride, welcome to the program.
ASSISTANT MINISTER EMMA MCBRIDE: Good to be with you, Andre.
LESLIE: So there are a few things to go through here. Let's start with the Mental Health Kids Hubs. What do they involve? Why are they important, in your mind?
MCBRIDE: We know, Andre, that in Australia today, one in seven children aged four to 17 experience mental health challenges each year, and that for too long, it's been too hard for families to access the support and care they need close to home. So the Kids Hubs that we're co-funding with the Tasmanian Government are bringing support and care into communities, including in Burnie, in East Tamar, and also in Bridgewater to make sure that families can get the support and care that they need and that earlier intervention.
LESLIE: Okay. And the East Tamar one, which does mean a whole lot to us Launcestonians, that's in Mayfield, a suburb next to Alanvale, I think. That's where we're talking about. What sort of care can they provide specifically? What are we really talking about in these centres?
MCBRIDE: They're designed to provide accessible and practical mental health support and care for children and young people, including support for mild to moderate behavioural and developmental concerns, assistance with emotional and social challenges, and also support for parents and caregivers to be able to navigate services that their young child might need. We know that early support matters, and the sooner that families can access help, the better the outcomes for their children at school, at home, and in the community.
LESLIE: Speaking of early access to mental health help, perinatal, it doesn't get much earlier than that. Perinatal Mental Health Centre is due to open up in Devonport. What's this one about?
MCBRIDE: This one is to provide support for new or expectant parents because we know that one in five new or expectant mothers and one in ten new or expectant fathers are likely to experience perinatal anxiety and depression, which can have a significant impact on them and their children. So this new service in partnership with the Gidget Foundation will be in addition to services that are existing in Launceston and Hobart to make sure that families can get free and expert psychological support in that first year of their child's life.
LESLIE: Okay. And people listening in the Devonport area will no doubt want to know when. What time is the expected opening for that?
MCBRIDE: Yes, this will be in the coming months. And in the meantime, parents in the Devonport area can call the Gidget House on 1300-851-758 to get information and advice about existing services and to access a perinatal mental health centre. A parent or expecting parent can see a GP and then get a mental health treatment plan and have three sessions with a psychologist who is experienced and expert in perinatal care.
LESLIE: I'm speaking to the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Emma McBride, here on ABC Northern Tasmania Drive. Finally, Emma, I want to speak about this Medicare Mental Health Centre pop-up. Now, we've heard about the Burnie Urgent Care Centre. I think that's at the Burnie Health Hub. This pop-up is already open and it's attached to that. Is that right?
MCBRIDE: The pop-up is now open in Cooee and at a temporary location. And the Medicare Mental Health Centres are free walk-in services for any adult to be able to get wraparound mental health support and care. Today, I visited the one in Devonport, and since it opened last October, has already seen so many local people. People have been walking in each day to be able to access that support and care, and they've got lived experience peer workers and expert mental health clinicians providing wraparound support tailored to individuals' needs. So the pop-up- or the temporary location is functioning now in Cooee, and there'll be a permanent location in Burnie by the end of the year.
LESLIE: Okay. Now, I mean, we've gone through a lot of different things here. Some people hopefully taking notes about where, when, and how and things like that. But just to take a step back, it really feels like the Federal Government is getting super stuck in to the issue of mental health. Is that a fair summary? It's really seemed to be- there's been a lot of money and hopefully expertise thrown at this.
MCBRIDE: Andre, I'm a mental health worker myself, and I worked in acute adult inpatient services for more than 10 years. And what I saw then was that people had to wait too long for care and distress ended up in crisis. And we know that with earlier intervention and the right kind of support that people will be able to thrive. And what we are intending to do with our $1.1 billion announcement at the last election is that to make sure, at whatever stage of life or wherever you live, that support is available for you. So perinatal services for new and expectant parents, Kids Hubs for children up to 12, expanding the headspace network to more than 200 across the country- and it might be of interest to your listeners to know that headspace in Launceston will be one of the first that becomes a new headspace Plus to be able to cater to the more complex and severe needs of young people today. And then, a growing network of Medicare Mental Health Centres, more than 92 that will open around the country, to make sure that adults can get the support and care they need. As I said, we want to make sure that every Australian, wherever they live, can get expert care close to home and for free when they need it.
LESLIE: Is our mental health getting better as a nation, do you think? If you had this experience over a long period of time yourself, professionally, I should say, are we getting better at this, or is it just a constant journey?
MCBRIDE: I think that as a society, we're getting much better at having conversations about mental health. We're getting much better at seeking support. What we know that there are lots of drivers of mental health distress. Some of those are to do with situational crisis, whether it's relationship breakdown, financial pressure, caring, supporting for sick family members. So there's lots of drivers of distress. What I've noticed in my time as a mental health professional is that we are getting much better about having open conversations about mental health, about seeking support, but what we really did need was more support closer to home when people need it. And that's why we've developed Medicare Mental Health, and that's why we're providing all of these services across the lifespan to make sure that whoever you are and whatever your circumstances, there is a service to meet your needs.
LESLIE: Emma McBride, thanks for your time today. Appreciate your journey down to Tassie.
MCBRIDE: Good to be with you, Andre. Thank you.
LESLIE: There we go. Emma McBride, the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.