SUSAN GRAHAM-RYAN, HOST: The governments have been criticised pretty heavily for failing to fund services to keep up with the growing mental health demand, especially in regional, rural and remote parts of the state. Just yesterday on this program, you heard from Belinda Chelius, part of the Queensland Alliance for Mental Health, who says funding and services are not keeping up with the need.
[Excerpt]
BELINDA CHELIUS, QUEENSLAND ALLIANCE FOR MENTAL HEALTH: Twice as high as metro to have mental health issues. The fear is it will increase. People will absolutely wait till the last minute to get those supports, which means they present at an emergency department, which means they're not going to get the best available treatment to them because we know recovery doesn't happen in an emergency service. It happens in the community, early intervention, as soon as possible.
[End of excerpt]
GRAHAM-RYAN: So could a new announcement be a step in the right direction? It's just come through today. Emma McBride is the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and is also the Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health. Good morning, Emma. Tell me about what this announcement is targeting today.
ASSISTANT MINISTER EMMA MCBRIDE: We know that in Australia today, about two in five young Australians experience mental health struggles in any 12 months and that that's higher in more regional and remote communities. And a big part of that is access to support sooner, earlier intervention. And that's what headspace is designed to do and what headspace outreach will do, bringing that mental health support, related physical and sexual health, alcohol and other drug support to young people living in more rural and remote parts of Australia, including Queensland.
GRAHAM-RYAN: What will this look like on the ground for young people?
MCBRIDE: Headspace provides that early intervention and support that is designed for young people and by young people. And a big part of headspace now is people with their own lived experience, with peer workers, young people who've had their own struggles, who now support other young people. So for a headspace outreach, will probably be two or three workers, a clinician and a peer worker, maybe First Nations health worker, who’ll be able to visit local communities and provide that support, that wraparound support sooner. So that young people who are struggling with depression or anxiety, with work, with study, will be able to have support that is tailored to them in their own community, overcoming the barriers of distance, time or cost.
GRAHAM-RYAN: So $27.9 million to deliver a network of 20 headspace outreach services, including six in regional Queensland. That equates to around $1.4 million for each site. How long is this funding for?
MCBRIDE: The funding is ongoing. At the last election, our government made the biggest investment in mental health and suicide prevention of any government, $1.1 billion, of which the greater portion of that, more than $700 million, is towards children and young people. Because we know that more than 50 per cent of mental health challenges emerged before the age of 14. We know that early intervention is what is needed and what young people, particularly in the regions and more remote parts of Australia, deserve.
GRAHAM-RYAN: When do you expect that these new services will come online for these six new places around regional Queensland?
MCBRIDE: We expect from headspace National, their timeframe that they've told us is about 12 months, and that's the time it does take when you're establishing a new service to do it in a way in proper collaboration with the local community, to work with existing service providers and to be able to recruit staff to set up the service so that it is designed for and by the community and has the most impact.
GRAHAM-RYAN: You’re hearing from Emma McBride, the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and the Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health. This expansion of services, I assume, will be welcomed by communities, yet we know regional, rural, remote communities have significant waitlists. What specific practical steps does your government plan to execute to ensure more people get the timely help they need?
MCBRIDE: We want to make sure that wherever someone lives and whatever stage of life that they have support that is tailored for them, which is why we're also introducing Medicare Mental Health Centres, free walk-in centres for adults where someone doesn't need an appointment, they don't need a referral, and it's all backed by Medicare. We've opened them in Rockhampton, in Gladstone, right across Queensland, and we want to make sure that whatever age you are, you have the support.
We also understand that Australia is a vast country with people living all across regional and remote parts of Australia, including Queensland. So we've now established Medicare Mental Health Check In, Australia's first free digital mental health service that is available online. There'll be a national campaign in August, but what I want your listener to know is that wherever they live in Australia, they can 1-800-595-212 or go to Medicare Mental Health Check In online and be linked in with expert mental health clinicians, whether it's psychologists or counsellors or social workers, that can work with them to provide the mental health support they need. Some people choose to work in self-pace, and that is also available with support from clinicians if that's what they choose.
GRAHAM-RYAN: What else though can be done to ensure regional Queenslanders can tap into those supports wherever they are when they need them?
MCBRIDE: It's something that I'm very determined to do. I'm a mental health worker by background. I worked in the regional hospital in my local community in mental health in-patient units. And what I saw reflects what Belinda said earlier from your mental health alliance was that we need earlier intervention. And I saw in the hospital people who were distressed, escalated to crisis and led to an in-patient admission simply because there was not support sooner and in the community. We are working on the next national mental health and suicide prevention agreement with the states and territories. It'll include a bilateral with Queensland and we're working with Queensland's Health Minister Tim Nicholls on that. And importantly, we're working with people with lived experience. What we know is that people who have had their own experience of the health system, their input is what's leading to differences in the in the way that we design services, in the way that they're implemented and ultimately, in the impact and benefit that they can have for Australians.
GRAHAM-RYAN: Emma, one thing that is really weighing on a lot of Australians' minds right now is the uncertainty around changes to the NDIS, particularly for participants. A lot of them say that they're losing different services. How can you reduce some of the toll that this is having on people so that they understand the changes and what impact that might have for them, but also to find out if those changes are just and fair?
MCBRIDE: I understand that any change can cause uncertainty. But what I want to reassure your listeners is that, as a member of the Labor Government, that I'm proud to be part of a government that introduced the NDIS that- where it's been introduced, and I've seen it in individuals and families in my own community, it can be life changing. It gives people agency, it gives people choice and control.
The particular focus that I have with my responsibilities for mental health and suicide prevention is psychosocial disability, the impact on people's day-to-day lives and their quality of life because of their mental health challenges. And we're working on those foundational supports and psychosocial support both within and outside of the NDIS. And it's something that, led by Minister Butler and the NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister, we’re determined to do in a way that, of course, takes into consideration people living outside of our major cities, those in more regional and remote parts of Australia, because we understand that they have had more challenges in accessing services and supports. And we want to make sure that we close those gaps and provide them the support that they need, that is tailored to their needs and that they can access closer to home.
GRAHAM-RYAN: Emma, you spoke about those tailored supports and giving people agency, but some people are arguing that those supports are being stripped away and will take agency away from their own lives and reduce their ability to get into the community and even access basic healthcare.
MCBRIDE: I understand, and having heard from NDIS participants, carers, family members in my own community and in my visits in different parts of Australia, that any change can cause uncertainty, particularly for people who do rely on the NDIS or other health supports. And I want to reassure them and reassure your listeners that this is something that we're determined to do, walking alongside people living with disability, to make sure that changes are designed with them in mind. And there will be an advisory that does include people with their own experience of disability to make sure that we do this in a way that does continue to provide choice and control and gives people the best support they need whilst making the NDIS sustainable for the future.
GRAHAM-RYAN: Many participants argue that they’re being punished instead of the fraudulent operators in the system being targeted. What do you say to that?
MCBRIDE: Minister McAllister has been very clear that this is about cracking down on fraud and people that are ripping off people with disability. Legislation has only been introduced very recently to make that more robust, because we want to make sure that all of the investment that goes into the NDIS ultimately reaches the people who deserve it, who should benefit from it. So a strong crackdown on fraud, the shonky providers that are ripping off young people, that are ripping off Australians who have disability, and that's where we're determined to focus on that particular crackdown.
GRAHAM-RYAN: That's Emma McBride, the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and the Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health.