Radio interview with Assistant Minister McBride and Bridie Tanner, ABC North Coast – 21 January 2025

Read the transcript of Assistant Minister McBride's interview with Bridie Tanner on the new Ballina headspace centre and the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy.

The Hon Emma McBride MP
Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Assistant Minister Rural and Regional Health

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BRIDIE TANNER, ABC: Let's move on now to youth mental health, and today a new service of headspace opens in Ballina. Well, it opens in its new permanent home on Swift Street. It also marks the day that 200 psychiatrists will resign across the state of New South Wales, citing patient safety concerns and wanting a 25 per cent pay increase. I found it surprising to hear that headspace in Ballina will have no psychiatrist in its new facility, nor will it have an in-house psychologist for young people to talk to. Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Youth Suicide Emma McBride will be at the grand opening today. I asked her, is it normal for a headspace to have no psychs available? 

ASSISTANT MINISTER EMMA MCBRIDE: Now we have a network of 174 headspaces across the country, including many in regional parts of Australia, including in Ballina. And yes, many of the headspaces have psychologists working directly in the centres with young people, also highly experienced counsellors and social workers and nurses providing wraparound care. And one thing that is really making a big impact is peer workers – young people with their own direct experience being able to have that rapport with other young people, help them to navigate services and make sure that they're getting person-centred care in a way that feels welcoming and safe. 

TANNER: But would you like to see a psychologist in every headspace? 

MCBRIDE: We are working, and we do have a National Mental Health Workforce Strategy. We recognise that there are shortages of some specialist mental health professionals, including psychiatrists and psychologists. But we are working together, including in working with other services nearby, to make sure that the right professional is available to work with that young person to meet their needs. Sometimes it's a mental health social worker that's best placed to meet their needs. Sometimes it's a peer worker walking alongside them. Sometimes it's a nurse in a headspace centre that can help them with their physical health as well as their mental health. 

TANNER: And I don't want to take away from the fantastic work that our peer support workers and our social workers do in these spaces, but it just feels like with the increase of complex mental health for young people that that high level of training that a psychologist and/or a psychiatrist brings is something that would be wanted for our young people who are seen as vulnerable. Has the nature of what headspace provides changed to be more of that kind of peer supporter and social worker support? 

MCBRIDE: Headspace services have continued to develop to meet the changing needs of young people, how they seek support and the kind of support that meets their needs. Of course, a part of that is specialist psychologists and the access to psychiatrists. And as I mentioned, we do have a National Mental Health Workforce Strategy, and we're working to build the pipeline of headspace professionals, including through the headspace Early Career Program. Last year in the Budget, I secured close to $30 million to expand the headspace Early Career Program which provides placements for psychology students, for social workers, for mental health professionals within headspace centres. So I believe through the expansion of the headspace Early Career Program we will be able to have more consistency nationally in expert services face to face, but also eheadspace is available. 

What I can reassure young people or those people who are supporting and caring for young people – that is, if they contact headspace, they will get quality care that is welcoming and safe. And if they do need to be linked in with a psychologist or a psychiatrist, that that support will be provided to them in order to be able to have those referrals or appointments. So one of the main things that I'm trying to achieve as the minister responsible for mental health, particularly in the regions, is to bring that specialist support closer to home. Some of those services now we're investing in virtually to make sure that we can help to overcome some of those barriers of distance to make sure that every young person gets the support they need closer to home. 

TANNER: What would you say to someone who says that a young person might not want to sit on a virtual therapy session, or go on the phone to do their therapy – that they might not engage as well as face to face? 

MCBRIDE: We know that many young people do find the flexibility and the comfort of being able to talk to someone from a familiar environment, whether it's in their own home or within a headspace centre. 

TANNER: If you work in this space or you have a young person who engages with a psychologist or a psychiatrist, do you think face to face is better for youth than virtual therapy? Would love to hear from you this morning. Our text line, 0467-922-684, or you can pick up the phone and call ABC North Coast. 

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