Radio interview with Assistant Minister McBride on Triple M Central Queensland – 22 January 2025

Read the transcript from Assistant Minister McBride's interview which covered the opening of the new Medicare Mental Health Centres in Gladstone and Rockhampton.

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

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SHANNON NEVEN, TRIPLE M: And right now we actually have Minister Emma McBride, who is the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health, in studio with us right now. Good morning. 

ASSISTANT MINISTER EMMA MCBRIDE: Good to be with you. 

NEVEN: Thank you so much for coming in. Now, before we get down to the real business of why you’re here, we are going to party like it’s 1999 this month at the Great Western.  

ANTHONY STEFANOS, TRIPLE M: Feb 22. Tickets at the greatwesternhotel.com.au.   

NEVEN: If you want to come. So …  

MCBRIDE: I’m in, I’m in.  

NEVEN: In the ‘90s, were you in high school? Do you have great memories?  

MCBRIDE: I do. I finished high school in the ‘90s and was at uni, and it was a manic time. Most of the summers in the ‘90s for me – I’ve got five brothers, and we were playing cricket in the backyard, you know, swimming in grandma’s pool and it just was a fun time for me. 

STEFANOS: That’s the Australian dream, isn’t it? Right there. 

NEVEN: And no phone stuck to your hip, which I imagine with your job now, wow, next level. 

MCBRIDE: Yes, absolutely. 

STEFANOS: And all those titles – how do you- what do you work, eight days a week? 

MCBRIDE: [Laughs]I’m really fortunate, as someone who was a pharmacist and a mental health worker and who grew up in the regions to be able to have a job like this. So many things that young people like me and those that I grew up with experienced, and now being able to improve things for them in communities like this. So no, it’s a really good gig. 

NEVEN: Well, that’s a good point that you make that we’ve brought up before, that in the ‘90s, yeah, it was a very different time in regards to mental health and how you could be in touch or contact, or even have the conversations. It was very taboo still. 

MCBRIDE: It was, and the fantastic thing that I know when I visit schools and I’m out in the community is young people just come up to me, and they’ll just talk about their experience. The stigma is largely gone. 

NEVEN: Yeah. 

MCBRIDE: And it’s a conversation that they’re really open to having. And it’s- and I think that’s why we’re looking at changing how we provide mental health services, because the way people seek support has changed as well. 

NEVEN: So you are here today to open mental health centres in Rockhampton and Gladstone. Tell us about this. 

MCBRIDE: That’s right. Last June I was here in Rocky to announce that the Albanese Labor Government was bringing community mental health care to local people. And I’m so excited to be here- back here today for the official opening of the Medicare Mental Health Centres in Rocky and in Gladdy – free, walk-in mental health support and care. You don’t need to wait for a referral, you don’t need an appointment, and you can walk in on the spot if you’re in distress and get information and support and care. If you need more ongoing support, that can also be provided to you. 

NEVEN: Okay. So, if I was to walk in – let’s do a demonstration. So we’re going to be on number three of 47 William Street in Rocky, or 9 Derby Street in Gladstone, open 10 till five, from Monday to Friday. I walk in, I don’t have my Medicare card on me and I am feeling distressed and I need some support – how immediate will that be, and are there any barriers to me receiving it? 

MCBRIDE: There aren’t. You’ll walk in, and Pinky, you’re likely to be greeted by a peer worker, a local person who might’ve walked in your shoes and has had the same experience who can help you navigate what support or services you might need. And in Rocky, there’s a mental health social worker and a psychologist who, if you need that type of clinical support, will also be available to work with you. 

STEFANOS: So if you get referred on from the- sort of the peer person that you’re greeted with to a psychologist, it’s still free at that point? 

MCBRIDE: That’s right, Anthony. It’s free. We wanted to make sure … 

STEFANOS: Wow. 

MCBRIDE: …that there were no barriers to people accessing support and care. The earlier you can get support, the earlier that intervention, the less impact that that will have on you and on your future. So we wanted to get rid of any barrier – so no appointment, no referral, no co-payment, no out of pocket costs. 

NEVEN: I mean, the reason you’ve done this is because, like a lot of us, I’m sure you know that the rigmarole of getting some support and help just makes things even more stressful. And then there’s big costs involved. 

STEFANOS: Well, it’s at least $200 per session. 

NEVEN: Yeah. 

STEFANOS: And then if you get a mental health care plan, you maybe knock $90 off that. But that’s still very expensive. 

NEVEN: And with mental health care plans, you actually- maybe it’s just regionally, you need to actually have a psych ready that you’re available to that- who’s unable to see you that you have to tell your doctor. You have to do all this background work yourself. 

MCBRIDE: And that’s- for someone who is in distress … 

NEVEN:             Yeah … 

MCBRIDE: … navigating that system can take a long time … 

NEVEN: It’s ridiculous. 

MCBRIDE: … and cost money. 

NEVEN: Yeah. 

MCBRIDE: And that's why, as a mental health worker myself and someone who grew up in the regions, these are things that I'd seen, barriers that people I know had experienced. So we were looking at how could we get rid of any barrier to someone getting support and care? So yeah, Pinky, if you were to walk in or one of your listeners will walk in, they'll be greeted by a peer worker. And if they do need to see a social worker or a psych, they'll be available to them – importantly for free. 

STEFANOS: And then if the psych’s not available for, you know, a couple of days and it’s sort of really urgent, what are the options then? 

MCBRIDE: We recognise that there is a shortage of psychs, and we want to make sure that there is always immediate access to one. So we're setting up a virtual network of both psychologists and psychiatrists. So if you walk into the Medicare Mental Health Centre in Rocky and their clin-psych isn't available, then you'll be able to be linked in with one elsewhere who can work with you. 

NEVEN: That's incredible. So what time are you going to be at these locations today? 

MCBRIDE: Yeah, so we're going to be there just later this morning for the official opening in Rocky, and then going down the Bruce … 

NEVEN: Oh, great. 

MCBRIDE:  … for the opening in Gladdy, for your listeners there. So really excited to be back in Central Queensland. And in between times, we're just going across to open a Gidget House, a perinatal mental health centre. There's about 100,000 new or expectant parents each year that find themselves experiencing anxiety or depression – one in five new mums and one in 10 dads. And so through Gidget House, they can get free psychological support. That's also in the Stocklands Shopping Centre in Rocky … 

NEVEN: Wow. 

MCBRIDE: …and we'll be opening that today as well. 

STEFANOS:   This is … 

NEVEN: [Talks over] So accessible. 

STEFANOS: … a great way to spend government money. 

Can I just circle back quickly with the- I'm sorry if you covered it off, but with the Medicare Mental Health Centres, is there a cap at how many times you can see the psych? 

MCBRIDE: No, there isn't a cap. The intention is that you get the best care and support that you need. That might be working with a social worker. It might be working with a psychologist. If you do need ongoing care for more complex needs, it might be that you're referred on to another service or another clinician, but there isn't a cap. The idea is that we want to break down any barriers to people accessing support and care. The sooner they can get the support and care, the sooner that they will be- get well, and the biggest difference it will make for them and their wellbeing.

NEVEN: Speaking of which, if you are struggling at the moment and you need someone to speak to, you can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13-11-14, and you can also text them to chat. 

STEFANOS: Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Minister for Rural and Regional Health, Emma McBride. Thank you very much for joining us this morning. 

MCBRIDE: So good to be with you. 

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