New headspace services in New England and Parkes

05 Jun 2017

 

 

The Hon. Barnaby Joyce MP

Deputy Prime Minister

Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources

Federal Member for New England

 

The Hon. Greg Hunt MP

Minister for Health

Minister for Sport

 

Mark Coulton

Federal Member for Parkes

 

MEDIA RELEASE

 

 

 

The Coalition Government will provide new headspace services for young people in New England and North Western regions of NSW.  

 

The funding will establish new headspace services in Armidale, Moree, Gunnedah and Narrabri communities.

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, said young people in the local area faced many challenges and this new service would provide a significant boost of support.

 

“There are more pressures on young people today than ever before and the establishment of this headspace is so important in providing needed services in our region,” Mr Joyce said.

 

“We will use the service model that has been so successful here at headspace Tamworth to support young people in the surrounding region.”

 

Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton said early intervention was absolutely critical to helping young people with mental health issues.

 

“These new headspace will deliver front-line services and coordinate the right interventions for at risk young people,” Mr Coulton said.  

 

“Young people in Moree, Gunnedah, Narrabri and Armidale will be able to access the highly successful headspace model of care in their communities.”

 

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the New England and North Western NSW region was one of the ten locations to receive new headspace youth mental health services.

 

“I am committed to ensuring that Australians can get information, advice, counselling or treatment, when and where they need it,” Minister Hunt said.

 

 

  

“The Turnbull Government is investing an extra $28.9 million for ten new headspace services, in regional and rural communities, bringing the total number of centres to 110 by 2019.”
 

headspace offers early intervention for 12 to 25 year olds in four key areas – mental health, related physical health, social and vocational support, and alcohol and other drug use.

 

A planning phase will now begin and headspace services are expected to be available within 12 months.

 

The Coalition Government is committed to boosting mental health services with the 2017-18 Budget providing more than $170 million for mental health support, treatment and research.

 

This includes $80 million of additional funding, contingent on matched commitments from the states and territories, to maintain community psychosocial services for people with mental illness who do not qualify for assistance through the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

 

People living in rural and remote regions of Australia will now receive significantly improved access to psychologists, under a new $9.1 million telehealth initiative set to roll-out later this year.

 

(ENDS)

 

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