Tuesday, 24 May 2022

Western Metropolitan Region mental health services

Dr CUMMING (Western Metropolitan) (17:52): (1927) My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Mental Health in the other place, and the action that I seek is for funding to be provided for establishment of a satellite Headspace at Newport Community Hub. In September 2020 I raised this issue, one that has been a priority of Hobsons Bay City Council for some years. There is a large and sustained gap in mental health services for young people aged between 12 and 25 years in the inner west. In 2015–16 the rate of mental health inpatient admissions for 10- to 17-year-olds was 9.06 per 1000 people, and that was higher than the rate for Western Metropolitan Region, which was 6.46 per 1000 people, and Victoria at 7.85 per 1000 people, highlighting the importance of increasing accessibility to preventative and early intervention mental health services for young people.

With limited youth-dedicated mental health services in Hobsons Bay, young people face a range of accessibility barriers. Barriers include access to transport and the travel times to seek support from Headspace sites outside the municipality. A young person residing in Hobsons Bay is potentially required to make a 1½-hour round trip by public transport to access Headspace at either Werribee or Sunshine, and that is excluding the consultation appointment. There is consistent demand on council-funded youth counselling and case management services based in the youth-dedicated space in the Newport Community Hub. This demand is anticipated to continually increase. Establishing a satellite Headspace in Newport would ensure young people in the inner west are provided with the critical mental health support they require to be able to fully embrace life’s opportunities, deal effectively with personal challenges and build a prosperous future. Newport or even Laverton are suggested locations, as both have very good public transport access and the ability to support young people in surrounding suburbs and municipalities. As well, we all know that the mental health of Victorians has decreased, but especially our youth have been suffering over the last few years. This is really a priority. Minister, please look at this and please help Hobsons Bay achieve a satellite Headspace in either Newport or Laverton.