Residents of Darling Downs and Southern Queensland will soon have access to free, high-quality mental health care with the establishment of a new Medicare Mental Health Centre in Warwick.
These centres offer a safe and welcoming environment where adults can access free mental health information, support, and care from multidisciplinary teams during extended hours without needing an appointment.
Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Emma McBride, announced the new centre during her visit to the Darling Downs region today.
This new service will join a network of Medicare Mental Health Centres being established across Australia, including 19 in Queensland.
The operational costs for these centres are being jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments as part of the Mental Health Bilateral Agreement.
The Albanese Government has committed $29.9 million in the budget to enhance services at each Medicare Mental Health Centre, ensuring access to psychologists and psychiatrists on call.
Assistant Minister McBride emphasized the significance of these centres:
“Medicare Mental Health Centres provide free mental health care and support, closer to home. We are expanding the range and reach of free mental health services, better matching services with people’s needs. The new Warwick Medicare Mental Health Centre will offer comprehensive wraparound care for people in need across the Darling Downs and Southern Queensland.”
Minister Fentiman also highlighted the impact of the new centre:
“We know access to free mental health care and support will be life-changing for so many residents here in Warwick. This essential healthcare is expanding across the state so that more people can access the care they need, closer to home. The new centre is a great example of how the Albanese and Miles Governments are working together to deliver this critical healthcare for Queenslanders. We’re committed to improving Queenslanders’ access to healthcare – and that’s exactly what this new facility will do.”
Related topics:
