More Australians will soon have access to free mental health support thanks to a $1 billion pledge from Federal Labor, aiming to make affordable healthcare a key part of its re-election campaign.
The funding will allocate $225 million to build or upgrade 31 walk-in Medicare mental health centres. These centres offer free and immediate mental health assistance to anyone, regardless of whether they hold a Medicare card.
Additionally, more than $200 million will be dedicated to building or upgrading 58 headspace services, focused on supporting young people. Another $90 million will go towards creating over 1,200 training opportunities for mental health professionals and peer workers.
A significant portion of the funds, $500 million, will go toward establishing 20 youth specialist care centres for young people dealing with complex issues such as personality disorders, eating disorders, and early-stage psychosis.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized that this investment will ensure more Australians have access to “free, public mental health care.”
“I want everyone, especially young people, to be able to access the mental health care they need,” he said in a statement.
This funding comes as the public mental health system struggles under pressure, with psychiatrists reporting high workloads and low pay. Labor’s proposal aims to ease this strain by expanding services to meet a variety of needs within the community.
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