Orygen warmly congratulates the Albanese Labor Government on its re-election and looks forward to working with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his leadership team to realise the full potential of their groundbreaking commitment to youth mental health.
Labor committed $1 billion to mental health during the election campaign, including more than $700 million towards addressing the youth mental health crisis, which is now impacting 2 in 5 young people every year.
The centrepiece of the package is the expansion of free mental health care to help young Australians overcome cost barriers and improve access to timely, appropriate support —especially critical amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures.
Key commitments include:
-
$500 million to establish 20 new youth mental health centres, which will draw on proven early intervention mental health programs, such as those developed by Orygen, and will provide longer-term specialist clinical care that is integrated with psychosocial supports for young people with more complex and/or persistent conditions and their families, carers and supporters.
-
More than $200 million to expand the headspace network, including 58 new, upgraded or expanded headspace services to better meet the growing demand and provide free mental health care and rapid access for young people when they need it.
Importantly, the government also committed to establishing a National Institute for Youth Mental Health, which would drive and guide the implementation of this reform and lead the development of a ‘Learning Health System’ that integrates translational research, biostatistics and mental health economics.
Orygen, Australia's Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health since 2001, looks forward to a new phase of working collaboratively with the Albanese government, state governments, headspace, and all of our academic and sector partners in the youth mental health field to ensure these reforms flow across the nation to all the young people and families who need it.
“The need for bold, national action has never been clearer and the election commitments of the Albanese Government, led in this area by Health Minister Mark Butler, who was also Australia’s first Mental Health Minister, and Assistant Minister Emma McBride, lay the foundation for a new era in mental health care,” Orygen executive director Professor Patrick McGorry said.
“We are reinspired and ready to work with the Albanese government, with young people and families, with Australian communities and our key partners across the sector to make sure the investment translates into greatly improved health and quality of life outcomes for young people.”