We welcome the announcement made today by The Hon Greg Hunt MP - Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator the Hon Marise Payne - Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, and Sarah Richards - Liberal Candidate for Macquarie, that the Hawkesbury will receive a full-service headspace.

We are passionate about improving the mental health of our local communities and know there is a real need for ongoing services in the Hawkesbury area.

Hawkesbury youth have been through so much over the past few years, from drought to bushfires, a pandemic and multiple floods. These events have had a profound impact on our youth, and we know that headspace services play an important role in supporting young people and their mental health. We have been advocating for additional youth mental health services in our region for some time and are pleased that the Federal Government has listened to these concerns.

The additional $500,000 for immediate outreach support means that we can set up an outreach service while we establish a centre, so we can start to help young people in the interim.

Intervention programs such as headspace are critical as they not only impact young people’s lives in the present but can influence the whole community as these young people mature into adulthood. This service will be vital in supporting young people and their families, particularly as they move forward into their recovery journey.

The addition of a Hawkesbury headspace means that our region will have a headspace in every Local Government Area, adding to headspace Katoomba, Lithgow and Penrith.

I also welcome the announcement made by Susan Templeman, Member for Macquarie, that Labor will fund a new full-service headspace in the Hawkesbury if elected into Government.