I am delighted to rise in support of this motion put forward by the fabulous member for Griffith. When it comes to mental health, we know there is no health without it. Every single one of us knows somebody—a friend, a colleague, a neighbour, a family member—who has struggled. For too long mental health has been treated as an afterthought, but under Labor that is changing. We know that access to affordable, timely mental health support can be life changing and lifesaving. That's why the Albanese Labor government is making the biggest investment in mental health care that Newcastle has ever seen. At the election, our government made a historic $1.1 billion commitment to deliver new and expanded mental health services. For Novocastrians, we're delivering a brand new Medicare mental health centre in Charlestown. This will provide fully bulk-billed, walk-in mental healthcare services—no referral and no cost. It means people can get help when they need it without worrying about how to pay for it.
Importantly, Charlestown isn't the only one. This centre is part of a national network of 91 Medicare mental health centres, all providing free professional mental health care across the country. The centres are designed for people who need more than a GP but are not in crisis. They fill a critical gap in our system, ensuring help is there before people hit breaking point.
On top of that, we've announced the expansion of Newcastle's headspace into a headspace Plus, a service designed specifically for young people aged 12 to 25 who need extra support. We know how tough it has been for young people through COVID, with cost-of-living pressures and the day-to-day pressures of growing up. These investments are about breaking down barriers—barriers of cost, barriers of stigma and barriers of access—because mental health care should never depend on the size of your wallet or your postcode.
Labor are stepping up because we believe every Australian deserves the right to high-quality mental health care close to home. That's why we've also committed to opening a network of 20 youth specialist care centres for young people with complex needs. We've established the Medicare mental health phone line and website, helping Australians to find a free service that is right for them. We've established perinatal mental health centres to provide support for new parents. We've restored bulk-billed telehealth psychiatry Medicare rebates so that Australians living outside metropolitan areas get equal access to clinical mental health support. We've expanded the mental health workforce with more than 4,000 psychology scholarships, internships and training places.
From January next year, we're rolling out our new National Early Intervention Service, which will deliver free mental health phone and online support from trained professionals and is expected to support 150,000 people each year. These services will save lives, they will strengthen families and they will make our community a healthier and more compassionate place to live. Let's keep fighting for a future where help is simple, stigma free and affordable for everyone who needs it.
