Australian Mental Health Strategy Announced Today!
Good morning everyone. Today, Greg Hunt the federal health minister will unveil the new long-term children's mental health strategy. It's aimed at encouraging primary and secondary school students to speak up by building resilience, removing the stigma of their own suffering and seeking help.
This is a great first step as Prime Minister Scott Morrison has made reducing the suicide rate a key focus of his re-elected government. He announced in June that an extra $2.8 million to expand mental health services to school students amid calls for stronger action by all governments to fix a "mess" in the health system.
Julia Gillard last month described suicide is "one of the greatest public health challenges of our time" and called for mental health advocates to stop "squabbling" over funding and unite to tackle Australia's rising suicide rate.
All these points are great as we are one step closer to really eradicating the stigma relating to this topic and are ultimately opening up a conversation with not just youth but the whole of Australia.
These announcements are welcome, but we also need to put an end to expensive therapy, and give Australian youth what they need.
Curtis