Labor’s Mark Butler has announced $16.7m for another eight perinatal mental health centres, which offer free mental health support to parents from pregnancy to when a child turns one.

The additional eight centres would bring the program to 20 across the country.

From the release:


 
This is a time when up to one in five women and one in ten men experience anxiety and/or depression

GPs will be able to refer parents to Perinatal Mental Health Centres with a mental health care plan, which will provide psychological services with no out-of-pocket costs.