There is one area where the Coalition is making more sense when it comes to policy and that is mental health services, particularly for youth mental health.

The Coalition have pledged $400m for youth mental health and today, expanded on that announcement by breaking down how some of the money would be spent:

An elected Dutton Coalition Government will invest $6.2 million to upgrade headspace Melton and ensure young Australians living in Melbourne’s western suburbs have affordable and accessible mental health services.  

Mental health and suicide prevention remains one of the Coalition’s highest priorities. This announcement forms part of the Coalition’s commitment to invest an additional $400 million to deliver a world-leading focus on youth mental health.  

Today’s announcement will boost capacity at headspace Melton, including through additional support workers and youth mentors, to ensure more young people can access free support and bring down wait times. This funding will support an additional 12,000 occasions of service per year at headspace Melton, allowing up to 2,500 more young people in the local community to access the support they need. 

The funding will also support headspace Melton to proactively perform community outreach activities, which will greatly benefit families living in the Western suburbs of Melbourne.  

It will provide certainty to parents that the mental health support their children need will always be delivered by a Dutton Coalition Government.