Headspace gets another $47m in funding

Youth mental health organisation headspace has had its funding boosted by the federal government for the third time since October.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced more funding for headspace.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced more funding for headspace. Source: AAP

Young people who have experienced mental health issues will tour Australia sharing their stories as part of a $47 million funding boost to headspace.

The head office of the youth mental health organisation - which runs 107 support centres for young people nationally - will get the bulk of the funding over the coming three years.

That will go towards helping staff reach out to more young people, research and administration.

But $2 million of the money will be set aside to help eight young people who have experienced mental health issues share their stories, including through a travelling roadshow.

Health Minister Greg Hunt says the organisation now has funding security for the coming four-and-a-half years.

That comes as almost half a million Australians aged between 16 and 24 experience a mental health condition each year.

"If we can take the steps in the early years to give people a pathway to recovery, then we can make a lifelong difference in terms of their quality of life, their experience, their families lives," Mr Hunt told reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday.

The latest announcement is the third funding windfall the federal government has delivered headspace since October.

The organisation was given a one-off boost of $51.8 million in October to help centres employ more staff and reduce waiting times, on top its annual funding of $95.7 million.

Headspace also received a $110 million boost in December to continue running a psychosis program at 14 of its centres.


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Published 9 January 2019 12:34pm
Source: AAP


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