FEDERAL Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Emma McBride was in Wallan on Friday, visiting key mental health advocate groups during Mental Health Month.
Joined by Federal Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell, Ms McBride caught up with The Bridge Youth and Family Services and the Mitchell Suicide Prevention Network to get an idea of the issues facing people in the region.
The pair also stopped by the Wallan Youth Room to chat with three of the councillors from the Mitchell Shire Youth Council: Elaina Harrison, Cooper Sargeant and Youth Secretary Jess Stevens.
The trio spoke with the minister about the youth mental health situation here in the Mitchell Shire, advocating for federal funding and pointing out that there is no permanent youth mental health service in the area.
Although not here to make a commitment to funding, Ms McBride said the visit was to get a deeper understanding of what matters to the people of the Mitchell Shire.
“We’re hearing from local young people in their own communities about the unique challenges that they face, but also the solutions that they have is so important to us being able to make sure that services or programs are designed alongside young people to meet their needs today,” she said.
Mr Mitchell added that these are important moments to give people in power beyond the electorate an understanding of what we require.
“That’s why it’s great that Emma’s here… to see these sorts of things that we can then put into the national conversation about what happens and where it works,” he said.
