headspace 2018: Monash Council releases video in campaign for new centre

THE neglect being shown by our elected officials towards the youth of Monash has reached a point beyond it being merely insulting.

THE neglect being shown by our elected officials towards the youth of Monash has reached a point beyond it being merely insulting.

With mental health coming out of the shadows of taboo, where those with depression, anxiety and feelings of despair are being urged to seek help, what do we say to them when there is no help available?

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Such is the case in Monash.

There is no dedicated mental health service for young people in this city of almost 200,000, of whom there are 40,000 people aged between 10 and 24.

There is a dedicated mental health service — funded by the Federal Government known as headspace — but our federal politicians have not seen fit to answer repeated calls for a service here in Monash.

Instead, our youth have to travel outside of Monash, often forced to catch buses and trains just to access desperately needed mental health services.

If it wasn’t so serious, the situation we have seen in Canberra in the past few weeks could seem rather comical — like a bunch of spoiled brats in primary school fighting over leadership rights of the schoolyard.

But that’s the point. It is serious.

The mental health of our youth is a serious — and deadly — issue.

Monash Leader and Monash Council have been fighting for a long time in a campaign called Minds Matter.

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Now, the council has upped the ante on behalf of our youth.

A new video features the youth of Monash pleading for those in power to answer them.

Among them is 13-year-old Wesley Chen.

His words are damning of our politicians.

He talks about a request to meet with the Federal Minister for Health, Greg Hunt.

That request was rejected.

Forget any promises, Wesley couldn’t even get a meeting.

We have repeatedly gone to soon-to-be departing Chisholm federal Liberal MP Julia Banks to spruik our cause only to be denied unqualified support.

Despite winning the seat in 2016 — the only Liberal to take a seat off Labor — it seems she didn’t have enough credit to champion a headspace.

But we won’t be taking the heat off the decision makers, even as they squabble and duck for cove.

The voices of our youth must be heard.