Rural mental health: $1 million cash injection for our regions

News Corp Australia will pair with Rural and Remote Mental Health to deliver mental health literacy and suicide prevention training in bushfire-affected communities in the next two years.

With many regions still affected by the Black Summer bushfires in 2020, News Corp has announced a new partnership to direct funds to regional mental health services. Photo by Darrian Traynor.

For many producers and regional communities, the bushfires of 2019-20 are yet to fade to memory, and remain a harsh, enduring reality.

The mental health burden for those affected by fire, their loved ones and emergency service responders who fought the blazes, is still a daily battle.

Today News Corp Australia has announced a $1 million mental health and wellbeing grant to Rural and Remote Mental Health, which will deliver mental health literacy and suicide prevention training in bushfire-affected communities in the next two years.

According to Rural and Remote Mental Health, people who do not live in capital cities are 1.5 times more likely to commit suicide than people in metro areas, with the rate increasing with remoteness.

Rural and Remote Mental Health chief executive Joe Hooper said the partnership would assist those still struggling after the fires.

“Despite highly publicised funding announcements, many communities face massive economic hardship,” Mr Hooper said.

“There are still challenges rebuilding properties, businesses and industries.

“As we head into another fire season, rates of mental ill-health and trauma are likely to rise.

“Early identification and intervention are critical to saving lives of people who are struggling mentally or emotionally.”

News Corp Australia community ambassador Penny Fowler said drought, floods, bushfires and a global pandemic had dealt relentless devastation and hardship to regional Australians, “unleashing a storm of community challenges ranging from basic human needs for shelter, food and survival through to the silent killers lurking in the shadows”.

“While many Australians have moved on from the ‘forgotten crisis’, those in rural and remote communities are constantly reminded of the trauma and devastation of those horrific months, causing significant impacts on mental health,” Ms Fowler said.

“This latest funding will make a tangible difference to the lives and livelihoods of those in bushfire-impacted communities as well as transforming Rural and Remote Mental Health’s capacity to deliver their vital services.”