Support us
Everymind welcomes the Australian Government announcement of $736 million to support and strengthen services for people living with mental ill-health, including $461 million for youth mental health and suicide prevention in the 2019/2020 Federal Budget.
A continued national focus on mental health and wellbeing in the workplace was also high on the agenda for the 2019/2020 Federal Budget with $15.2 million invested to promote, support and sustain mentally healthy workplaces.
Everymind welcomes this funding boost, of which $11.5 million will be allocated to the National Mentally Healthy Workplaces Alliance and $1.2 million for workers in the construction industry through MATES in Construction.
Everymind Acting Director, Marc Bryant said the boost to national funding for mental health, suicide prevention and lived experience initiatives was positive news not only for these important sectors but for the communities who will benefit from the increased infrastructure and support services.
“Everymind welcomes this increase in funding, which aims to prioritise mental health and suicide prevention on a national scale and particularly the investment in lived experience and the mental health and wellbeing of Australians in the workplace,” Mr Bryant said.
“It builds on our own government funded Ahead for Business digital platform, which empowers the mental health and wellbeing of small business owners and sole traders.”
Ahead for Business is a fit-for-purpose, digital platform that supports small business owners to take action on their own mental health and wellbeing by connecting them to tools, programs and interventions to support their mental health and wellbeing.
Everymind Business Manager, Tina Fox said the Institute is looking forward to working with organisations and services that received funding in the Budget.
“Everymind values collaboration and partnership and will endeavour to link up with all initiatives to maximise outcomes in prevention for all Australians,” Ms Fox said.
Everymind Mental Health and Research Program Manager, Dr Gavin Hazel, who leads the Ahead for Business project said he was pleased with the Government’s commitment to supporting mental health in workplaces.
“The Ahead for Business team welcomes the opportunity to work in partnership with the stakeholders dedicated to improving the mental health and wellbeing of more than four million small business owners across Australia including the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, National Mental Health Commission and National Mentally Healthy Workplaces Alliance,” Dr Hazel said.
“It is important to note that the Budget announcement can be a busy time for many small business owners and operators as they work to understand what the outcomes will mean for them in their day-to-day operations.
“I would like to encourage any small business owners or operators who need to reach out for support to talk to those close to them or visit the Ahead for Business website for more information on strategies around self-care and wellbeing.”
Everymind is also pleased to acknowledge the investment of $461 million towards youth and indigenous mental health and suicide prevention, which includes $375 million for the expansion of the headspace network and $15 million for indigenous suicide prevention initiatives.
Everymind Acting Program Manager Suicide Prevention, Sara Bartlett said she was pleased to be on the ground and in attendance at The Budget for these significant announcements.
“A boost in funding for suicide prevention is always welcomed and we applaud the Government on the range of announcements it has made that will contribute to the work of many in saving lives ,” Ms Bartlett said.
“Everymind suicide prevention programs, Mindframe and Life in Mind work closely with stakeholders in these key areas and we look forward to supporting and collaborating with them as they deliver this important work.”
About Ahead for Business
Ahead for Business is an initiative developed by Everymind in partnership with small business owners in NSW and was originally funded by the icare foundation. It has since received a $3.1 million federal government grant for national expansion. For more information visit: Ahead for Business.
About Life in Mind
Life in Mind is a national gateway connecting Australian suicide prevention services to each other and the community. For more information visit: Life in Mind.
About Mindframe
Mindframe supports safe media reporting, portrayal and communication about suicide, mental ill-health, alcohol and other drugs. For more information visit: Mindframe.
More information
For more information around the range of work which Everymind does in the mental health sector please visit: https://everymind.org.au/mental-health
Help-seeking
If anyone feels the need to reach out for support following the Budget, Everymind encourages individuals to do so via relevant help-seeking services.
National 24/7 Crisis Services:
Lifeline: 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 http://www.suicidecallbackserv...
Published: 3 April 2019
