A WA Liberal Government will commit $6 million over four years to help increase Western Australian children and young people’s ability to access Kids Helpline.

The additional funding – which will be allocated to yourtown, the operator of Kids Helpline – will support the service to expand its presence in Western Australia in response to increased demand across the State, addressing the Cook Labor Government’s funding shortfall.

“Despite yourtown’s requests for additional funding, Roger Cook’s Government only provides around $90,000 a year, which falls well short of what is required to support this vital service,” said Libby Mettam, WA Liberal Leader.

“Everywhere you look, you can see how wrong Roger Cook’s priorities are – he spent $8 million to bring Coldplay to Perth, while approximately two in three contacts to Kids Helpline went unanswered.

“WA’s contribution to this essential service is embarrassing compared to the Eastern States – NSW contributes 46 times more than we do, while Queensland contributes 36 times more.”

Shadow Minister for Community Services and Youth, Donna Faragher MLC said demand for this important service was exceeding current capacity, and providing more localised support was essential to assist WA children, particularly those living in regional and remote parts of the state.

“Kids Helpline is a critical resource for children and young people seeking support, particularly during times when other support services are not open or available,” Mrs Faragher said.

“Kids Helpline is a 24/7 service, with 69% of all contacts occurring between the hours of 5:00pm and 9:00am on weeknights and weekends, and 71% of counselling sessions taking place outside of regular working hours.”

Figures revealed in State Parliament show, however, a high number of contacts, whether by phone, or web chat, go unanswered, even after considering around 20 percent hang up before the end of the introductory message, which importantly advises callers to hang up and call triple zero in case of an emergency.

“yourtown and their Kids Helpline counsellors are doing an incredible job with the resources they have, but clearly demand is exceeding current capacity, and WA needs to increase its contribution to help them meet that demand,” Mrs Faragher said.

Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free 24/7 online and phone counselling service, supporting young people aged between 5 and 25 years. The service also provides child-centred resources for parents to assist them in supporting their children through challenging times, as well as educational sessions and resources for schools.

“By increasing Kids Helpline’s funding, yourtown can employ more counsellors directly in WA, increase their visibility in Western Australia, and provide a vital connection with other local mental health support providers,” said Ms Mettam.

“We are absolutely committed to providing the necessary funding so more contacts from WA children and young people are answered, no matter what time of the day or night.

“This is particularly important for children in our regions, who may only have access to Kids Helpline.”

Of the 27,000 attempts to contact Kids Helpline in 2023 originating from Western Australia, the service was only able to respond to 8,772. With increased funding, Kids Helpline has the potential to respond to more contacts and support more children and young people across the State.