Almost 40 per cent of Western Australians aged 16 to 24 years are affected by mental health disorders and that figure is expected to grow.

As Australia’s only 24/7 confidential counselling service, Kids Helpline is often the first point of contact for young people in distress.

Last year, the counselling service received around 27,000 calls from young people in Western Australia under the age of 25.

Most of those calls were made after-hours and almost a quarter of them were from children in remote and regional areas in WA, where there are very few other services.

Sadly, more than half of those calls went unanswered.

Kids Helpline’s operators, yourtown, simply cannot keep up with the increasing demand with current funding levels provided by the Cook Labor Government.  

Maintaining Kids Helpline’s well-respected contact services and virtual counselling – staffed by qualified psychologists, counsellors, and social workers – is no small feat.

The NSW and Queensland Governments provide more than $3 million to Kids Helpline each year.

In WA, yourtown receive less than $90,000 from Labor.

As a result, more than 18,200 calls for help from Western Australian kids and young adults went unanswered last year.

It’s not good enough.

Western Australia sits above the national average for those seeking counselling services and, with self-injury on the rise, we need to take urgent action to ensure help is available for those who need it, when they need it.

The WA Liberals will make sure Kids Helpline has the funding it needs to support Western Australia’s most vulnerable.

It will enable Kids Helpline to not only meet the current demand but also expand its presence across the State.

All young Western Australians deserve to receive help in a time of crisis or distress.

Only a WA Liberal Government will deliver it.

The WA Liberals believe our most vulnerable Western Australians should have access to appropriate mental health services when they need it, regardless of where they live.

Following the COVID pandemic, demand for these critical services has skyrocketed while funding has not, and mental health support providers are rightfully worried about how the shortfall will be met.

Kids Helpline is one key service provider being let down by  Roger Cook’s refusal to properly fund mental health services.

The future of Kids Helpline in this state is in limbo, with no guarantee about forward funding.

In the middle of a mental health crisis, this lack of certainty is providing unnecessary angst.

We cannot allow our key mental health providers to be left waiting and hoping for the funds to provide life-saving services.

The WA Liberals will provide $6m over four years to yourtown, to ensure that young Western Australians have round-the-clock mental health support services, particularly in regional areas where Kids Helpline may be the only option for help.

The extra resources will also enable yourtown to open a new Kids Helpline counselling centre in Perth.

Expanding mental health services to meet increasing demand will ensure our children and young people have the support to navigate mental health struggles.

Our next generation deserves a government that provides them with the best chance to thrive.

Only the WA Liberal Party is committed to meeting our state’s mental health needs, starting with adequate funding for the Kids Helpline service.