Exclusive ALMOST one year ago, Annette McKenzie and I sat down to talk about suicide. In particular, we spoke about a spate of tragic young deaths in the South Side. It was the four-year anniversary of the death of her daughter, Britney Mazzoncini, and the mum-of-three from Pollok opened up about the heartbreak and devastation that was tormenting her local community. Ten months on from that conversation, the 38-year-old says she wishes she could tell me that things have improved. She said: “I wish I could tell you something different today, but things have actually got worse. “This year alone, we have lost so many. How many funerals have there been? And we are only five months in.”
The Hon Greg Hunt MP Minister for Health and Aged Care
The Morrison Government is continuing to guarantee essential services by investing $2.3 billion in the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan to lead landmark reform in mental health support and treatment for Australians in need.
Based on the principles of Prevention, Compassion and Care, the Plan will invest $1.4 billion in high quality and person-centred treatment, which includes the development of a national network of mental health treatment centres for adults, youth and children through the Head to Health and headspace programs.
Mental health and suicide prevention are key priorities for the Morrison Government in keeping Australians safe and a central feature of Australia’s Long-Term National Health Plan.
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Mental health support workshops coming to Wide Bay-Burnett region
The impacts of drought, COVID-19, labour shortages and water challenges are taking their toll on farmers in the Wide Bay-Burnett region with many in the sector fearing that this may have serious consequences for peoples’ mental health and wellbeing.
The OzHelp Foundation, a provider of workplace wellbeing programs specialising in mental health and suicide prevention, will deliver mental health support workshops in the Wide Bay-Burnett region on the 6th and 7th of May.
These workshops have been specifically developed for frontline agricultural workers such as agronomists, bank managers, industry groups and agribusiness advisors, those who work in farming or agriculture, members of the community, and other professionals or service providers who live and work in rural communities.