Sydney: The federal government has announced a $110 million (Dh403 million) package targeting youth anxiety and depression, including $46 million in funding to a beyondblue programme to teach students about good mental health in early learning, primary and secondary schools. beyondblue is an Australian, independent non-profit organisation working to address issues associated with depression, anxiety disorders and related mental disorders.

Online and phone support services including Kids Helpline and ReachOut will share an extra $1.8 million in funding over two years, while $13.5 million has been allocated to the Orygen National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health.

The executive director of Orygen, psychiatrist Patrick McGorry , said the funding would help to maintain youth mental health services, including Headspace centres throughout Australia.

“The announcement shows that the health minister Greg Hunt has been listening to the sector and this funding will mean vital support services for young people can keep going,” McGorry said. “We are very grateful for that support because we need to keep this early intervention going.”

But he said only about 60 per cent of young Australians had access to a Headspace centre. The funding announced on Monday would not provide for any new centres, he said.

“We need to finish the job of national coverage,” McGorry said. “Headspace centres are just one step towards improving youth mental health. What’s really missing is expert, team-based care that organisations like Orygen provide, and which is in very short supply.

Trapped in a bottleneck

“So while a lot of young people get access to help through Headspace, one third of those who go to headspace are too complex for headspace alone, and they become trapped in a bottleneck in the system where they can’t get the specialised care they need.”

He said further funding was required to meet complex care needs. The 10-session cap on allied mental health sessions should be lifted, he said, and funding was needed for mobile and home-based interventions.

“So Greg Hunt deserves a big tick for this funding today, but it should be seen as funding that is setting the scene for the next wave of reform, and I very much hope he will support that next phase,” McGorry said.

The chief executive officer of headspace, Jason Trethowan, told the ABC the funding for school-based programmes was particularly welcome.

“When students are feeling a little bit down or have issues at home, often they go to a teacher for support,” he said. “We will be there on the front line, working with those school communities to help them work with those young people and families.”