National Children's Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy

Prof Stuart Kinner, Head of the Justice Health Unit, has lodged a submission in response to the call for comments on the Draft National Children's Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Prof Kinner's submission calls for young people in detention to have access to Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS)-subsidised healthcare from which they are currently excluded. This exclusion is both discriminatory and harmful.

The submission recommends that the Health Minister, Greg Hunt, grants an exemption to this exclusion to enable young people in detention to have the same access to MBS services as other members of the community, in particular to support their mental healthcare.

Prof Kinner also supports the need for improved data sharing including between the justice and health sectors as reflected in his submission.

The final National Children's Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, launched in October 2021, and related documents, are available here. Prof Kinner's submission, dated 15 March 2021, is available here.