The Wire

As the election bears down, and after lobbying from health groups and Australian of the year Professor Patrick McGorry, both major parties are locking horns over what they intend to do about mental health. Following the Coalition’s recent $1.5b pledge to bolster services, health minister Nicola Roxon today promised to double the number of Headspace youth mental health service sites nationally. But is it enough? And will both parties maintain momentum on it? Michael Kermode asked Barbara Hocking from the charity SANE Australia about the state of mental health coming into the 2010 election.