Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, has accused the Federal Government of ignoring an urgent need for youth mental health services in the Blue Mountains in the aftermath of the recent bushfires and storms.
The Morrison Government promised it would establish a satellite headspace service - catering for the needs of people between 12 and 25 years - at Katoomba during last year's election, however Ms Templeman said the site is still not operational.
In Parliament last week, Ms Templeman asked if the government would consider upgrading the satellite service to a full centre, and get it up and running immediately.
But Health Minister, Greg Hunt, said funding would be "demand-driven" in Katoomba, which Ms Templeman said was unacceptable.
"My community has been ravaged by bushfire and battered by storms and floods, all within the space of two months," she said.
"Many of these young people have never witnessed anything like this at all, and many - particularly those working in the hospitality industry - are facing financial hardship due to the downturn in the local tourism industry because of these disasters.
"The government has said it wants to help people with trauma counselling, but then the minister seemed to question whether there was a need. There is a clear need and the minister should be meeting it now, by acting to immediately establish a full service headspace."
