Doorstop interview with Assistant Minister McBride, Canberra – 20 August 2026

Media event date: 20 August 2026 Date published: 20 August 2026 Media type: General public ASSISTANT MINISTER EMMA MCBRIDE: Today is a really important day for Australians right here in Canberra, but right across the country as well. We know that in Australia today, about one in five adults will experience a mental health challenge in any 12 months, and close to half of us in our lifetime, which is why our government has made mental health and access to mental health care under Medicare a priority.

A more than $1 billion investment in mental health and wellbeing, including more than $267.3 million to increase and expand Medicare Mental Health Centres like the one we are in today. And today, we are marking more than 500,000 visits, half a million free visits, to Medicare Mental Health Centres across the country. We knew that people were struggling to access care, barriers of both cost and appointments and wait lists were affecting people's access to care close to home and when they need it, which is why we're expanding and strengthening the Medicare Mental Health network to more than 92 right across the country.

And to know that people now can walk in to a Medicare Mental Health Centre without a diagnosis, without an appointment. and get wraparound care for free under Medicare, is why we're seeing such a big change in people accessing support and care. At this centre right here, most days there's a team of up to 17 staff working on both intake and intervention. making sure that people have a warm, compassionate, welcome into services and get the wraparound care tailored to their needs, all for free. and under Medicare.

I might hand over now to you, Alicia, to talk about the local centre here and the difference it’s making. ALICIA PAYNE, MEMBER FOR CANBERRA: Thank you very much, Emma. I'm so pleased I could be here with you in Canberra today to celebrate this really important milestone of half a million visits to these fantastic, clinical mental health centres around the country.

And here in Canberra, It's making such a difference because we do have some issues with access, particularly to psychologists and psychiatrists. But here, people can walk in and they can see psychologists, psychiatrists, OTs, counsellors, get the support that they need right away. It has extended hours, and we’re just hearing really positive feedback from the community about this.

And I'm so proud of the work that you're leading, Emma, in this space, because we are doing so much better for Australians in terms of mental health care and through a range of different ways that they can access the support that they need, when they need it. And I just want to shout out to the team here as well that are doing a fantastic job. And as I said, I hear so much good feedback.

I'm really pleased now to hand over to my constituent, Rachel(*). And thank you, Rachel, so much for being able to talk about your positive experience here. We really appreciate you sharing that.

Hi, I'm Rachel. About a year ago, I had a bout of psychosis, which just happens with my illness sometimes. And the wait times to get in to see a psychiatrist in Canberra is very long, and it's also very expensive.

I am on a disability support pension so I can't really afford it. My only option at that time was going into the hospital, until my mum found this service. And they saw me within two weeks basically, and yeah, they sorted me out.

They heard me and they supported me through what was going on. And I had three appointments here, and they said that I could just continue on until I was better. And luckily it was short lived and I was able to get the right dose of medication and get back on track.

Yeah, my only other option, as I said, would have been going into the hospital, which is very scary and unpleasant, and I don't really enjoy doing that. So yeah, this definitely saved me. It's great that it's just free and it's just a walk-in, and I know that it's here all the time.

It's not very well known around in Canberra, I don't think, which is why I'm doing this, just to get the message out a bit more. They also have delicious snacks, which is great. Also the psychiatrist I saw here – I’ve been seeing psychiatrists for many, many years, and I have a [indistinct] problem.

And the psychiatrist here was the only one in all those years that was like, that must really suck, and wanted to do something about it. So the psychiatrist was fantastic. So yes, thank you.

JOURNALIST: Rachel, how did you feel when you walked through the doors first and were welcomed with open arms? Was it like a weight off your shoulders? Yeah, definitely.

It was great to be able to go somewhere where I knew they would help me. I was a bit nervous just seeing a new psychiatrist for the first time, but he made me feel very comfortable. JOURNALIST: And Minister, how does it feel to hear those stories after all the work you've done opening these centres?

I want to first thank Alicia for her advocacy for the local service right here in Canberra. But to know as a former mental health worker myself that people can now walk in to a safe place where they'll be met with compassion and where they'll have wraparound support, tailored to their needs, is making such a big difference. And to know that there's 50,000 people just like Rachel who've had the chance to be able to walk into a door and to be treated with such compassion and to get the quality care that they need, it’s making such a big difference and I'm really proud to be part of a government that's providing it.

The Hon Emma McBride MP Mental health and suicide prevention Accessibility We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to Elders both past and present. © Commonwealth of Australia