Portfolio — 4 June 2026

Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Emma McBride announced on 4 June that headspace Geelong will be upgraded to a headspace Plus centre — one of only 30 such upgrades funded nationally, and among the first ten to transition to the new model [TA-260605-health-9a69006beed6]. Construction work begins next month, with the upgrade expected to complete within 12 months.

The enhanced centre will carry increased staff capacity, strengthened GP and counselling support, additional peer worker roles, and expanded clinical services for young people aged 12 to 25 [TA-260605-health-62c362066e34]. The Geelong announcement sits within a $149 million federal commitment to uplift 30 headspace centres, itself part of the government's broader $1.1 billion mental health investment package [TA-260605-health-9a69006beed6].

That package also funds an expansion of the national headspace network from 175 to over 200 centres. The headspace Plus model represents a service-intensity uplift rather than a new site, with the policy logic being that high-demand centres serving growing youth populations require more than basic resourcing. The Geelong centre's inclusion among the first cohort of ten suggests the government is prioritising centres already operating under pressure.

No opposition or crossbench response to this announcement is present in the available records.