Federal Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter is appalled the Federal Government has ceased funding for mental health counselling in drought affected areas.

The day after the 2016-17 Budget was announced rural counselling service providers were notified the drought funding for mental health counselling will cease from June 30, 2016.

“While the Federal Government might plan to cease the funding, the drought shows no signs of doing the same in fact it have gotten worse, and this has in turn increased the pressures on families,” Mr Katter said.



Mr Katter has made representation to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister for Social Services, the Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs to seek assurances from the ALP and LNP to reverse the decision prior to the Federal election, or if not, to have both parties commit to funding being restored after the July 2 election.

“The 2016/17 budget has allocated $7.1 million for financial counsellors for farmers in drought-affected areas but no provision has been made for mental health counselling,” he said.

“The Federal Government has adopted a stop-start approach to renewing funding and giving advice around service continuity.



“The advice provided to service providers was that the funding is formally ending and this advice is final.”

Mr Katter said the drought continues in western Queensland and service providers’ success relies upon building trusted relationships with their clients.



“Trust and relationships take time to build and is not assisted by a stop-start approach by government to service funding.”

Centacare North Queensland director, Peter Monaghan pointed out regional areas are already under-serviced and to rip the funding out now while the drought continues, when there are no similar alternate services, will be dire for the local communities.

“The same areas continue to have a substantial over representation of family violence and separation and most definitely suicide (including a farmer near Richmond recently),” Mr Monaghan said.



“These areas are devoid of rain and feed for cattle and are now faced with the ‘dry’ season and starving cattle that do not have the condition on them to manage through the winter,” he said.

Mr Monaghan said the loss of funding will be substantial with the provider estimating that over the past two and a half years they would have received approximately $1.8 million.



He said the cuts will affect hundreds or possibly thousands of individuals in need.



“We’ve got people who are hurting out there who will no longer have the support services available.”

Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland CEO Jeremy Audas said he’s fearful the cuts are leaving people in distress.

He said the funding stoppage will mean that the services that link people to clinical, counselling and family well-being services will cease.

“This puts people at risk when they’re at their most vulnerable,” Mr Audas said.

“We’re now in the process of winding down these services and putting off people who we’ve employed,” he said.



“In Charters Towers for example we’ve opened an office and employed local people to carry out the work on the stations and properties.



“They’re the ones that know the issues and are already connected to the communities, but won’t have employment any further and won’t be able to deliver those services to people in need.



He said the job losses aren’t the main issue, it’s the loss of service delivery to people whose mental well being has been impacted that he’s concerned about.

“Financial counselling alone isn’t enough to cater for the needs of people living in rural communities.”

Mr Katter said he hopes common-sense will prevail with the ALP and LNP and that funding will be reinstated post-election.

The cessation funding affects 14 rural and remote councils in the electorate of Kennedy (Flinders, McKinlay, Charters Towers, Hinchinbrook, Richmond, Mareeba, Etheridge, Croydon, Carpentaria, Burke, Doomadgee, Mount Isa, Cloncurry and Boulia).

Service providers affected by the funding stoppage are the Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland; Centacare North Queensland; Anglicare North Queensland; Supported Options in Lifestyle and Access (SOLAS); Suncare Community Services; Relationships Australia Queensland and North West Remote Health.