$842,536 boost for Gunida Gunyah’s case management services
Additional case management services in Gunnedah have been boosted thanks to an $842,536 grant from the Nationals/Liberal Government, providing support to families with members who are incarcerated or who have come into contact with the criminal justice system.
This funding announcement is a welcome boost for an important service. Families of incarcerated people can be severely affected and support is vital for them at a very difficult time.
The Gunida Gunyah project is one of 43 recently funded under the IAS. Services have been funded to provide intensive support to Indigenous people most affected in the following areas: alcohol and drugs, domestic violence, mental health and wellbeing, and youth offending. Gunida Gunyah will receive funding to provide case management services through until 30 June 2019 for vulnerable Indigenous people in North West NSW.
Service providers will be asked to collect service data to assess the impact of the service, to better understand what works to overcome Indigenous disadvantage and contribute to the evidence base.
Improving the safety of Indigenous families and communities is one of the highest priorities for the Nationals/Liberal Government – and this investment will enable Gunida Gunyah to provide additional support to people who need it the most.
New headspace services in Moree, Gunnedah and Narrabri
More than $2 million is to be invested over the next four years for four new headspace services for young people in the Electorates of Parkes and New England.
This early intervention was absolutely critical to helping young people with mental health issues. Young people in Moree, Gunnedah, Narrabri and Armidale will be able to access the highly successful headspace model of care in their communities.
This is on top of headspace facilities already operating in Dubbo and Broken Hill. These services, with their unique and recognisable branding, have guaranteed funding for the next four years and will be run by Centacare, which will establish shopfronts in each of the towns.
These new headspace facilities will deliver front-line services and coordinate the right interventions for at risk young people. headspace offers early intervention for young people between the ages of 12 to 25 years in four key areas – mental health, related physical health, social and vocational support, and alcohol and other drug use.
A planning phase will now begin and headspace services are expected to be available within 12 months.
The current lead agency of Tamworth headspace, Centacare New England and North West, will engage youth care workers and psychologists to provide headspace services to young people at Centacare’s current premises in Armidale, Gunnedah, Moree and Narrabri. It is expected that new headspace services will be available to young people within 12 months.
Agriculture continues to help drive national economic growth:
Agriculture is a major contributor to the economy in the Electorate of Parkes. The Coalition Government is working to boost Agriculture’s domestic and export returns, and this continues to show in latest economic growth figures.
The Australian economy grew by 1.7 per cent in the March quarter 2017, with Agriculture contributing 0.3 percentage points to this GDP growth. This follows Agriculture’s strong contributions to growth in the previous September 2016 (0.2 ppts) and December 2016 quarters (0.6 ppts).
The Agricultural sector grew the fastest among all 19 industries in the March quarter 2017. Its contribution to GDP growth was the fifth largest out of 19 industry sectors – after professional services, wholesale trade, financial & insurance and health.
Agriculture’s strong contribution to GDP growth reflects strong growth in the sector since September 2016 (measured in terms of gross value added). Driving this growth has been the record winter grains production. Growth of this magnitude has not been seen since the recovery in Agriculture following drought in 2006 and 2007.
