How can politicians consider donating $25 million dollars to a private developer/group to impose a hotel entertainment complex on the railway precinct; a precinct which is supposedly protected by the state government's heritage listing? The project, now entirely in the hands of the minister, contends that it will maintain current levels of free parking and approx 250 car spaces. This is nearly half the number of free car parks currently being used every working day. 

Does Ballarat need another outlet for alcohol consumption, more alcohol-fuelled violence in a location surrounded by hotels and abutting a residential area? Sponsoring this type of development and promoting it as a source of employment is convenient for the liquor industry with low wages and more casual workers. Ballarat does not need more underemployment, it needs clever solutions not based on alcohol or possibly gambling, and the destruction of its magnificent heritage railway station and surrounding areas.

Dinah McCance, East Ballarat

The inaugural headspace day this week is to ensure that every young person has access to youth-friendly mental health services, no matter where they live.

Headspace day celebrated 10 years of innovation in youth mental health and was also triggered by alarming new research from Orygen and headspace that revealed over 50 per cent of young people were waiting six or more months before seeking help for mental health issues. This period of waiting and worrying can have detrimental effects. From social isolation to relationship breakdowns, drug and alcohol abuse and in severe cases, incidents of self-harm or suicide.

The research also uncovered that close to 50 per cent of young people said financial cost was a barrier in preventing them from getting treatment. Nearly half said they believed they could not be helped and more than 50 per cent said they were afraid of what others would think. We need to change these perceptions. Every year, a quarter of all young people in this country will experience mental health issues and we want them all to know headspace is here to help. With 95 centres across Australia, integrated with a phone and online chat service eheadspace, over the past decade headspace has enabled over 270,000 young people to access mental health care.

We will soon expand to 110 headspace centres thanks to the government's election commitment and a ringing endorsement of headspace as its model for youth mental health care for the future. Headspace has made outstanding progress over the past ten years but we still have a way to go. Access is crucial and help seeking is the first step that every young person must make, and we need to continue to provide effective and easy pathways to make sure this can happen for everyone. We want to see every Australian community with a headspace centre.

If you would like to support headspace, visit headspaceday.org.au to see how you and your local community can get involved or give a donation to support young people in need. And finally thanks to everyone who took part in the first headspace day. We look forward to you all joining us again next year.

Professor Patrick McGorry AO, headspace founding board member