The opening of a free mental health clinic in Logan has marked the halfway point of a national rollout of government-funded centres.
Federal Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Emma McBride said the Logan Medicare Mental Health Centre was the 31st of 61 centres set to be opened across the country.
Ms McBride said the new centre provided free mental health care “to everyone who walks through the door”.
“Medicare Mental Health Centres are a safe and welcoming place where anyone can access free and confidential mental health care and support,” she said.
“These centres are free for everyone and open for extended hours with no appointment or referral needed.”
Ms McBride said $30 million was being invested in Medicare Mental Health Centres to improve capability and ensure every centre could provide free, on-call access to a psychologist and psychiatrist.
She said people with complex mental health needs would be able to receive free access to a psychologist or psychiatrist with no limit on the number of sessions and no gap fees.
“This will help ensure that cost is not a barrier for Australians to get the ongoing care they need.”
Ms McBride said the full network of 61 Medicare Mental Health Centres was expected to be up and running by mid-2026.
She said 19 centres would be established in Queensland, with five already open in Logan, Townsville, Kingaroy, Ipswich and Redlands.