Is headspace making a difference to young people’s lives?

Appendix B
Table B7 Young people aged 12–25 years by distance to nearest headspace centre (Rounds 1 – 8),
and ABS remoteness area
Remoteness Less than 10
kilometres
10 - 30 kilometres 30 kilometres or
more
Major Cities of Australia Number 2,246,905 590,074 15,185 2,852,164
Per cent 78.8 20.7 0.5 100
Inner Regional Australia Number 279,754 192,178 232,248 704,180
Per cent 39.7 27.3 33 100
Outer Regional Australia Number 105,788 56,369 175,974 338,131
Per cent 31.3 16.7 52 100
Remote Australia Number 11,574 325 39,178 51,077
Total
Per cent 22.7 0.6 76.7 100
Very Remote Australia Number 0 24 36,792 36,816
Per cent 0.0 0.1 99.9 100
Australia Number 2,644,021 838,970 499,377 3,982,368
Per cent 66.4 21.1 12.5 100
Figure B11 Per cent of 12–25 year olds within 10 km, 10 to 30 km, and more than 30 km from nearest
headspace centre (Round 1 to 8), Australia
Distance to headspace centre based on hypothetical Rounds 9-14
Differences in the level of youth access to headspace services between states will continue to exist
if the current model of centre allocation for expansion is rolled out until national coverage is achieved
(data included in Appendix G)
Implications of distance based on definitions of client access
The definition of access which is applied by the model substantially impacts on the interpretation of
the model’s success in providing services to young people. For example, if access is defined as living
within 30 km of a headspace centre (Figure B12) then, following the completion of Round 8 centre
implementation, young people in the Sydney metropolitan area could be considered to have good
access to headspace services. In contrast, if access is defined as being within 10 km of headspace,
population coverage is substantially poorer. These analyses highlight the impact of access definitions
on the interpretation of serviced need and access equity, particularly when examined within the
context of anticipated need for youth mental health services. This is discussed in greater detail in the
Social Policy Research Centre 2015
headspace Evaluation Final Report
138