Rural
30 March, 2025
New counselling for women in rural QLD
A NEW multimillion-dollar women’s health service is now available in the Nanango Electorate, offering women and girls in regional and rural Queensland a chance to seek counselling.
The new virtual counselling service, ‘Women’s Wellbeing Line,’ provides women with essential mental healthcare, counselling, pregnancy loss advice, and health referrals. The service is operated by Women’s Health and Equality Queensland and supported by the Queensland Government with an $11.35 million investment over four years.
Staffed by trained counsellors and midwives, the service offers a telephone and web chat service and will soon provide face-to-face video conferencing. Since December, the service has assisted nearly 180 people, offering support for non-crisis mental health, grief and loss counselling following pregnancy or neonatal loss, midwifery support and advice, and domestic and sexual violence counselling.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, Tim Nicholls, said the service responds to the vital need for “more accessible women-focused mental health and wellbeing care” statewide and is “a lifeline” for many Queensland women, especially in regional, rural, and remote areas.
Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington, said, “This is a huge win for regional women. I’m so glad to see my years of advocacy have paid off, and women of the Nanango Electorate are now getting the medical treatment they deserve.”
The Women’s Wellbeing Line operates Monday to Friday, from 8am to 8pm, and Saturday from 9am to 5pm. To access the service, call 1800 4 WOMEN (1800 496 636), email wellbeing@wheq.org.au, or connect via web chat.
